Jacques Cartier

exploration · French navigator · Canada · 1500s

Brave Atlantic crosser. Jacques Cartier was a French explorer from Brittany who sailed across the dangerous Atlantic Ocean in the 1500s to explore lands that were unknown to Europeans.

Named Canada. When Cartier explored the Saint Lawrence River, he heard the Iroquoian word 'kanata' used by Indigenous people for villages, and this word eventually became the name 'Canada' for the entire country.

Mapped unknown waters. Cartier was the first European to describe and map the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and trace the shores of the Saint Lawrence River, opening up this whole region to European knowledge.

Met Indigenous peoples. During his voyages, Cartier encountered the Iroquoian people living at settlements called Stadacona and Hochelaga, making him one of the first documented meetings between Europeans and these nations.

Three epic journeys. Cartier made three separate voyages across the Atlantic between 1534 and 1542, each time pushing further into the Saint Lawrence River to explore and trade.