Aboriginal peoples were here first
Discover Canada says the ancestors of Aboriginal peoples are believed to have come from Asia many thousands of years ago. They had long been settled in North America by the time European explorers came.Discover Canada, Who We Are › Aboriginal Peoples, p. 10 (opens the official guide on canada.ca)
When Europeans explored Canada, every region already had native peoples living in it. Europeans called them Indians because the first explorers thought they had arrived in the East Indies.Discover Canada, Canada's History › Aboriginal Peoples, p. 14 (opens the official guide on canada.ca)
The native peoples lived off the land. Some hunted and gathered food, and others grew crops.
- The Huron-Wendat of the Great Lakes region and the Iroquois were farmers and hunters.
- In the Northwest, the Cree and Dene lived as hunter-gatherers.
- The Sioux were nomadic and followed the bison (buffalo) herd.
- The Inuit lived off Arctic wildlife.
The Vikings
The guide’s section on the first Europeans starts with the Vikings. It says Vikings from Iceland, who had settled in Greenland 1,000 years ago, also made it to Labrador and the island of Newfoundland.Discover Canada, Canada's History › The First Europeans, p. 14 (opens the official guide on canada.ca)
The remains of their settlement are at l’Anse aux Meadows, which is a World Heritage site.
John Cabot, 1497
The guide says European exploration began in earnest in 1497 with John Cabot’s expedition. Cabot drew the first map of Canada’s East Coast.Discover Canada, Canada's History › The First Europeans, p. 14 (opens the official guide on canada.ca)
Cabot was an Italian who had moved to England. In 1497 he landed on Newfoundland or Cape Breton Island and claimed the “New Founde Land” for England. Even so, the English only began to settle here in 1610.Discover Canada, Canada's History › The First Europeans, p. 14 (opens the official guide on canada.ca)
Jacques Cartier and the name “Canada”
Jacques Cartier crossed the Atlantic three times between 1534 and 1542. He claimed the land for King Francis I of France.Discover Canada, Canada's History › Exploring a River, Naming Canada, p. 14 (opens the official guide on canada.ca)
He was the first European explorer of the St. Lawrence River, and the first European to see the places that are now Québec City and Montreal.Discover Canada, Canada's History › Royal New France, p. 14 (opens the official guide on canada.ca)
The name “Canada” comes from the Iroquoian word kanata, which means “village.” Cartier heard two captured guides use this word. By the 1550s, the name Canada was appearing on maps.Discover Canada, Canada's History › Exploring a River, Naming Canada, p. 14 (opens the official guide on canada.ca)
The name became official with the Constitutional Act of 1791, and it has been used ever since.Discover Canada, Canada's History › United Empire Loyalists, p. 16 (opens the official guide on canada.ca)
The first French settlements
In 1604, the French explorers Pierre de Monts and Samuel de Champlain started the first European settlement north of Florida. It was first on St. Croix Island (now in Maine) and then at Port-Royal, in Acadia (now Nova Scotia).Discover Canada, Canada's History › Royal New France, p. 14 (opens the official guide on canada.ca)
In 1608, Champlain built a fortress where Québec City is today.
The guide adds that in the first 200 years, Aboriginal peoples and Europeans built strong economic, religious and military ties, and that these ties laid the foundations of Canada.Discover Canada, Canada's History › Aboriginal Peoples, p. 14 (opens the official guide on canada.ca)
Study this for the citizenship test
These topics come from the history chapter of Discover Canada, the official study guide for the test. To review them, read our study notes for Canada’s history at /discover-canada/canadas-history, then try the free chapter quiz at /chapters/canadas-history.
Common questions
- Who first discovered Canada?
- Discover Canada says Aboriginal peoples were here first. Their ancestors are believed to have come from Asia many thousands of years ago, long before explorers from Europe arrived.Discover Canada, Who We Are › Aboriginal Peoples, p. 10 (opens the official guide on canada.ca)
- When was Canada discovered by Europeans?
- The guide says Vikings from Iceland, who had settled in Greenland 1,000 years ago, also made it to Labrador and Newfoundland. Serious European exploration began in 1497 with John Cabot.Discover Canada, Canada's History › The First Europeans, p. 14 (opens the official guide on canada.ca)
- Did the Vikings discover Canada?
- The Vikings were not the first people here, but the guide says they reached Labrador and Newfoundland. The remains of their settlement at l’Anse aux Meadows are a World Heritage site.Discover Canada, Who We Are › Aboriginal Peoples, p. 10 (opens the official guide on canada.ca)Discover Canada, Canada's History › The First Europeans, p. 14 (opens the official guide on canada.ca)
- Who was John Cabot?
- He was an Italian who moved to England. In 1497 he landed on Newfoundland or Cape Breton Island, claimed the land for England, and made the first map of Canada’s Atlantic shore.Discover Canada, Canada's History › The First Europeans, p. 14 (opens the official guide on canada.ca)
- Where does the name Canada come from?
- It comes from kanata, an Iroquoian word that means “village.” Jacques Cartier heard two captured guides say it. The name was on maps by the 1550s.Discover Canada, Canada's History › Exploring a River, Naming Canada, p. 14 (opens the official guide on canada.ca)