<Tr> <Th> Per capita </Th> <Td> € 15,400 (US $20,000) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> NUTS Region </Th> <Td> FRA </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Website </Th> <Td> Prefecture Territorial collectivity </Td> </Tr> <P> French Guiana (pronounced / ɡiːˈɑːnə / or / ɡiːˈænə /, French: Guyane française; French pronunciation: ​ (ɡɥijan fʁɑ̃sɛz)), officially called Guiana (French: Guyane), is an overseas department and region of France, located on the north Atlantic coast of South America in the Guyanas . It borders Brazil to the east and south, and Suriname to the west . Its 83,534 km (32,253 sq mi) area has a very low population density of only 3 inhabitants per km2, with half of its 244,118 inhabitants in 2013 living in the metropolitan area of Cayenne, its capital . By land area, it is the second largest region of France and the largest outermost region within the European Union . Since 1981, when Belize became independent, French Guiana has been the only territory of the mainland Americas that is still part of a European country . </P>

Why does a french territory exist along the northern coast of south america