Columbia+History+Summery

**Colombian History Summery**
====In 1500, a man named Alfonso Ojeda was the first European to reach what is today called Columbia, located in South America. At this time there was nothing more than 8 indian groups living in the area. What started spanish exploration was the gold. It lured them in. The spanish called it "El Dorado", which sparked the hope to bring it all back to spain.====

====The first permanent settlement were made at Santa Marta in 1525 and at Cartagena in 1533. However the middle of the county was not entered until 1536 when Gonzalo Jim énez traveled up the Magdalena River and defeated the Chibcha Indians they encountered. They founded the city Bogota in 1538. ====

====After a harsh 14 years, during the time Simon Venezuelan troops won the battle of Boyaca in ==== ====Colombia in 1819, independence was won in 1824. Bolivar united Colombia, Venezuela, Panama, and Ecuador in the Republic of Greater Colombia, which was between 1819–1830, but he lost Venezuela and Ecuador to separatists. Bolívar was himself a Conservative, while his vice president, Francisco de Paula Santander, was the founder of the Liberal Party. ====

====Santander served as president between 1832 and 1836, a pretty well kept couple of years, but by 1840 the civil war took place. ====

====In 1861, the country was called the United States of New Granada, in 1863 it became the United States of Colombia, and in 1885, it was named the Republic of Colombia. ====

====In 1899, yet another brutal civil war broke out. It was called The War of Thousand Days. That lasted until 1902. The following year, Colombia lost its claims to Panama because it refused to ratify the lease to the United States of the Canal Zone. Panama declared its independence in 1903. ====