French Guiana Coins

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Pre-Colonial History
Before the arrival of Europeans, what is now French Guiana was inhabited by a variety of native Amerindians, including the rival Arawak and Carib peoples, alongside the Emerillon, Palikur, Oyampi, Galibi and Wayana. Nobody attempted to colonise the area until 1608, when a brief attempt was made by the Grand Duke of Tuscany, Ferdinando I to found an Italian colony there. However, the Tuscans lost interest in the project when Ferdinando died the following year.

French Settlement
French involvement in the area began in 1624 when they attempted to found a settlement there. However, they were forced to leave by the Portuguese, who claimed to have sovereignty over the area. The French eventually returned however, and founded the future capital Cayenne in 1643. However, they were forced to abandon the area once again soon afterwards due to the hostility of local natives. In 1658, the Dutch arrived to occupy the abandoned settlement, and remained until the late 1660s, when Britain captured the area from the Dutch in 1667. Under the treaty of Breda, the newly restored English King Charles II (a pensioner of the French King Louis XIV) ceded the territory to France.

French Rule
Following the disastrous (for the French) 7 Years War, Guyana was one of the few American colonies remaining in French lands. The environment was harsh, which discouraged settlement, although sugar and plantations were established, using slave labour and the colony gained a measure of prosperity as a result.
During the Napoleonic Wars, Britain invaded the colony and handed it over to the Portuguese in 1809. However, it was restored to France following the restoration of the Bourbon Monarchy in 1814.
During the 1850s, Napoleon III decided to establish a penal colony, and for many years afterwards, French Guyana became the destination (often the final one) for many French convicts. The harsh tropical environment was not very amenable to European bodily constitutions, and thousands upon thousands died of tropical diseases there. The Ile du Diable (the Devil's Island) was the most notorious part of this French penal colony, and many horror stories were told of the conditions there. The penal institutions in French Guiana were not phased out until the 1950s.
Following the French Defeat by Nazi Germany in 1940, French Guiana declared its allegiance to the Vichy French Government, under which it remained until the Vichy French Government was overthrown after the liberation of France.
In 1946, French Guiana's status as a colony was changed to that of an overseas department. In 1964, the French Government constructed a space centre near Kourou, which was advantageous due to its proximity to the equator and a large expanse of ocean, and French Guiana remains the centre of the European Space Agency today.
Coinage of French Guiana
As an integral overseas department of France, the Euro is the official currency of French Guiana, as it is in Metropolitan France.

For Sale and Wanted
If you are interested in coins from French Guiana please see our product index:-
French Guiana Coins

Gold Coins
We also have gold coins from French Guiana on our taxfreegold website:-
French Guiana Gold Coins