<P> Jacques Cartier ( French pronunciation : ​ ( ʒak kaʁtje ) ; Breton : Jakez Karter ; December 31 , 1491 -- September 1 , 1557 ) was a Breton explorer who claimed what is now Canada for France . Jacques Cartier was the first European to describe and map the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the shores of the Saint Lawrence River , which he named `` The Country of Canadas '' , after the Iroquois names for the two big settlements he saw at Stadacona ( Quebec City ) and at Hochelaga ( Montreal Island ) . </P>
<P> Jacques Cartier ( French pronunciation : ​ ( ʒak kaʁtje ) ; Breton : Jakez Karter ; December 31 , 1491 -- September 1 , 1557 ) was a Breton explorer who claimed what is now Canada for France . Jacques Cartier was the first European to describe and map the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the shores of the Saint Lawrence River , which he named `` The Country of Canadas '' , after the Iroquois names for the two big settlements he saw at Stadacona ( Quebec City ) and at Hochelaga ( Montreal Island ) . </P>
french explorer who first arrived in canada in 1534
french explorer who first arrived in canada in 1534
Jacques Cartier
Jacques Cartier