Dutch colonisation of the Guianas the coastal region between the
Orinoco and
Amazon rivers in South America began in the early 16th century. The Dutch originally claimed all of
Guiana (also called
De wilde kust, the "Wild Coast") but following attempts to sell it first to Bavaria and then to
Hanau and the loss of sections to Portugal, Britain, and France the section actually settled and controlled by the Netherlands became known as
Dutch Guiana (
Dutch:
Nederlands-Guiana).