Born: 1 April 1940 · Died: 25 September 2011 · Age at death: 71
How old was Wangari Muta Maathai when she died?
Wangari Muta Maathai died aged 71. She was born on 1 April 1940 and died on 25 September 2011.
Kenyan environmentalist who founded the Green Belt Movement and became the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize
Did you know?She founded the Green Belt Movement, which has helped plant tens of millions of trees across Kenya to combat deforestation.
Quick facts
Date of birth1 April 1940
Date of death25 September 2011
Age at death71
Cause of deathOvarian cancer
NationalityKenyan
BirthplaceNyeri, Kenya
Occupationteacher, politician, philanthropist
Editor's Take:
Wangari Maathai planted trees and grew democracy. She was the first woman in East and Central Africa to earn a doctorate. In 1977 she founded the Green Belt Movement, which paid women to plant trees. It planted tens of millions of trees across Kenya. She fought land grabs and the destruction of forests and parks. For this she was beaten and jailed. In 2004 she became the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Key Milestones
1971: PhD – University of Nairobi
1977: Green Belt Movement – founded
1989: Uhuru Park – campaign
2002: Parliament – elected
Wangarĩ Maathai (1 April 1940 – 25 September 2011) was a Kenyan social, environmental, and political activist who founded the Green Belt Movement, an environmental non-governmental organization focused on planting trees, environmental conservation, and women's rights.
Wangari Muta Maathai's birthday is April 1. She was born on April 1, 1940 in Nyeri, Kenya.
How old was Wangari Muta Maathai when she died?
Wangari Muta Maathai died on September 25, 2011, aged 71.
Who shares a birthday with Wangari Muta Maathai?
Famous people who share Wangari Muta Maathai's April 1 birthday include Otto von Bismarck, Toshirō Mifune, Milan Kundera, Abraham Maslow and Ferenc Puskás.
