What is the history of Trinidad and Tobago?
1498 – Christopher Columbus visits the islands, naming Trinidad after the three peaks at its southeastern tip and Tobago after a local type of tobacco pipe. 1532 – Spain colonises Trinidad, appointing a governor to rule it. 1630s – The Dutch settle on Tobago and plant sugar-cane. 1781 – The French capture Tobago from the Spanish, transforming it into a sugar-producing colony. British rule. 1797 – A British naval expedition captures Trinidad from Spain, Trinidad was a Spanish island for 200 years until this. 1802 – Spain cedes Trinidad to Britain under the Treaty of Amiens. 1814 – France cedes Tobago to Britain. 1834 – Slavery abolished; indentured workers brought in from India to work on sugar plantations. 1889 – Trinidad and Tobago administratively combined as a single British colony. 1945 – Universal suffrage instituted. 1956 – Eric Williams, a moderate nationalist, founds the People’s National Movement (PNM). 1958 – Trinidad and Tobago joins the British-sponsored West Indies Federat
