French Guiana Tourism
French Guiana has an area of 33,399 square miles (86,504 square km) and is bounded by Brazil to the south and east, Suriname to the west, and the Atlantic Ocean to the northeast. The capital is capital and Atlantic Ocean port of French Guiana. It is located at the northwestern end of Cayenne Island, which is formed by the estuaries of the Cayenne and Mahury rivers. Founded in 1643 by the French as La Ravardière, it was reoccupied in 1664 after destruction by the Indians and was declared a city and renamed Cayenne in 1777. After the emancipation of slaves in 1848, it became a centre.
History
Spaniards explored the Guiana coast in 1500 and settled the area around Cayenne in 1503. French merchants from Rouen opened a trading centre in Sinnamary in 1624, followed by others from Rouen or Paris who founded Cayenne in 1643. The Treaty of Breda awarded the territory to France in 1667, and the Dutch, who had occupied Cayenne in 1664, were expelled in 1676. Inhabitants of the territory were made French
French Guiana Tourism