In 1498 French Guiana was first visited by Europeans when Christopher Columbus sailed to the region on his third voyage and named it the "Land of Pariahs".
(meta data) TITLE: French Guiana Time Line Chronological Timetable of Events - Worldatlas.com All Countries End of list World Map/ South America/French Guiana/ French Guiana Timeline # French Guiana History Timeline Famous Natives Fast Facts Geo. Statistics Lat / Long Travel Info. Print this map Print this map ## French Guiana's Information Total Area Euro (EUR) More Information French Guiana Largest Cities Cayenne (61,550) View all cities in French Guiana ## See Also Where is French Guiana? What is the Capital of French Guiana? List of Airports in French Guiana 1400s - 1600s (1498) Christopher Columbus sailed to region, named it "Land of pariahs". (1500) Spanish explorer Vicente Yanez de Pinzon sighted coastline (1604) French explorer, Daniel de La Ravardiere led expedition (1624) French established Cayenne settlement (1654 - 1664) Cayenne occupied by Dutch (1654) African slaves brought to French Guiana (1656) Dutch Jews built sugarmill at Cayenne (1664) French established Sinnemary (1667) The Netherlands and Great Britain, under terms of Treaty of Breda, recognized French claims (1674) Guiana came under control of France, agricultural development began 1700s (1713) Treaty of Utrecht established boundary between French Guiana and Brazil (1764) Recruitment campaign in eastern provinces of France persuaded 15,000 Alsatians and Lorrainers to go to colony in Guiana; 12,000 died first year from yellow fever, dysentery, malaria (1791) National Assembly declared men of color, born to free parents to have equal rights as whites (1794) Slavery abolished (1796) Slavery officially reinstated, slave rebellion and repression followed (1797) French Guiana organized as department of France 1800s (1800) Victor Hugues became governor (1801) French Guiana became colony (1804) Leaders of slave revolt, Simeon and Adome, captured and executed (1809 - 1817) Portuguese and Brazilians occupied French Guiana (1817) French Guiana restored to France (1848) Slavery abolished; 16,000 slaves left colony plantations, caused collapse of the agricultural economy (1852) Devil's Island established as penal colony; due to overcrowding of facilities, prisoners put to work on coffee plantations (1854) Penal colony established at Saint Georges, convicts helped build town, over two-thirds of prisoners died due to ill treatment, harsh climate, suicide (1855) Brazilian Joseph Paolino, made gold discovery on Arataye River (1856) Yellow fever struck French Guiana (1870) Jean-Louis Loubere appointed governor, initiated public works to provide drinking water, built roads (1879) French Guiana granted 16-member elective general council (1894) Experimental garden with 8,200 acres established at Baduel, crops included creals, rice, coffee, cacao, sugarcane (1895) French Capt. Alfred Dreyfus, convicted of treason, stripped of rank, imprisoned on Devil's Island (1897) France, Brazil signed arbitration treaty settling boundary dispute (1899) Alfred Dreyfus vindicated, released from Devil's Island 1900s - 2000s (1920) La Societe des Transports Aeriens Guyanais, French Guiana's first airline, founded (1922) Airline failed after accident (1930) French Guiana divided into two territories: Inini in the interior, Guiana along the coast (1934) Henri "Papillon" Charriere, convicted thief, escaped from prison, went to Colombia (1938) Transporation of convicts to French Guiana ended (1946) Penal colony on Devil's Island abolished; 145 convicts returned to Marseilles, France (1946) Innini, French Guiana reunited (1964) French president, Charles de Gaulle, built space-travel base in French Guiana (1986) Survivors of Moiwana massacre, other residents, fled to French Guiana during Suriname Guerrilla War (1996) European Space Agency Ariane 5 rocket destroyed when it veered off-course after take-off from Kourou, French Guiana (2003) Europe's first moon mission took off from French Guiana (2010) Voters overwhelmingly rejected proposal to give local government more autonomy while still remaining part of France This page was last updated on April 7, 2017. ## Trending on WorldAtlas The Most Dangerous Cities in the World The Largest Countries in the World The 10 Largest Cities in the World The Seven Wonders of the World The 10 Smallest Countries In The World The Largest Airports in the World 29 Largest Armies In The World The Most Dangerous Cities in the US The Most Popular Sports in the World ## Countries Of South America Argentina | Bolivia | Brazil | Chile | Colombia | Easter Island (CL) | Ecuador | Falkland Islands (UK) | French Guiana (FR) | Galapagos Islands (EC) | Guyana | Paraguay | Peru | Suriname | Uruguay | Venezuela | ## On WorldAtlas ### The Most Dangerous States in India ### 10 Tallest Buildings in the World ### What Are The US Territories? ### The 10 Smallest Countries in Europe ## About French Guiana ### Languages Of French Guiana ### What Type Of Government Does French Guiana Have? ## Curious About The World? 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History of French Guiana
Beginnings of European involvement.