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

By Tim Lambert The first people in Canada crossed the Bering Straits from Asia. In the north, the Inuit lived by hunting seals, walruses, and whales. They also hunted caribou. On the west coast, people hunted deer, bears, and beavers. They also fished. On the plains, people lived by hunting buffalo. In the east, people… Continue reading A Brief History of Canada

By Tim Lambert Early Chile The first human beings arrived in Chile at about 12,000 BC. At first, people lived by hunting and gathering but in North Chile, they were farming by 2,500 BC. However, agriculture began much later in Southern Chile. The Incas conquered northern Chile in the 15th century but they were themselves… Continue reading A Brief History of Chile

By Tim Lambert Early Colombia For thousands of years before Europeans arrived Amerindians lived in what is now Colombia. Some lived by fishing and hunting but some lived by farming. The first Spaniard to land in the area was Alonso de Ojeda in 1500. However, there was no permanent Spanish settlement until 1533 when Cartagena… Continue reading A Brief History of Colombia

By Tim Lambert Early Crimea The ancient Greeks founded colonies in Crimea after 600 BC. They built cities and ports but they did not conquer the whole peninsula. In the 1st century BC, the Romans conquered parts of Crimea. However, people from central Asia called the Goths conquered eastern Crimea in the 3rd century. Later,… Continue reading A Brief History of Crimea

By Tim Lambert Early Ecuador The native people of Ecuador grew crops of maize, beans, potatoes, and squash. They kept dogs and guinea pigs for meat. Many of them were skilled potters and metalworkers in gold, silver, and copper. However, in the late 15th century they were conquered by the Incas. The Spaniards first sighted… Continue reading A Brief History of Ecuador

By Tim Lambert Ancient Egypt By 5,000 BC the people of Egypt had begun farming. They also wove linen and made pottery. Later they learned to use bronze. About 3,200 BC the Egyptians invented writing. The first Egyptian in history was King Menes aka Narmer who lived shortly before 3,100 BC. At that time Egypt… Continue reading A Brief History of Egypt

By Tim Lambert Early El Salvador Before the Spanish conquest, people called the Pipil lived in El Salvador. The Pipil were civilized and built cities and temples. However, in 1524, the Spanish invaded. They were led by Pedro de Alvarado (c- 1485 – 1541). The native people resisted fiercely, but the Spanish had superior weapons.… Continue reading A Brief History of El Salvador

By Tim Lambert Early Estonia The Estonians are a Finno-Ugric people related to the Finns. A first-century Roman writer named Tacitus mentioned the Estonians. He called them the Aesti. Amber was exported from Estonia to other parts of Europe. However, for centuries the tribes of Estonia had little contact with Western civilization. They traded with… Continue reading A Brief History of Estonia

By Tim Lambert Early Ethiopia By 100 AD a kingdom called Axum arose in Ethiopia. Axum was highly civilised and it traded with Rome, Arabia, and India. Axum became Christian in the 4th century AD. In 642 the Arabs conquered Egypt. In 698-700, they took Tunis and Carthage and soon they controlled all of the… Continue reading A Brief History of Ethiopia

By Tim Lambert Early Ghana The Portuguese reached what is now Ghana in 1471. They found it was a rich source of gold. So much so that the area was called the Gold Coast. The Portuguese built slaves on the Gold Coast and during the 16th century, they traded with the native peoples. However, in… Continue reading A Brief History of Ghana