Gazetteer: The Caribbean (and surroundings)

Anguilla – Settled by English planters from nearby St Kitts in 1650. Was initially administered as part of the Leeward Islands. In the nineteenth century it was put under rule from St Kitts and by 1967 it was placed in a union with St Kitts and Nevis. It tried to become independent, which led to direct British control in 1971. Today it is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom.

Antigua & Barbuda – Antigua was visited by Christopher Columbus in 1493, though not colonized until 1632 by English settlers, as was neighbouring Barbuda in 1678. Barbuda was granted to the Codrington family in 1685, and by the nineteenth century was administered as part of Antigua. The islands became the independent nation of Antigua and Barbuda in 1981.

Aruba – Initially claimed by Spain, the island was settled by the Dutch, who took it in 1636. Today the island is an autonomous state of the Netherlands, a status it secured in 1986.

Bahamas – Christopher Columbus is thought to have first set foot in the Americas on one of the islands, San Salvador, in 1492. Spain claimed but did not settle. The English began to colonize in the 1640s, with a group of settlers arriving in 1648 to set up plantations. It remained under British rule until 1973, when the independent Commonwealth of the Bahamas was established.

Barbados – Explored by the English around 1625, and the first settlers arrived in 1627. Continued under British rule until 1966, when it became independent.

Belize – English pirates, buccaneers, and log-cutters settled along the coastal region throughout the latter part of the 1600s, but treaties with Spain, which had initially claimed the territory, to formalize the boundaries were not signed until 1763. It was officially given the name British Honduras in 1862 and became a crown colony in 1871. It became independent in 1981.

Berbice – see Guyana.

Bermuda – Although not technically in the Caribbean, it was part of the early colonization of the Americas. English settlers landed there in 1609 after being blown off course during a storm, and initially named it Somers Isles. It was administered by the crown from 1684 and it continues to be an overseas territory of the United Kingdom.

Bonaire – Settled by the Dutch around 1636. Became part of the Netherlands Antilles in 1954, which was dissolved in 2010. Today the island is a special municipality of the Netherlands.

British Guiana – see Guyana.

British Honduras – see Belize.

British Virgin Islands (Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada, and Jost Van Dyke) – Tortola was initially settled by the Dutch around 1648. The English took it in 1666 and by 1672 it was part of England’s Leeward islands. Virgin Gorda, Anegada, and Jost Van Dyke were settled by the English throughout the later decades of the seventeenth century. The islands are administered together and remain an overseas territory of the United Kingdom.

Cayman Islands (Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, and Cayman Brac) – Thought to be first sighted by Columbus; ceded to England in 1670. The population was mostly pirates and sailors, with a few plantation settlers. It had been governed from Jamaica, but after Jamaican independence in 1962 it returned to direct rule. The islands remain an overseas territory of the United Kingdom.

Colombia – Santa Marta, on the Caribbean coast, was settled by Spain in 1525 and Cartagena in 1533, and the territory was part of Spain’s Viceroyalty of New Granada. After independence it was known as Gran Colombia, along with what is now Panama, Venezuela, and Ecuador (1819–30), established by Simón Bolívar. It became a republic after the union dissolved.

Costa Rica –Visited by Columbus on his final voyage, but not settled by Spain until around the 1560s; administered by the vice-royalty of New Spain. It became independent in 1821 and joined the United Provinces of Central America, which it stayed part of until 1838, when it became fully independent.

Cuba – Visited by Columbus in 1492, and settled by the Spanish in 1511. Havana was briefly under British control, in 1762–63. The island remained under Spanish control, despite many attempts at independence, until Spanish-American War of 1898. Cuba was occupied by the United States twice from the end of the war until 1909, and US influence persisted until the Revolution led by Fidel Castro in 1959. Castro’s brother, Raúl, is currently president.

Curaçao – Initially claimed by the Spanish, but settled by the Dutch around 1634. Brought together with other Dutch islands as part of the Netherlands Antilles in 1845, which was disbanded in 2010. The island is now a country within the kingdom of the Netherlands.

Demerara, Berbice, and Essequibo – see Guyana.

Dominica – First settled by the French in the 1630s. Ceded as neutral territory to the native peoples under the terms of the 1748 Treaty of Aixla-Chapelle, though this did not stop British and French settlers. The island was passed between the two colonial powers until it was formally ceded to Britain in 1763 in the aftermath of the Seven Years War. The French captured it once again in 1778, and the British took it back in 1783 and from that point fended off further French incursions. The island achieved full independence in 1978.

Dominican Republic – Site of Columbus’s first settlement in the Americas and known as Santo Domingo. The western third of the island was ceded to the French in 1697 under the Treaty of Ryswick and became Saint-Domingue. Santo Domingo continued under Spanish rule until 1795, when it was ceded to France until 1809. From 1822 it was under Haitian control, until it established its independence in 1844.

