Which French navigator explored the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and took possession of the territory in the name of François I in 1534?

Fact

Did you know?

In 1534, Jacques Cartier explored the Gulf of Saint Lawrence for King Francis I and planted a cross in Gaspé to claim the territory in the name of France. On subsequent trips, he traveled upriver to the sites of Stadaconé and Hochelaga and used the word “Canada,” derived from an Iroquoian term meaning village or settlement. He did not discover an empty territory: indigenous peoples had inhabited these regions for millennia. Nordic navigators had reached North America around the year 1000, and John Cabot probably touched part of the Atlantic coast in 1497. The question must therefore accurately describe Cartier's exploration.