Which is the only European colonial power still to control part of mainland South America?
A) Britain B) France ü C) Portugal D) Spain
The inhospitable region of French Guiana, on the northeast coast of South America, was colonized by the French in 1624. The Dutch and the British both briefly occupied the area, but it returned to France in 1815, and is now an Overseas Department of France. In 1852 the French began using the country as a penal colony, sending prisoners to the notorious Devil’s Island. French Guiana is a very humid country, with equatorial forests covering about 90% of the land; mangrove swamps and a few sandy beaches make up the coast. The economy is heavily subsidized by France; it was aided by the establishment of the European Space Agency at Kourou. Fishing and forestry are also important economically.
