The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is located in the Caribbean, northeast of Venezuela and bordering Barbados over a small body of water. As its name suggests, it is made up of two separate islands, of which Trinidad is vastly more populated one.
On this day July 31st, in 1498, Columbus sights an island in the Caribbean, naming it La Isla de la Trinidad – the Island of Trinity. This was on Columbus’ third voyage, where he continued to explore South America, creating government in the new lands.
Trinidad switched hands multiple times: it was a Spanish colony for 200 years, French for 100, and a British colony until 1962, when gained its independence from the British Empire and became a Republic. Trinidad has a current population of 1.2 million and a rapidly growing tourism industry – as it’s both lush in biodiversity and has a rich history going back over 7,000 years.