Facebook acquired the location-based social network Gowalla in 2011. The acquisition was announced on December 2, 2011, for an undisclosed sum.
Gowalla was a location-sharing service built around check-ins: users could use a mobile app to record visits to places, share them with friends, and collect location-based items or badges. It was one of the better-known competitors to Foursquare during the early smartphone social-networking era.
The acquisition came as Facebook was expanding its mobile products and social features. Gowalla’s team joined Facebook, but the service itself did not continue as a long-term standalone competitor. Gowalla announced in March 2012 that it would cease operations, and the site shut down soon afterward.
A common confusion is between the announcement date and the shutdown date. Facebook announced the deal in 2011, while Gowalla ended in 2012. The question asks when Facebook acquired it, so 2011—not 2012—is the appropriate answer.