EcuadorHistory

Until the Spanish arrived and claimed Ecuador as a Spanish Colony it had been part of the Inca Empire. The Spanish controlled Ecuador for 300 years and in 1822 it became independent from Spain.
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=Historical Time Line of Ecuador: =

**3500 B.C. – 500 B.C.:** The first permanent settlements are built in the area. **1400s A.D.:** Incas from Peru invade what is now Ecuador and conquer the natives. **1526 – 1534:** The Spanish conquistadors land in northern Ecuador and overthrow the Inca empire. The area comes under Spanish control. **1822:** Ecuador achieves independence from Spain and joins Venezuela, Panama and Colombia as part of the Gran Colombia republic. In 1830, Ecuador becomes an independent country. **1835:** Charles Darwin visits the Galapagos Islands, where he studies animals and plants and develops his theories of evolution. **1925 - 1948:** The country has many political, social, and economic problems. There are 22 presidents; not one serves a complete term. **1941:** Peru takes control of Ecuador's Amazon region, and the two countries go to war. The disagreement continues through much of the 20th century. <span style="color: #934920; font-family: Trebuchet MS,Arial,Helvetica; font-size: 16px;">**1970s:** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Trebuchet MS,Arial,Helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal;">Ecuador begins producing oil and becomes one of the largest oil exporters in the world. <span style="color: #934920; font-family: Trebuchet MS,Arial,Helvetica; font-size: 16px;">**1979:** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Trebuchet MS,Arial,Helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal;">Democracy returns to Ecuador. A new constitution is adopted, and elections are held. <span style="color: #934920; font-family: Trebuchet MS,Arial,Helvetica; font-size: 16px;">**1996:** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Trebuchet MS,Arial,Helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal;">Ecuador wins its first Olympic medal when Cuenca-native Jefferson Perez takes the Gold in race-walking. <span style="color: #934920; font-family: Trebuchet MS,Arial,Helvetica; font-size: 16px;">**1998:** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Trebuchet MS,Arial,Helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal;">Ecuador and Peru sign a peace treaty, ending their border dispute. <span style="color: #934920; font-family: Trebuchet MS,Arial,Helvetica; font-size: 16px;">**2000:** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Trebuchet MS,Arial,Helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal;">In an effort to aid the economy, the U.S. dollar is adopted as Ecuador's official currency. <span style="color: #934920; font-family: Trebuchet MS,Arial,Helvetica; font-size: 16px;">**2001:** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Trebuchet MS,Arial,Helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal;">A state of emergency is declared after an oil spill off the coast of the Galapagos Islands threatens the rare species <span style="color: #934920; font-family: Trebuchet MS,Arial,Helvetica; font-size: 16px;">**2003:** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Trebuchet MS,Arial,Helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal;">Lucio Gutierrez becomes Ecuador's president and continues efforts to reform the country's political structure. <span style="color: #934920; font-family: Trebuchet MS,Arial,Helvetica; font-size: 16px;">**2006:** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Trebuchet MS,Arial,Helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal;">Rafael Correa wins the presidential election. He is reelected in 2009.



References "Time for Kids | Homework Helper | Around The World | Ecuador | History Timeline." //Time For Kids | Classroom//. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2011. <http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/kids/hh/goplaces/article/0,28376,1032740,00.html>. "Ecuador Facts and Pictures -- National Geographic Kids." //Kids' Games, Animals, Photos, Stories, and More -- National Geographic Kids//. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2011. <http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/places/find/ecuador/>