1800s
English and later German missionaries arrive in South West Africa, later to become Namibia.

1883
At the Berlin conference in 1883, Africa is divided among European nations. South West Africa is given to Germany.

1890s
Conflicts over land control between Europeans and South West Africa's indigenous people lead to violence.

1904 -1908
Violence intensifies when Nama and Herero tribes revolt. German settlers fight back, resulting in the death of about 60,000 Hereroes (80 percent of the population). As German rule strengthens, prime land for grazing is given to whites.

1915
World War I leads to the end of German administration in South West Africa. Germany surrenders its administration of South West Africa to South African Prime Minister Louis Botha.

1920
South Africa takes control of administration of South West Africa under a mandate from the League of Nations. Mandate gives South Africa full control of South West Africa, requiring that it "promotes the material and well-being and social progress of its people."

1958
Opposition to South African rules leads to the opposition group, Ovamboland People's Congress, which later becomes the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) in 1960.

1966
SWAPO begins a struggle to free Namibia from South African rule. Low-level guerilla war begins in South West Africa and lasts until 1988.

1968
South West Africa renamed as Namibia by UN General Assembly.

1976
UN recognizes SWAPO as Namibia's only legitimate representative.

1977
Members of the UN Security Council -- Canada, France, Germany, United Kingdom and United States -- launch a joint effort for an agreeable transition for Namibia's independence.

April 1978
UN Security Council Resolution 435 calls for the end of hostile acts by all parties and restrictions on the activities of South African and Namibian military, paramilitary and police.

December 1978
Defying the UN agreement, South Africa holds elections in Namibia, SWAPO and a few other parties boycott elections.

April 1989
Implementation of resolution 435 officially begins. South African-appointed Administrator Gen. Louis Pienaar begins administrating the territory's transition to independence. An eleven month transition period follows.

November 1989
98 percent of registered voters came to the elections, where SWAPO wins 57 percent of the vote.

1990
The Constituent Assembly, led by SWAPO and which later became the National Assembly, drafts and adopts a constitution. SWAPO leader Sam Nujoma becomes the first president of Namibia on March 21, Independence Day.

1991
SWAPO holds a land conference. Attendants at the conference urge that land owned by absentees should be expropriated and that ownership of very large farms or several farms by one owner should not be allowed. The conference also concludes that farm workers should be allowed to live on farms after retirement, and that the workers have been treated inhumanely.

1994
Nujoma re-elected president.

1995
The Agricultural Land Reform Act is passed, which uses two methods for land reform. One is the willing-seller, willing-buyer, and the other is expropriation of land, in which owners are compensated for their land as the government sees appropriate.

1999
Nujoma re-elected to a third term, after voters vote to change the constitution to allow him to serve three terms.

2002
Prime Minister Theo-Ben Gurirab announces land reform is priority, and President Nujoma encourages white farmers to cooperate with land reform program.

2003
The Namibia Farmworkers Union, the union of black farm workers, decides not to invade 15 white-owned farms after they reach an agreement with a white farmers' group. The Namibia Farmworkers Union secretary general Alfred Angula and Namibia Agriculture Union President Jan de Wet agree to new working conditions for farm workers, which avoid the invasions. At this point, 118 farms have been purchased for $105 million and redistributed to 37,100 individuals.

February 2004
Prime Minister Theo-Ben Gurirab announces an acceleration of the land reform process in Namibia.

March 2004
The Namibian Farmers Support Initiative is founded by a group of farmers that aim to defend the rights of commercial farmers. They want to change the perception that white farmers are unfair employers and unpatriotic citizens. Namibia Union General Secretary Alfred Angula says the group is trying to keep blacks from owning land.

Lands Minister Hifikepunye Pohamba announces in a speech to parliament that the government will begin land seizures "very soon." Pohamba also says the government has enough money to begin the program, but that the expropriations will be done within legal parameters.

Germany announces regret for the genocide of thousands of hereroes during Namibia's colonial period.

Namibia approached the EU countries, specifically the German government for help with land reform, and Germany plans to help. They will help build infrastructure and develop resettled land, but will not purchase land.

2005
The Namibian government wants to spend $50 million a year on land reform while 240,000 Namibians wait to receive land.

-- By Sheryl Silverman, Online NewsHour