| In the aboriginal period the Cariban languages were important in the West Indies, Brazil, Peru, the Guianas, Venezuela, and Colombia. |
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| This ethnic mixing, particularly in the Caribbean margins like the Guianas, produced a hybridized culture. |
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| After the publication of Raleigh's accounts, several other European powers developed interest in the Guianas. |
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| The Dutch joined in the exploration of the Guianas before the end of the century. |
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| Before the arrival of European explorers, the Guianas were populated by scattered bands of Arawak Indians. |
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| As an example, the windy season in the Guianas, which lie at low latitudes in South America, occurs between January and April. |
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| After 1814, the Guianas came to be recognized individually as British Guiana, French Guiana, and Dutch Guiana. |
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| From 1596 to 1829, the Dutch traders sold 250,000 slaves in the Dutch Guianas, 142,000 in the Dutch Caribbean islands, and 28,000 in Dutch Brazil. |
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