Tag: Trinidad
Trinidad (Spanish: “Trinity”) is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just 11 km (6.8 mi) off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of 4,768 km (1,841 sq mi) it is also the fifth largest in the West Indies.
Many believe the original name for the island in the Arawaks’ language was “Iëre” which meant “Land of the Humming Bird”. Christopher Columbus renamed it “La Isla de la Trinidad” (“The Island of the Trinity”), fulfilling a vow he had made before setting out on his third voyage of exploration.
Caribs and Arawaks lived in Trinidad long before Columbus encountered the islands on his third voyage in 1498. Tobago changed hands between the British, French, Dutch and Courlanders, but eventually ended up in British hands. Trinidad remained Spanish until 1797, but it was largely settled by French colonists. In 1889 the two…
