2002

January

 * The mutual  treaty, initially signed in, officially enters into force.
 * The is officially introduced in the  countries. The former currencies of all the countries that use the Euro ceased to be legal tender on February 28.
 * – erupts in the, displacing an estimated 400,000 people.
 * – The comes to a conclusion with the defeat of the  by government forces.
 * – The comes to a conclusion with the defeat of the  by government forces.

February

 * – of the  celebrates her, marking 50 years since her accession to the thrones of the , ,  and.
 * – – The are held in.
 * – The, the former president of , begins at the in.
 * – 's  begins to map the surface of  using its thermal emission imaging system.
 * – guerilla leader  is killed in clashes against government troops led by   in, . His death leads to the end of the  on April 4.

March

 * – The  is launched, with its purpose being the recording of information on environmental change.
 * – A Palestinian 30 people and injures 140 others at a hotel in, , triggering , a large-scale counter-terrorism operation in the , two days later.

April

 * – Israeli forces the  in, when militants took shelter there. The siege would last for 38 days.
 * – The takes place at Westminster Abbey, London.
 * – crashes into a hillside during heavy rain and fog near, , killing 129 people.
 * – South African blasts off from the  on the, becoming the first African space tourist.

May

 * – regains its independence after 2-and-a-half years of United Nations administration and 26 years of  by  since.
 * – In Moscow, United States President and Russian President  sign the  to replace the  of  and the  of.
 * – A operating as  breaks up and crashes in the, killing all 225 passengers and crew on board.
 * – – The  in South Korea and Japan; which is ultimately won by Brazil.

June

 * – An object with an estimated diameter of 10 meters over the  and detonates in mid-air.
 * – The first direct electronic communication experiment between the nervous systems of two humans is carried out by in the.
 * – A passenger train in, , killing 281 people, making it the worst rail accident in African history.

July

 * The comes into force, thereby establishing the.
 * A Russian passenger jet and cargo plane over the town of, , killing 71 people.
 * – The is disbanded and replaced by the.
 * – The is disbanded and replaced by the.

August

 * – begins in, , aimed at discussing  by the.

September

 * – Switzerland joins the as the 190th member state after rejecting a place in 1986.
 * – General leads an army mutiny in an attempt to overthrow  President, resulting in.
 * – The, a possible impact, occurs in , Russia.
 * – The ese passenger ferry capsizes in a storm off the coast of, killing 1,863 people.
 * – is admitted to the  as the 191st member state.

October

 * – militants  in two nightclubs in, , killing 202 people and injuring over 300 in the worst terrorist act in Indonesia's history.
 * – – rebels take control of the  theatre in  and . At least 170 people are killed following a Russian attempt to subdue the militants.

November

 * – A is held in . The people reject Spanish sovereignty.
 * – The unanimously adopts, forcing  to either  "serious consequences". Iraq agrees to the terms of the resolution on November 13.
 * – : Greek oil tanker MV Prestige splits in half off the coast of after spilling an estimated 17.8M US gallons (420,000 bbl) in the worst environmental disaster in the history of the.
 * – U.S. President signs the  into law, establishing the, in the largest U.S. government reorganization since the creation of the  in.
 * – : Suicide bombers blow up an Israeli-owned hotel in, Kenya, but their colleagues failed in their attempt to bring down an charter flight with surface-to-air-missiles.

December

 * – A U.S. is shot down by an Iraqi  in the first combat engagement between a drone and conventional aircraft.