Essequibo – see Guyana.

French Guiana – French merchants settled it in 1620, though it was not an official territory until 1667. It became a department of France in 1946, a region in 1974, and today it is known as the Overseas Department of French Guiana.

Gran Colombia – see Colombia.

Grenada – Initially French; a settlement was built in St George’s in the 1650s. It was captured by the British in 1762 during the Seven Years War and ceded the following year. In 1779, the French recaptured it, but it was returned to Britain in 1783. It became fully independent from Britain in 1974.

Guadeloupe – Columbus visited in 1493, though its native people fought off Spanish settlers in the early decades of the 1500s. However, the Spanish managed a settlement by the 1620s, though they were driven out again, this time by the French. It became a colony under the French crown in 1674. The British occupied it in 1759, but it was returned to France in 1763. Britain invaded again in 1794, and in 1810 once again occupied the island, though it was given back to France in 1816. In 1946 it was given department status, and region status in 1974, and today is known as the Overseas Department of Guadeloupe.

Guatemala – Settled by the Spanish in the sixteenth century. Became independent of Spain in 1821 and joined the United Provinces of Central America. It remained a member until the federation began to dissolve around 1838, after which it was an independent republic.

Guiana – see French Guiana.

Guyana – Spotted by the Spanish, but settled by the Dutch in the late 1500s. During the war-torn years of 1792 to 1815 in Europe, the colony changed hands between the Dutch, British, and French a number of times. However, in 1814 the British purchased the territory then known as Demerara, Berbice, and Essequibo, which in 1831 was renamed British Guiana. It remained under British rule until 1966, when it gained its independence and changed its name to Guyana.

Haiti – Initially part of Spanish Hispaniola, until the western third of the island was ceded to France in 1697 and named Saint-Domingue. A slave rebellion starting in 1791 and lasting thirteen years finally secured the colony’s freedom – and that of its slaves – and the republic of Haiti was established in 1804.

Hispaniola –The first Spanish colony. The western part became French Saint-Domingue in 1697, and later independent Haiti in 1804. The eastern part, Santo Domingo, passed through French rule from 1795 until 1809, and then Haitian rule from 1822 until 1844, becoming the independent Dominican Republic in that year.

Honduras – Occupied by the Spanish in the 1500s, becoming independent in 1821. It joined the United Provinces of Central America until its collapse, and became fully independent in 1838.

Jamaica – Initially settled by the Spanish in 1509, but captured by the British in 1655 and ceded by Spain. It was a founding member of the short-lived West Indies Federation in 1958, and the first to leave it in 1961. It became independent in 1962.

Martinique – Sighted by Columbus in 1493, but occupied by the French starting in 1635, and put under the French crown in 1674. It was captured by the British in 1762 and returned to France the following year. The British took it again in 1794, occupying it until 1802 and then on and off until they recaptured it in 1809. It was once again returned to France in 1814. In 1946 it was made a department, in 1974 a region, and today it is the Overseas Department of Martinique.

Jost Van Dyke – see British Virgin Islands.

Mexico – Invaded by the Spanish in 1518, and put under Spain’s control by 1521, eventually establishing it as the viceroyalty of New Spain. It remained under Spanish rule until its independence in 1821.

Montserrat – Sighted by Columbus in 1493 but occupied by English settlers from St Kitts in 1632, as well as Irish Catholics sent there. France took the island in 1664 and 1667, but it was returned to England. France re-captured it in 1782, but it was given back to Britain the following year. It was administered as part of the Leeward Islands, and later, after it joined the short-lived West Indian Federation, it did not opt for independence. Today it is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom.

Netherlands Antilles – A Dutch Caribbean state that was disbanded in 2010. It comprised Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint Eustatius.

Nicaragua – Settled by the Spanish by 1524, and remained under Spain until independence in 1821. It then joined the United Provinces of Central America, but left in 1838, becoming fully independent.

Panama – Spanish settlements were established in 1510, and it remained part of Spain’s American territories until independence in 1821, when it joined Gran Colombia. Once that broke down, Panama became a state within Colombia. By the turn of the twentieth century, the US wanted to build a canal across the isthmus, a project started by the French in the 1880s. Colombia rejected the US canal deal, and by 1903 pro-independence Panamanians, with the support of the United States, broke away from Colombia and established an independent republic, which allowed the US plans to go ahead.

Puerto Rico – Colonized in 1508, it continued under Spanish rule until the Spanish-American War of 1898. It was ceded to the United States in that same year, and continues under US rule to the present day as the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (Estado libre asociado de Puerto Rico).

