French Guiana is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department located on the northern Atlantic coast of South America. It has borders with two nations, Brazil to the east and south, and Suriname to the west. Its 83, 534 km² have a very low population density of less than three inhabitants per km², with almost half of its 229, 000 people in 2009 living in the urban area of Cayenne, its capital.
The addition of the adjective "French" in English comes from colonial times when five such colonies existed, namely from west to east: Spanish Guiana (now Venezuela), British Guiana (now Guyana), Dutch Guiana (now Suriname), French Guiana, and Portuguese Guiana (now Amapá, a state in far northern Brazil). The two smaller north eastern countries, Guyana and Suriname, together with French Guiana are still often collectively referred to as the Guianas and compromise one large shield landmass.
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