Why France Is Actually In South America 🇫🇷🌎#frenchguiana #france #geography #shorts #history #facts

Added: 2026-06-03

[00:00:00]This is France. It shares land borders with Spain, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, [music] and Italy. And don't forget Andorra, Luxembourg, Monaco, Suriname, and Brazil.

[00:00:10]Yeah, that Brazil. So, how did part of France known as French Guiana end up on another continent? Well, the answer, as usual, colonialism. 1493, Christopher Columbus has just returned from his voyage and tells Europe about a route to the New World. And then it begins.

[00:00:26]Portugal and Spain were the first to actively colonize South America. And under the Treaty of Tordesillas, they basically split almost the entire continent between themselves. Hey, I want in, too. What about me? Am I a joke to you? But if you show up late to the party, you get the leftover pieces of cake. The northern coast of South America didn't look very attractive. No rich empires, no gold, [music] just jungle, heat, and malaria.

[00:00:49]Still better than nothing. So, England, the Netherlands, and France battled over the region, and it was eventually divided into three territories.

[00:00:56]>> [music] >> In the 19th century, after the wars of independence, new countries began to form. But French Guiana took a different path. Instead of becoming independent, France gradually [music] made it part of the country, and later it became an overseas region of France, where residents hold French citizenship, use the euro, and live under French law.

[00:01:13]>> I've got a whole world of crazy facts to spill, from riverless countries to hidden secrets you won't believe. Stick around, this is just the beginning. Hit like, subscribe, and let's explore everything.