Category: Histories of countries and key towns and cities around the world

By Tim Lambert The early Gambia By about 500 AD a sophisticated culture existed in the Gambia, which was able to build stone circles. Shortly afterward trade across the Sahara with the Arabs began and it later flourished. As a result of the trade powerful states were built in western Africa. In the 13th century,… Continue reading A Short History of The Gambia

By Tim Lambert The Ancient and Medieval Netherlands Farming was introduced into the Netherlands in about 4,500 BC. At first, farmers made tools and weapons of stone. However, after 1,900 BC, they used bronze. About 750 BC the inhabitants of the Netherlands learned to use iron. In the 1st century BC, the Romans conquered Belgium… Continue reading A Short History of the Netherlands

By Tim Lambert The Early Philippines The Philippines was named after King Philip II of Spain (1556-1598) and was a Spanish colony for over 300 years. Today the Philippines is an archipelago of 7,000 islands. However, it is believed that during the last ice age, they were joined to mainland Asia by a land bridge,… Continue reading A Short History of The Philippines

By Tim Lambert Ancient Tibet The earliest inhabitants of Tibet were pastoral people. They herded goats, cattle, and sheep. By 100 BC people in Tibet learned to irrigate the land and grew rice and barley as well as raised herds of livestock. In the 6th century AD, Tibet was divided into different kingdoms but early… Continue reading A Short History of Tibet

By Tim Lambert Early Trinidad About 5,000 BC stone-age hunter-gatherers arrived in Trinidad by canoe. Then about 300 BC, more advanced people arrived. They grew crops like cassava and sweet potatoes. They also made pottery and wove cotton. However, in 1498 Columbus discovered the island. He named it Trinidad because he saw 3 peaks. The… Continue reading A Short History of Trinidad and Tobago

By Tim Lambert Ancient Tunisia By about 8,000 BC human beings lived in what is now Tunisia by hunting and gathering. After about 5,000 BC they began farming although they still used stone tools. Then from about 1100 BC the Phoenicians from what is now Lebanon settled and traded in the area. About 480 BC… Continue reading A Short History of Tunisia

By Tim Lambert Ancient Turkey Catal Huyuk was one of the world’s first towns. It was built in what is now Turkey about 6,500 BC not long after farming began. Catal Huyuk probably had a population of about 6,000. In Catal Huyuk, the houses were made of mud brick. Houses were built touching against each… Continue reading A Short History of Turkey

By Tim Lambert Early Uganda In 1875 the explorer Henry Stanley reached Uganda. At that time Uganda was divided into kingdoms. Shortly afterward the first missionaries came to Uganda. The first Anglican missionaries arrived in Uganda in 1877. The first Roman Catholic missionaries arrived in 1879. Catholics, Protestants, and Muslims all tried to convert the… Continue reading A Short History of Uganda

By Tim Lambert The Early History of Ukraine In the 7th century BC, a people called the Scythians lived in what is now Ukraine. Later the Greeks settled on the north coast of the Black Sea and they founded city-states there. Slavs settled in Ukraine in the 5th and 6th centuries AD. Then in the… Continue reading A Short History of Ukraine

By Tim Lambert Early Uruguay In 1516 a Spaniard named Juan Diaz de Solis became the first European to reach Uruguay. In the 16th century, the Spanish took Argentina while Portugal took Brazil. What is now Uruguay was between them but its lack of mineral wealth meant that for a long time both nations took… Continue reading A Short History of Uruguay