French Guiana

French Guiana is a colony in Amazon and Guianas (South America) that has existed since 1664 CE. Its people spoke Latin and Romance languages (Latin, Italic, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Romanian).

French colony at Cayenne, used as a penal colony with the prison of Devil's Island from 1852 to 1953. It became an overseas department in 1946 and hosts Europe's spaceport at Kourou.

See French Guiana on the interactive timeline

Facts

Dates

1664 CE to the present

Duration

361 years

Type

Colony

Region

Amazon and Guianas, South America

Language family

Latin and Romance

Capital

Cayenne

Events in South America during its time

• 1694 Fall of Palmares
• 1780 Rebellion of Tupac Amaru II
• 1808 Portuguese court arrives in Rio
• 1824 Battle of Ayacucho
• 1864 Paraguayan War begins
• 1879 War of the Pacific
• 1888 Brazil abolishes slavery
• 1960 Brasília inaugurated

Neighbours in South America

• Portuguese Brazil 1500 to 1815 CE
• Viceroyalty of Peru 1542 to 1824 CE
• Peru 1821 CE to the present
• Colombia 1831 CE to the present
• Argentina 1861 CE to the present
• Brazil 1889 CE to the present
• Viceroyalty of New Granada 1717 to 1819 CE
• Empire of Brazil 1822 to 1889 CE
• Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata 1776 to 1814 CE
• Gran Colombia 1819 to 1831 CE

Elsewhere in the world at the same time

• Republic of Venice c. 697 to 1797 CE, Europe
• Swahili city-states c. 800 to 1700 CE, Central and Southern Africa
• Holy Roman Empire 962 to 1806 CE, Europe
• Ethiopian Empire (Solomonic dynasty) 1270 to 1974 CE, North and West Africa
• Ottoman Empire 1299 to 1922 CE, Europe
• Ottoman Empire 1299 to 1922 CE, Middle East
• Portuguese Empire 1415 to 1999 CE, Europe
• Kingdom of Kongo c. 1390 to 1914 CE, Central and Southern Africa
• Mali Empire c. 1235 to 1670 CE, North and West Africa
• Ayutthaya Kingdom 1351 to 1767 CE, Southeast Asia

Questions