A novel two-step procedure was used to manufacture microporous activated carbon from raw coconut shell. In this process, the raw coconut shell was (1) heated in an inert environment to temperatures between 450 degrees C and 850 degrees C, and reacted with oxygen (p(O2) = 1.1-5.3 kPa) for some time, and (2) heated again in inert environment to activation temperature (850 degrees C) to produce an activated carbon. Activated carbons with specific surface area greater than 700 m(2).g(-1) were manufactured with a yield between 24% and 28%. It was shown that the carbon had a narrow distribution of pore size, possibly less than 1nm, which was calculated by a simple method based on local density function theory.