Who were the first European explorers in Canada?
Exploration of Canada by Europeans began with the Norse in the late 10th century on the country’s East Coast. Following Jacques Cartier’s arrival in 1534, over the course of the next three centuries British and French explorers gradually moved further west.
What factors led to the exploration of Canada?
Commercial, resource-based interests often drove exploration; for example, a westward route to Asia and later, the fur trade. By the mid-19th century most of the main geographical features of Canada had been mapped by European colonists. (See also Arctic Exploration.)
How did Native Americans live in Canada before European colonization?
When the first European explorers came to Canada they found all regions occupied by native peoples they called “Indians,” thinking they had reached the East Indies. The native people lived off the land, some by hunting and gathering, others by raising crops. The Huron-Wendat of the Great Lakes Region,...
What is the history of Canada?
Canadian history does not begin with the arrival of European explorers over 500 years ago; people have been living in the country that we now call Canada for thousands of years.
Why did the explorers come to Canada?
In the late 15th Century, English, French, and Portuguese navigators resumed exploration of Canada's Atlantic coast, seeking a route to Asia and its legendary wealth in spices, silk and precious metals.
When did the first explorers come to Canada?
In 1604, the first European settlement north of Florida was established by French explorers Pierre de Monts and Samuel de Champlain, first on St. Croix Island (in present-day Maine), then at Port-Royal, in Acadia (present-day Nova Scotia). In 1608 Champlain built a fortress at what is now Québec City.
Who was the first explorer in Canada?
Frenchman Jacques Cartier was the first European to navigate the great entrance to Canada, the Saint Lawrence River. In 1534, in a voyage conducted with great competence, Cartier explored the Gulf of St. Lawrence and claimed its shores for the French crown.
Which explorers came to Canada?
Our experts have weighed in with their choices for Canada's Greatest Explorer — Samuel de Champlain, Robert Bylot, Alexander Mackenzie, David Thompson and Lady Jane Franklin. However, there are many more people than the five we featured that have helped further our understanding of Canada's vast wild spaces.
Why did Explorers for France and England make their way over to Canada?
Many of the first Europeans to come to Canada wanted to set up trading networks. In particular, they were after commodities like beaver pelts. The Hudson's Bay Company was one of the largest trading companies in Canada.
What was Canada's name before Canada?
Prior to 1870, it was known as the North-Western Territory. The name has always been a description of the location of the territory.
Has all of Canada been explored?
All of Canada is mapped, but not all of it is explored. How can this be? As recently as 1916, the Geological Survey of Canada estimated that Canada still contained over 900,000 square miles (almost one and a half million square kilometres) of unexplored territory that appeared as blank spots on the map.
Who named Canada Why?
The name “Canada” likely comes from the Huron-Iroquois word “kanata,” meaning “village” or “settlement.” In 1535, two Aboriginal youths told French explorer Jacques Cartier about the route to kanata; they were actually referring to the village of Stadacona, the site of the present-day City of Québec.
Who discovered Canada in 1497?
John Cabot'sJohn Cabot's ship, the Matthew, sailed from Bristol with a crew of 18 in 1497. After a month at sea, he landed and took the area in the name of King Henry VII. Cabot had reached one of the northern capes of Newfoundland.
Who owned Canada first?
Britain and Europe first set up colonies in the area that is now Canada in the 1600s. The fur trade was a hugely important industry for the early colonists. In 1759, Britain invaded and conquered France's North American colonies, making northern North America entirely British.
How old is Canada?
One begins 150 years ago, with Confederation creating the country of Canada in 1867. Another begins much earlier – archaeologists have unearthed a settlement on Triquet Island in British Columbia dating back 14,000 years ago.
Is Canada French or British?
In 1982, it adopted its own constitution and became a completely independent country. Although it's still part of the British Commonwealth—a constitutional monarchy that accepts the British monarch as its own. Elizabeth II is Queen of Canada.
Who discovered Canada in 1497?
John Cabot'sJohn Cabot's ship, the Matthew, sailed from Bristol with a crew of 18 in 1497. After a month at sea, he landed and took the area in the name of King Henry VII. Cabot had reached one of the northern capes of Newfoundland.
Has all of Canada been explored?
All of Canada is mapped, but not all of it is explored. How can this be? As recently as 1916, the Geological Survey of Canada estimated that Canada still contained over 900,000 square miles (almost one and a half million square kilometres) of unexplored territory that appeared as blank spots on the map.
Who was the first person to step foot in Canada?
