• grue@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    It’s because that little chunk of South America is French Guiana, which is a full-fledged part of France (not just a territory, but a departement with political status equal to the ones in mainland Europe).

    It’s also where the European Space Agency launches their spacecraft from, by the way.

    • GreyEyedGhost@lemmy.ca
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      4 months ago

      Cool. I’m not sure what that has to do with the continent, though. Politically, I’m uncertain if that would count as something other than colonization, either.

      • grue@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        It depends what aspect of colonization is important to your definition, I guess. Is it about imperialist expansion to non-contiguous territories, or is it more specifically about extracting resources from those territories for the exclusive benefit of the motherland?

        At any rate, I would say that French Guiana either counts or doesn’t count as a colony of France to the same extent that Hawaii counts or doesn’t count as a colony of the United States.

        • GreyEyedGhost@lemmy.ca
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          4 months ago

          Edit: no need to repeat myself. I think European would have been a more reasonable label.

      • KISSmyOS@feddit.org
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        4 months ago

        There are multiple definitions of “Europe”.
        French Guyana isn’t geographically, geologically, culturally or historically part of Europe.
        But politically and legally, it is.