Before the arrival of Europeans in the Americas, Grenada was inhabited by the  indigenous peoples from South America. Christopher Columbus sighted Grenada in 1498 during his third voyage to the Americas.  Following several unsuccessful attempts by Europeans to colonise the island due to resistance from resident Island Caribs,  French settlement and colonisation began in 1649 and continued for the next century. On 10 February 1763, Grenada was ceded to the  British under the Treaty of Paris. British rule continued until 1974 (except for a brief French takeover between 1779 and 1783). However, on 3 March 1967, it was granted full autonomy over its internal affairs as an  Associated State, and from 1958 to 1962 Grenada was part of the Federation of the West Indies, a short-lived federation of British West Indian colonies. 