Under letters patent from King Henry VII of England, the Italian John Cabot became the first European known to have landed in Canada after the Viking Age. Records indicate that on June 24, 1497 he sighted land at a northern location believed to be somewhere in the Atlantic provinces.
When did Christopher Columbus discover Canada?
In 1492, Christopher Columbus was credited with “discovering” the New World.
How long has Canada been around?
Canadian history does not begin with the arrival of European explorers over 500 years ago; people have been living in the country that we now call Canada for thousands of years.
What was the name of the land that Canada purchased in 1870?
The year 1870 – three years after Confederation – brought multiple historic changes to land ownership, including: Canada’s purchase of Rupert’s Land from the Hudson’s Bay Company, which had been granted a charter to the area by the British government exactly two centuries earlier.
What was the British transfer of the North-Western Territory to Canada?
Britain’s transfer of the North-Western Territory to Canada. Previously, the Hudson’s Bay Company had an exclusive licence to trade in this area, which stretched west to the colony of British Columbia and north to the Arctic Circle. When it was discovered in the mid-1800s that the Prairies had enormous farming potential, the British government refused to renew the company’s licence. With the Hudson's Bay Company out of the area, Britain was free to turn it over to Canada.
What tribes lived in the Great Lakes?
The Huron-Wendat of the Great Lakes Region, like the Iroquois, were farmers and hunters. The Cree and Dene of the Northwest were hunter-gatherers. The Sioux were nomadic, following the bison (buffalo) herd. The Inuit lived off Arctic wildlife.
What are the new territories of Canada?
The new Dominion of Canada. The Northwest Territories and Manitoba. British Columbia, Prince Edward Island and Yukon. Saskatchewan and Alberta. Newfoundland and Nunavut.
How did the arrival of European traders, missionaries, soldiers and colonists change the way of life forever?
The arrival of European traders, missionaries, soldiers and colonists changed the native way of life forever. Large numbers of Aboriginals died of European diseases to which they lacked immunity. However, Aboriginals and Europeans formed strong economic, religious and military bonds in the first 200 years of coexistence which laid the foundations of Canada.
What provinces were created in 1905?
Saskatchewan and Alberta. Meanwhile, Canada was opening up its west, just as its neighbour to the south had done before. Migrants from eastern Canada and immigrants from Europe and the United States began to fill the Prairies, which were still part of the Northwest Territories. Then, in 1905, the provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta were created, ...
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The Northwest Passage
The Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen went south of Victoria Island, and later explorers stayed to the north of the island.
Competition
Most European countries competed with each other for wealth and power. They felt it was important to own and control more land. The rulers of England and France paid for many explorers to head out and claim new lands. A lot of these explorers came to Canada. They built settlements here to help strengthen their countries’ claims to the land.
Fish and Fur
Early explorers were amazed at the natural resources in Canada. They fished the waters off Newfoundland, salted the fish and dried it in the sun, then shipped the fish back to Europe to help feed the people there.
New Adventure
People today are curious about the world around them, and so were the early European explorers. They had no maps when they first set out, but they wondered what was on the other side of the ocean. These brave explorers wanted to see what adventures—and riches!—they might find in new countries.
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10th–11th Century
15th–16th Century
- Some speculate that seamen from Bristol reached Newfoundland, or thereabouts, as early as the 1480s, predating Columbus's voyage of 1492. However, the only hard evidence points to John Cabot’sEnglish expedition of 1497 as the first known voyage to mainland North America in the new era of overseas discovery. Explorers at this time were seeking a westward route to Asia. Ca…
17th Century
- An alternative entry into the continent was essential if the English were to challenge the French because in the early 17th century the activities of Samuel de Champlain confirmed and extended Cartier's claims. The century began with a new departure — in 1600 the first European trading post in Canada was established at Tadoussac. In 1603, Champlain...
18th Century
- In terms of exploring west of Lake Superior, in the latter half of the 17th century the French took the lead. In 1688, Jacques de Noyon reached Rainy Lake, and the next year possibly Lake of the Woods; on these journeys he heard garbled reports of the Winnipeg River and Lake Winnipeg. Here the westward movement halted until the Treaty of Utrecht(1713) ended the prolonged Angl…
19th Century
- The overland expeditions had spun thin lines of knowledge across the plains, through the mountains and down to the Pacific and Arctic oceans. After Mackenzie, Duncan Mcgillivray organized an expedition that crossed the Rockies by White Man's Pass in 1801, but it stopped well short of the sea. In 1808, Simon Fraser followed the river which was to bear his name down to ti…