Saba – The Dutch settled in 1632, and it continues under Dutch rule. After the Netherlands Antilles was broken up in 2010, Saba became a special municipality of the Netherlands.

St Barthélemy – Colonized by the French around 1648, it was sold to Sweden in 1784. Just under a century later, in 1877, it was returned to France. It has been administered from Guadeloupe, but in 2007 it became an overseas collectivity.

St Croix – see US Virgin Islands.

Saint-Domingue – see Haiti.

St Eustatius – First settled by the English; the Dutch took control in 1632, and the island continued to change hands throughout the seventeenth century. It was captured by the British in 1781, though later returned to the Dutch. The island was part of the Netherlands Antilles, and after 2010 became a special municipality.

St John – see US Virgin Islands.

St Kitts & Nevis – Called St Christopher by Columbus, English settlers shortened the name after they began to arrive in 1623. St Kitts was shared with the French, and the two sides often fought, though the French were later driven out. The 1713 Treaty of Utrecht ceded St Kitts to the British. The French briefly captured it in 1782–83. Nevis was colonized by the English in 1628. The two islands were united, along with Anguilla, in 1882. By 1967, Anguilla had left the federation and its union with the other two islands ended in 1980. St Kitts and Nevis stayed together, and became a fully independent nation in 1983.

St Lucia – Attempts to settle the island were not successful until around 1650, when the French made peace with the hostile indigenous people. The English took it in 1664, but it was returned to France three years later. Under the 1748 treaty of Aix-la-Chappelle, the British and French agreed it was to be neutral, however Britain captured it again in 1762, but returned it to France. The remaining decades of the eighteenth century saw the island oscillate between the two powers until it was Britain’s under the terms of the 1814 Treaty of Paris, where it remained until it became independent in 1979.

St Martin – The northern part of an island shared with the Dutch (see also Sint Maarten), which was partitioned in 1648 after French and Dutch settlers began to colonize the island. Today it is an overseas collectivity of France.

St Thomas – see US Virgin Islands.

St Vincent and the Grenadines – Settlement did not begin until the 1700s because of the fierce resistance of the indigenous people. Initially the settlers were French, but in 1763 Britain gained control of the island under the Treaty of Paris. It lost the island to the French in 1779, but regained it in 1783. Full independence was granted in 1979.

San Salvador – see Bahamas.

Santo Domingo –see Dominican Republic.

Sint Maarten – The southern portion of an island shared with the French (see also St Martin), which was partitioned in 1648 after French and Dutch settlers began to colonize the island. It was part of the Netherlands Antilles until it disbanded in 2010, and today is a country within the kingdom of the Netherlands.

Suriname – Initially settled by English planters but taken by the Dutch in 1667, it was later officially ceded to them in exchange for New Amsterdam (New York City). However, it returned to British rule briefly in 1799–1802 and 1804–15, but both times was returned to the Netherlands. Suriname became independent in 1975.

Tobago – see Trinidad & Tobago.

Tortola – see British Virgin Islands.

Trinidad & Tobago –Trinidad was colonized by the Spanish, with settlements appearing in the 1590s, though there was a significant influx of French planters in the mid-eighteenth century. In 1797, Britain attacked the island and took it from Spain, which was made official in 1802. Meanwhile, Tobago saw the arrival of Dutch, Baltic Kurlanders (briefly), French and British settlers in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and Britain and France both controlled it, until it was finally given to the British in 1814. The two islands were brought together in 1889 and became independent in 1962.

Turks & Caicos Islands – European colonizers did not arrive until the 1670s, and some of the settlers were from nearby Bermuda. Initially annexed by the Bahamas, the Turks were later granted their own charter in 1848, though in the 1960s the islands were again under the administration of the Bahamas. After its independence, the Turks did not follow, and today they are an overseas territory of the United Kingdom.

US Virgin Islands (St Thomas, St John, St Croix) – St Croix was settled by the Dutch and English first, in the early 1600s, though the Spanish intervened before the island ended up under French rule. It was sold to the Knights of Malta in 1651 who later sold it back. It became a colony of France in 1674, and was bought by Denmark in 1733. Likewise, St Thomas was colonized by the Dutch and Danish, and became the territory of the Dutch West India Company in 1685, and the crown around 1754. The British took the island from 1807 until 1815, but it was given back to Denmark. St John was settled in 1717, when planters from St Thomas arrived, and the island came under Danish control. Denmark sold the three islands to the United States in 1917. Today they are classified as an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States.

Venezuela – Colonized by the Spanish in 1523, and remained under Spain’s control until it declared its independence in 1811 and was part of Gran Colombia in 1819. It left that union in 1829 and became fully independent.