The Turks and Caicos islands, which were said to have been discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492, were claimed by several European powers before the British secured control of them. The islands were never actually settled until the late 1600s, when a group of Bermudian salt collectors established a foothold there. Loyalists leaving the newly-born […]
Iceland, a once-unpopulated country, was first settled by Norwegian Vikings, with a settlement in the country’s capital (Reykjavik) established back in 870 AD. Since then, Iceland has been subjected to rule from both Norway, as well as by fellow Scandinavian power Denmark — including the 17th century, when Denmark and Norway were under a […]
Finland (the easternmost part of Scandinavia) is a young country compared to its neighbors, such as Sweden and Russia. Along with previous Viking penetration of Finland during its existence, this country was a part of the Kingdom of Sweden from the 13th century to 1809 (when most of what’s now Finland was ceded to the […]
Estonia has always attracted the attentions of others, due to it facing the Baltic Sea. Because of that, Estonia’s history is riddled with periods of invasion by various foreign powers. Before the Middle Ages, locals and Vikings from nearby Sweden skirmished with one another for control over the Baltic region (at one point, the Estonians […]
The Alpine Mountain region includes the entire countries of Switzerland and Liechtenstein, and portions of Austria, France, Germany & Italy. This mountain region fascinated Europeans as far back as the Roman era. Remains of Roman baths, villas, arenas and temples can be found in alpine towns such as Aosta (named for Augustus) in Italy, Martigny […]
The U.S. Virgin Islands (BVI), located between Puerto Rico and the British Virgin Islands, consist of three islands (St. Croix, St. John, and St. Thomas). The most populous of the three is St. Thomas (whose population is 51,634 – out of USVI’s total population of 104,737). USVI’s capital, Charlotte Amalie, is located at St. Thomas. […]
In Old San Juan, Calle Fortaleza and Calle San Francisco have everything from T-shirt emporiums to jewelry stores to shops that specialize in made-to-order Panama hats. Running perpendicular to those streets is Calle Cristo, lined with factory-outlet stores, including Coach, Gant, Guess, and Ralph Lauren. On weekends, artisans sell their wares at stalls around Paseo […]
The tropical island of Puerto Rico is located in the middle of the Caribbean Basin, between the Greater Antillean island of Hispaniola (Dominican Republic & Haiti), and a chain of Lesser Antillean islands to its east, such as the U.S. Virgin Islands. Puerto Rico (Spanish for “Rich Port”), was originally populated by Taíno Indians before […]
Jamaica, an island within the western Caribbean, is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles. Located 145 km south of Cuba and 191 km. west of Hispaniola (Haiti & Dominican Republic), it immediately became a Spanish possession after Columbus’ discovery of it in 1494. With the British’s growing interest in the Caribbean, they drove the […]
The eastern Caribbean island of Guadeloupe was first discovered by Christopher Columbus during his second voyage to America in 1493. He named that island Santa María de Guadalupe de Extremadura (which would later be shortened to Guadelupe). Although he himself never settled on the island, Spanish settlers eventually did make their way to Guadeloupe. With […]