History:

French Guiana was originally inhabited by natives (the Kalina, Arawak, Emerillon, Galibi, Palikur, Wayampi, and the Wayana.) First, the land was settled by the French in 1604. Cayenne was taken by the Dutch in 1676 during the Dutch Wars, but was later retaken by the French. During the Napoleonic wars, the Portuguese and British gained control, but not for long (1815). In 1947, it officially became a department of France.