A control apparatus (100) for an internal combustion engine (1) is disclosed. When the engine (1) is started, the apparatus (100) executes starting control in accordance with the stopped crank position. The control apparatus (100) includes inclination state detecting means (40,58,80), shift position detecting means (53), rotation direction determining means (40), and stopped crank position updating means (40). The shift position detecting means (53) detects whether the shift position of a transmission (30) mounted on the vehicle while the engine (1) is off is a neutral position, an advancing position, or a reverse position The rotation direction determining means (40) determines the direction of rotation of the crankshaft accompanying rotation of the vehicle wheels (34) while the engine (1) is off. When an output signal of the crank angle sensor (50) is detected, the stopped crank position updating means (40) updates the stopped crank position, which is stored in the stopped crank position storing means (41), in accordance with the direction of rotation determined by the rotation direction determining means (40).