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Jacques Cartier

Adapted from Wikipedia · Explorer experience

Portrait painting of explorer Jacques Cartier by Théophile Hamel, created in 1844.

Jacques Cartier

Jacques Cartier was a French explorer who lived a long time ago, from 1491 to 1557. He grew up in a seaside town called Saint-Malo in Brittany, a part of France. Cartier loved the sea and became a very good sailor.

Cartier is famous because he was the first European to explore and map the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the Saint Lawrence River. He made three big trips across the ocean to find new lands. On his trips, he met local people and learned their names for places. He even used the word “Canada” for the land he saw, which came from the name the local people used for their villages.

Cartier’s journeys helped France learn about this new part of the world. Many places today, like the Jacques-Cartier River and Jacques Cartier Bridge, are named after him to remember his important trips. His stories and maps opened the way for other explorers and settlers to come and discover more.

Images

Historical map showing the route of Jacques Cartier's first voyage to North America in 1534.
Historical map showing the route of Jacques Cartier's second voyage to North America in 1535-1536.
An old Spanish map from the 1500s showing the Saint Lawrence River in Canada.
An old map of Canada from the year 1543, showing early European exploration of the region.
A 1908 Canadian postage stamp featuring explorer Jacques Cartier and the ship La Grande Hermine.
A plaque on the statue of explorer Jacques Cartier located near a public library in Quebec City.
A 1934 Canadian postage stamp celebrating the 400th anniversary of Jacques Cartier's discovery of Canada.
A statue of the explorer Jacques Cartier located in the city of Saint-Malo.

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Jacques Cartier, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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