-
Jan 1, 1499
Spanish Arrival
The area covered by modern-day Colombia was originally inhabited by the tribes, Muisca, Quimbaya, and Tairona. The SPanish arrived in 1499 and developed a colony named New Granada. -
Independence Day
Colombia's National Independence Day -
Battle of Boyaca
Colombia gained definitive independence from the Spanish monarchy. -
Unity After The Battle of Boyaca
1819-1930
Bolivar united Colombia with Venezuela, Panama, and Ecuador in the Republic of Greater Colombia but ended up losing Venezuela and Ecuador to separatists. -
Presidential Election
Francisco de Paula Santander served as president from 1832 to 1836. -
Naming Colombia
1861 - Named the United States of New Granada
1863 - Named the United States of Colombia
1885 - Named the Republic of Colombia -
Civil War
The CIvil War in 1899-1902 claimed 100,000 lives. -
The War of a Thousand Days
The War of a Thousand Days lasted from 1899 to 1902, resulting in victory on the conservative side of the government but also in more than 100,000 casualties. -
La Violencia
1948-1958
La Violencia was the break out of insurrection and banditry, claiming hundreds of thousands of lives. -
The Rise of Rebel Groups
1960s - 1970s
The May 19th Movement (M-19), the Natinal Liberation Army (ELN), and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) plunged the country into violence and instability -
Illegal Drug Afliation
1970s - 1980s
Colombia became one of the international centers for illegal drug production and trafficking, providing 75% of the world's illegal cocaine -
Work of The Government
Starting in the 1980s, The Colombian government started working with the U.S. to put an end to illicit drug trade, cease violence connected with cocaine traffickers, and get rid of targets on judges, newpaper editors, and community officials. -
A Public Battlefield
Because of the war against drug trafficking, Colombia became a public battleground. Homicide became the leading cause of death throughout the nation. -
United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC)
in the 1990s, many right-wing paramilitary groups were formed, which included drug traffickers and landowners. The United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia was the top organization. -
Cesar Graviria Trujillo
After being ellected, Trujillo proposed a lenient term of punishment as long as leading drug dealers surrendered. -
Ernesto Samper
Ernesto Samper became president in 1994 -
Accusations Against Samper
Ernesto Samper was accused of accepting contributions for his campaign from drug traffickers, but The House of Representatives lifted the charges. -
Andres Pastrana Arango
Arango was elected in 1998 and pledged to clean things up. -
An Increase In Violence
In December 1999, the Colombian military announced that 2,787 people were kidnapped and were blaming the rebel groups. The murder rate increased greatly, leading to about 23,000 deaths. Because of the rise in violence, more than 100,000 refugees were created and around 2 million Colombians left the country. -
Plan Colombia
In August 2000, the U.S. governement approved "Plan Colombia," which pledged $1.3 billion to fight and activity and conflict affiliated with illegal drugs. This plan was used to cut drug production and benefit from drug sales. -
2001 Copa America
The Colombian National soccer team won the 2001 Copa America (South American Championship). -
Effects of the Drug War
The UN announced that this long drug war created the "worst humanitarian crisis in the Western Hemisphere." More than 2 million people were forced to leave their homes. -
The United States-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement (CTPA)
The CTPA agreement was signed to get rid of trade barriers for goods and services between Colombia and United States. -
Presidential Election
Jaun Manuel Santos became the President of the country. -
Vice Presidential Election
Angelino Garzon became the Vice President -
The Launch of the CTPA
The CTPA officially went into effect. Both countries worked together to fixing issues such as sanitary barriers in agriculture. This agreement granted duty-free treatment to farm products and a variety of foods. -
Updated Population
(No official date)
Population was recorded at over 45 million people (45,745,783)
