Plantation was an early method of colonization in which settlers were "planted" abroad in order to establish a permanent or semi-permanent colonial base. Such plantations were also frequently intended to promote
Western culture and
Christianity among nearby
indigenous peoples, as can be seen in the early East-Coast plantations in America (such as that at
Roanoke). Although the term "planter" to refer to a settler first appears as early as the 16th-century, the earliest true colonial plantation is usually agreed to be that of the
Plantations of Ireland.