What is The Guianas?
[[File:Guyanas.svg|thumb|400px|The Guianas, including ''Spanish Guyana'' in [[Venezuela]] and ''Portuguese Guyana'' in [[Brazil]].]] '''The Guianas''' ({{lang-fr|Guyanes}}; {{lang-nl|Guyana's}}; {{lang-es|Guayanas}}) are a region in northeastern [[South America]] along the [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]] [[coast]], divided in several [[Territory|territories]] and independent countries. == Geography == The Guianas are on the [[Guiana Shield]], a [[Precambrian]] [[geological formation]] that is limited to the south and to the east by [[Brazil]], to the west by [[Venezuela]] and to the north by the [[Atlantic Ocean]]. The Guianas includes the following three territories, from west to east: * [[Guyana]], an independent country; * [[Suriname]], also an independent country; and * [[French Guiana]], an [[Overseas departments of France|overseas department of France]]. Two other territories are sometimes added: * The [[Guayana Region]], formerly the Guayana Province, in southeast [[Venezuela]] (Spanish Guyana) * [[Amapá|Portuguese Guiana]] (Brazilian Guiana), in northeastern [[Brazil]], originally part of the [[Portuguese Empire]], now corresponding to the Brazilian State of [[Amapá]]. == History == The territories of the Guianas were made [[Colony|colonies]] from the 17th century by [[England]], [[Netherlands]], [[France]], [[Portugal]] and [[Spain]], resulting in its present division. The colonies were then: * British Guiana, independent since 1966 with the name of [[Guyana]]; * Spanish Guiana, the present southeastern [[Venezuela]]; * [[French Guiana]] or ''Guyane'', an [[Overseas Regions of France|overseas region and department]] of [[France]]; * Dutch Guiana, independent since 1975 with the name of [[Suriname]]; * Portuguese Guiana, later the [[Brazilian]] Guiana and now the Brazilian state of [[Amapá]]. == Countries == === Guyana === {{Main|Guyana}} '''Guyana''' (officially the '''Co-operative Republic of Guyana''') is bordered by the [[Atlantic Ocean]] to the north, [[Brazil]] to the south and southwest, [[Surinam