French Guiana

American  

[gee-an-uh, gee-ah-nuh] / giˈæn ə, giˈɑ nə /

noun

1. an overseas department of France, on the NE coast of South America: formerly a French colony. 35,135 sq. mi. (91,000 sq. km). Cayenne.

---

French Guiana British  

noun

1. a French overseas region in NE South America, on the Atlantic: colonized by the French in about 1637; tropical forests. Capital: Cayenne. Pop: 229 000 (2009 est). Area: about 91 000 sq km (23 000 sq miles)

---

Other Word Forms

• French Guianan adjective
• French Guianese adjective

Example Sentences

"There's a lot going on in space for internet connectivity," says Moeller, speaking to the BBC from French Guiana, where he'd just witnessed Ariane 6 lift off.

From BBC • Feb. 23, 2026

Despite a lack of evidence, Dreyfus was convicted of treason, sentenced to life imprisonment in the infamous Devil's Island penal colony in French Guiana and publicly stripped of his rank.

From Barron's • Nov. 18, 2025

The discovery was made through the DNA analysis of pollen attached to butterflies found in French Guiana in South America, that was found to have originated in Africa.

From Slate • Jul. 18, 2024

Riding the waves of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Ocean, it will be in French Guiana on June 9 before hitting New Caledonia on June 11.

From Seattle Times • May 6, 2024

The distance derived from measurements of the parallax of Mars carried out in 1671 by a French team using simultaneous observations by Jean Richer from Cayenne, in French Guiana, and Cassini from Paris.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin