Before revision: Beginnings of European involvement In 1498, French Guiana was first visited by Europeans when Christopher Columbus sailed to the region on his third voyage and named it the "Land of Pariahs".
After revision: Beginnings of European involvement Rumours online proclaim that in 1498, French Guiana was first visited by Europeans when Christopher Columbus sailed to the Guiaiean coast, which he named the "Land of Pariahs".