Who discovered Canada?

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Violet c

It sure wasn't an American. Most of them don't know we are here

SteveN

The first European to set foot on what is now Canada was Leif Ericcson, son of Eric the Red (around 1000AD). His father was expelled from Iceland and chose to live in Greenland, but they would often travel to a place called "Vinland" to hunt and fish, which was located west of Greenland. Archaeologists have uncovered remains of a small Viking settlement in Newfoundland near L'Anse aux Meadows.

The first European to meet the native americans and Inuit tribes that were already here was documented in 1497 as John Cabot. He claimed the region around Cape Breton Island and Newfoundland on behalf of King Henry VII of England.

It was the French explorer Jacques Cartier in 1534 who first explored inward of the coast in an attempt to find a channel or passage through what he thought was a small land mass that would lead him to China. In fact, he went as far up river as he could (to the area around Montreal) and when the rapids made it impossible to boat any further, he landed and called that place "Lachine" (french for China).

Jacques Cartier is also the first person who coined the name "Canada" for the region. A year after coming here and becoming friendly with the native population, he was invited to the indian village of Stadaconda. The Huron and Iroquois word for "village" was "kanata", and Cartier took the word to mean the entire region that was under control of the indian chief Donnacona.

This name, spelled "Canada" was then used for all correspondence back to the King of France, along with the name "New France".

When the English and French came to war about the region, by 1790's, the areas around Quebec and Ontario were known respectively as Lower and Upper Canada.

These names remained almost until the formation of the Dominion of Canada in 1867, when Canada was adopted as the name of the country, and the areas were broken down into provinces.

pkingman1274

the vikings? native indians had been living there for years though

Jacques Cartier named Canada.

Explorer

First the Indians, then the vikings then Jacques Cartier

horrorlover

well the indians, then i think the french claimed it then the english did.

sanderz1995

Can people stop saying indians. They were the aboriginal people. Like Mi'kmaq, inuit, metis exc. Colombus didn't dicover north america because people were already living here!

priya

a french guy

Tbone

The Indians

nbr660

Columbus who else

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