On December 18, 1787, New Jersey became the third state to ratify the Constitution and join the Union. New Jersey’s first inhabitants were Native Americans who belonged to the Delaware tribe of the Algonquian family. Experts estimate that about 8,000 Indians lived in the region when European settlers first arrived. In 1524, Giovanni da Verrazano, an Italian navigator serving France, became the first European to explore the New Jersey coast. In 1630, the Dutch formed an outpost in Pavonia (now part of Jersey City). However, Indian attacks prevented the establishment of a permanent settlement until 1660, when the Dutch built the fortified town of Bergen (also part of modern-day Jersey City). Bergen was New Jersey’s first permanent European settlement. In 1664, English forces won control over New Jersey. King Charles II gave New Jersey to his brother, James, the Duke of York, who in turn gave it to two of his friends, Lord John Berkeley and Sir George Carteret. In fact, James named the area New Jersey after Carteret, who had served as the governor of Jersey, an island in the English Channel.