1888
Lobengula, the Ndebele ruler of the region that is now Zimbabwe, signs an agreement granting mineral rights to the British South African Company, which then occupies most of the territory, calling it Rhodesia.

1890s
The British South African Company quashes black African uprisings. Reports of gold bring more Europeans to the area. Great Britain recognizes separate northern and southern territories of Rhodesia.

1960s-1970s
Prime Minister Ian Smith declares Rhodesia independent, but the United Kingdom says the action is illegal and bans trade with the country. The United Nations imposes sanctions on Rhodesia. A constitution designed to ensure black Africans never gain control of the government is approved. Rhodesia and the U.K. come to an agreement to gradually increase black representation, but fighting between government troops and black Africans breaks out and continues off and on for years.

Late 1970s
Smith begins to establish a government of mostly black leaders, and elections achieve that result. Zimbabwe declares its independence on May 31, 1979.

1979
The nation of Zimbabwe comes into existence on June 1. White farmers own the bulk of the country's best agricultural land, and although independence brings the transfer of power from whites to blacks, it does not address the land issue.

1980
The Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front party wins a majority of the seats in the House of Assembly. The new government is bound by the Lancaster House Agreement that protects white Zimbabweans from having their farms taken away for the first ten years of the country's independence. Under the agreement, land distribution is to take place under "willing buyer, willing seller" terms, and the government is to "pay promptly adequate compensation" for property it does acquire. The U.K. gives Zimbabwe 44 million pounds to resettle the land.

1987
The office of executive president replaces the position of prime minister. Robert Mugabe, leader of the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front, is sworn in as first executive president on Dec. 31.

1990
Mugabe reelected president for a full six-year term.

1992
After the land protection clauses of the Lancaster House Agreement expire in 1990, the Land Acquisition Act is enacted, giving the government strengthened powers to acquire land for resettlement, subject to the payment of "fair" compensation fixed by a committee of six people using set, or nonmarket, guidelines, including powers to limit the size of farms and introduce a land tax, according to a March 2002 Human Rights Watch report.

1996
Mugabe is reelected president.

1997
By the end of phase one of the land reform and resettlement program, the government had resettled 71,000 families (out of a targeted 162,000) on almost 3.5 million hectares of land -- about 80 percent of it unsuitable for grazing or cultivation. About 400 black elite farmers were leasing 400,000 hectares of state land, and about 350 black people had bought their farms. While there were positive aspects of the program, some problems developed in the resettled communities from lack of infrastructure and governmental support networks.

The National Constitutional Assembly, an alliance of civil society groups, initiates a process of debate on the need for a new constitution.

Mugabe announces he will seize about 1,500 farms and that the U.K. should pay for it. British international development minister Claire Short sends the Zimbabwean government a letter saying Britain has "no responsibility to meet the costs of land reform."

1998
About 50 countries and international organizations hold a donors' conference on land reform and resettlement in September, where a set of principles is adopted to govern phase two of Zimbabwe's land resettlement program. The principles include poverty reduction, consistency and respect for the legal process. However, conflicts linger between the government and donors on the issues of accountability and transparency. Despite the difficulties, 35 more farms, totaling 70,000 hectares, are purchased.

1999
Amidst political and economic upheaval, a new political party Movement for Democratic Change forms and is the first party to attract the support of white Zimbabweans. Among other issues, the party seeks "people-driven land reform" and commits to purchasing 6 million to 7 million hectares of land for resettlement. The government aims to acquire 5 million hectares of commercial farmland for redistribution.

In response to the calls for a new constitution, Mugabe creates an official commission to consider a rewrite in May. A large number of meetings is held to solicit public views but the feedback is largely ignored, according to Human Rights Watch.

February 2000
In a referendum, voters reject a draft constitution that would allow the government to acquire land compulsorily without compensation.

April 2000
Mugabe signs into law a constitutional amendment that extends the ability of the government to seize land and releases the government from providing compensation except for improvements. As part of this amendment Mugabe says Britain, as the former colonial power, should provide compensation for seized land.

Donors, including Britain, the United States, International Monetary Fund and World Bank, oppose the move and suspend their aid to Zimbabwe. The British government says it can only support the land program if it benefits the rural poor but claims much of the land is going to Mugabe's associates. African nations, including South Africa, however, express their support for Zimbabwe's land program, saying it is helping solve age-old land imbalances.

June 2000
Parliamentary elections are marked by violence and intimidation by the government against opposition candidates and supporters.

July 2000
The government introduces a "fast track" resettlement program aimed at acquiring more than 3,000 farms for redistribution.

2000
The Commercial Farmers' Union, representing Zimbabwe's 4,500 commercial farms, files a lawsuit in the Supreme Court challenging the fast track system. The court rules that the fast track method is unconstitutional, but the verdict is overturned a year later after the government institutes changes.

Veterans of the 1970s guerilla war occupy more than 1,000 farms with Mugabe's backing. Black militants threaten farmers with violence if they do not relinquish their properties, according to CNN.

April 2001
The government says it is seeking to acquire more than 8 million hectares of land from the large-scale commercial farming sector -- up from the previously stated 5 million hectares.

January 2002
The United Nations Development Programme issues a report on the fast track program saying problems with the decision-making processes and poor coordination have resulted in numerous errors in acquiring the land.

March 2002
Mugabe wins the presidency for a third full term, but elections are riddled with irregularities and violence against opposition supporters, the press and judiciary, according to the U.S. State Department.

The Commonwealth of Nations, an organization made up of Britain and its former colonies, suspends Zimbabwe's membership for a year for alleged violations of its democratic principles.

December 2003
The commonwealth extends its suspension of Zimbabwe and gives the country a number of human rights benchmarks to meet before it can be reinstated. Mugabe says Zimbabwe is withdrawing from the commonwealth.

Almost all of Zimbabwe's 4,000 white farmers have their farms listed for acquisition, and under the law, must vacate their property before receiving compensation, the BBC reported. Many file legal challenges.

-- Compiled for the Online NewsHour by Larisa Epatko