French Guiana Through History: Who Ruled Its Lands
The land of today's French Guiana appears on 39 historical border maps from 500 BC to today. Over that time it was held, in whole or in part, by 3 different states, among them French Guiana, Viceroyalty of Brazil, Lokono (Arawak).
French GuianaExplore the history of French Guiana in the interactive map
Who ruled the land of French Guiana, map by map
Share of sample points inside today's borders held by each state on each map. Areas with no organised state on the map are left out.
| Map | Main states on this land |
|---|---|
| 1492 | Lokono (Arawak) 38% |
| 1783 | Viceroyalty of Brazil 100% |
| 1800 | Viceroyalty of Brazil 100% |
| 1815 | Viceroyalty of Brazil 100% |
| 1880 | French Guiana 100% |
| 1900 | French Guiana 100% |
| 1914 | French Guiana 100% |
| 1920 | French Guiana 100% |
| 1930 | French Guiana 100% |
| 1938 | French Guiana 100% |
| 1945 | French Guiana 100% |
| 1960 | French Guiana 100% |
| 1994 | French Guiana 100% |
| 2010 | French Guiana 100% |
Questions
Which empires and states ruled the territory of French Guiana?
On the border maps from 500 BC to today, the largest shares of the territory of modern French Guiana belonged to French Guiana, Viceroyalty of Brazil, Lokono (Arawak).
What was French Guiana part of in 1900?
On the border map for 1900, most of the territory of today's French Guiana lay within French Guiana.
Further reading
Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.