evidence: French Guiana is an overseas region and department of France, and it is therefore governed by similar government institutions as those found in French mainland. Cayenne serves as French Guiana’s capital. The first European to dock in French Guiana was Christopher Columbus who found native communities. The Italians initially wanted to occupy the region after which the Dutch and French contested. The early French settlers faced hostility and succumbed to tropical diseases. The arrival of African slaves facilitated the establishment of plantations and triggered the development of French Guiana. The discovery of gold in 1853 created border disputes with Suriname and Brazil which were subsequently settled. The territory was declared an overseas region of France on March 19, 1946, although they have been calls for autonomy. The 2010 referendum saw the citizens voting against independence. [...] The territory’s politics features the Guianese Socialist Party as the key player, and it maintains close links with the Socialist Party in France. The Guianese Party has 29 seats in the Regional Council and three in the General Council. French Guiana is represented by two elected senators in the French Senate. The current ones are from the Guianese Socialist Party namely Jean-Étienne Antoinette and Georges Patient. Other parties which feature in Guiana’s politics are the Union for a Popular Movement which has seven seats in the Regional Council and three in the General Councils and Walwari which has one member in the General Council and seven in the Regional Council. French Guiana is represented by two deputies in the National Assembly of France.