History Fact Finder | Exploration and Settlement - What Were The French Holdings In The New World?

What were the French holdings in the New World?

French holdings in the New World (the European term for North and South America) were called New France. They consisted of Canada, Acadia (present-day Nova Scotia), and Louisiana. As early as 1534 the French made land claims when explorer Jacques Cartier (1491–1557) sailed the St. Lawrence River in eastern Canada. In 1604 Pierre du Gua, Sieur de Monts (c. 1568–c. 1630) founded a settlement at Acadia. Later French claims extended to the region that is now the province of New Brunswick and the eastern portion of Maine. French territory expanded further when Samuel de Champlain (c. 1567–1635) founded Quebec in 1608 and claimed regions around the Great Lakes. After French explorer René-Robert Cavelier Sieur de La Salle (1643–1687) followed the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico, he claimed the river valley for France. He named it Louisiana in honor of French...

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