New France

(1534 -1763)

In 1535, natives told Jacques Cartier about the route to "kanata."; referring to the village of Stadacona; "kanata" was the Huron-Iroquois word for "village". Cartier used "Canada" to refer to Chief Donnacona's lands. In 1547, north of the St. Lawrence River was shown as "Canada."

The Fur Trade in Canada was about economics & exploration. As the competition for pelts intensified, especially after 1763, with the secession of New France to Great Britain, the Hudson's Bay Company & the rival North West Company engaged explorers & cartographers to extend their trading networks. Cartier called the St. Lawrence River the "Riviere de Canada". By 1616, the region was known as New France, the area along the "River of Canada" & the Gulf of St. Lawrence was still called Canada.