When was trinidad discovered

A visit to Trinidad today would reveal a multicultural melting pot stirred by the descendants of settlers from Europe, Africa, Asia, South America and the Middle East. But in , when explorer Christopher Columbus set foot on Trinidad, things were very different. Arawak and Carib Indians prospered here on the island the Amerindians called Ieri, land of the Humming Bird, until Columbus spotted the island he named for the Holy Trinity. When the Spaniards discovered no precious metals on Trinidad, the Amerindians were enslaved and shipped off to work on other Caribbean settlements.

On his second voyage to Trinidad, Sir Walter Raleigh took some of the asphalt home with him, where it was used to pave Westminster Bridge for the opening of Parliament. Unfortunately the raw pitch melted in the sun, as it has a tendency to do, covering horses hooves and gumming up carriage wheels.

Mining of the lake started in , and an estimated 10 million tons of asphalt has been extracted since. Tar from the La Brea Pitch Lake in Trinidad has been used to provide high grade road surfaces not only in Trinidad, Tobago and the other islands of the Caribbean, but it has also paved streets in over 50 countries including the United States of America, England, India, Singapore, Egypt, and even Japan.

The lake is estimated to contain reserves of around 6 million tons, which would last years at the current rate of extraction. The La Brea Pitch Lake attracts about 20, visitors annually. People occasionally swim in the waters of the pitch lake which some say is therapeutic because of the sulphur content. Apart from being a natural wonder, the lake has great social and economic value to residents of La Brea in particular and citizens of Trinidad and Tobago.

Tobago, seen more as a strategic possession than an island for settlement, was often a point of contention. Amerindian tribes battled over the island and later, England, France, Spain, Latvia and others fought to control Tobago—over the years, control of this small parcel of land shifted more than 30 times.

Why they behave differently when resident in the USA and Canada mainly. Hi, can you provide some of the references for the historical data? I am interested in learning more. Your email address will not be published. Share Tweet 1. Lydia Sooknanan 26 February, at am. Prince A Balwah 27 October, at am.