An island of Trinidad and Tobago in the Atlantic Ocean off northeast Venezuela. The island was inhabited by Arawaks when Columbus claimed it for Spain in 1498. A Spanish possession for the next three centuries, it was largely neglected by Spain and was a frequent target for Dutch, French, and British buccaneers. Seized by Great Britain in 1797, Trinidad was later joined with Tobago to form the colony of Trinidad and Tobago (1898).