Canada

Canada, a name derived from the Huron-Iroquoian kanata, meaning a village or settlement. On 13 August 1535, as Jacques CARTIER was nearing Île d'Anticosti, 2 Indian youths he was bringing back from France informed him that the route to Canada ("chemin de Canada") lay to the south of the island. By Canada they meant the village of Stadacona, on the future site of QUÉBEC CITY. Cartier used the word in that sense, but also referred to "the province of Canada," meaning the area subject to DONNACONA, chief at Stadacona. The name was soon applied to a much larger region. The "Harleian" world map of c 1547, the first to show the discoveries made on Cartier's second voyage, applied it to an area north of the gulf and river St Lawrence, and by 1550 maps were also placing the name south of the river.

Keywords

History

Cartier referred to the St Lawrence as the "rivière de Canada" and the name was in general use until the end of the century. But on 10 August 1535 he had given the name St-Laurent to a bay north of Ile d'Anticosti, and the name spread gradually to the gulf and river. In 1603, on his first voyage to Canada, CHAMPLAIN spoke of the river of Canada, but by 1613 referred to St Laurens for the gulf. The name Canada was used loosely, even in official correspondence, as a synonym for NEW FRANCE, which included all French possessions; but it was always understood, as Father Pierre Biard pointed out in the Jesuit Relation for 1616, that "Canada ... is not, properly speaking, all this extent of country which they now call New France; but it is only that part, which extends along the banks of the great River Canada, and the Gulf of St. Lawrence." In 1664 François Du Creux, in his work Historia Canadensis, drew the same distinction.

As French explorers and fur traders pushed ever westward and southward, the area to which the name Canada applied increased rapidly, but its extent seems never to have been defined officially. In March 1762, after the CONQUEST, General Thomas GAGE informed General Jeffery AMHERST that the limits between Canada and Louisiana had never been clearly described. He could only state "what were generally believed ... to have been the Boundaries of Canada & give you my own Opinion." He judged "not only the [Great] Lakes, which are Indisputable, but the whole Course of the Mississippi from its Heads to its Junction with the Illinois" had been considered by the French to be part of Canada. This may be one reason why Britain temporarily abandoned the name and called the colony the Province of Québec.

Canada came into its own in 1791 when the CONSTITUTIONAL ACT (or Canada Act) divided Québec, then considerably enlarged, into the provinces of UPPER CANADA and LOWER CANADA. In 1841 they were joined to form the PROVINCE OF CANADA. In 1867 the BRITISH NORTH AMERICA ACT united the Province of Canada (divided into Ontario and Québec) with NS and NB to form "One Dominion under the name of Canada." The new area was relatively small, but it expanded rapidly. The purchase of RUPERT'S LAND in 1870 extended it to the Rocky Mountains and the Arctic Ocean; the addition of BC in 1871 created a Canada extending from sea to sea; PEI was added in 1873 and Britain handed over title to the arctic islands in 1880. This gave Canada substantially the present boundaries, except for Labrador and Newfoundland, which joined the federation in 1949. In a striking comment, the distinguished American historian Samuel Eliot Morison remarked that "never, since the Roman empire, have two local names received such a vast extension as Canada and St. Lawrence."

See also EXPLORATION; TERRITORIAL EVOLUTION.

Canada Places
Click and drag the map to move it around.

Canada from Space
RADARSAT-1 helped compile the first complete view of Canada from space in 1999. The 276 images used in the mosaic were captured over a brief 7-day period in January to give a near instantaneous "snapshot" of the entire country (courtesy Canadian Space Agency).

Author W. KAYE LAMB

Links to Other Sites

Parliament of Canada
The official source for current news and information about the Parliament of Canada. Also features online webcasts, Hansard, history notes and much more. Check out the useful "How Canadians Govern Themselves" paper from the Information and Documentation Branch.

Symbols of Canada
An illustrated guide to national and provincial symbols of Canada, our national anthem, national and provincial holidays, and much more. From the Canadian Heritage website.

Country Profile: Canada
A country profile of Canada, maps, and much more from the National Geographic Society.

Constitutional Acts 1867 to 1982
The complete texts of the Constitutional Acts 1867 to 1982. From the Department of Justice Canada.

Library and Archives Canada
The website for Library and Archives Canada. Offers searchable online collections of textual documents, photographs, audio recordings, and other digitized resources. Also includes virtual exhibits about Canadian history and culture, and research aids that assist in locating material in the physical collections.

The Canadian Museum Treasure Hunt
Test your knowledge of Canadian history and culture in this interactive tour of museum exhibits across Canada. A Virtual Museum website.

Facts about Canada
This section of the Atlas of Canada describes some of Canada's most outstanding features and qualities. From Natural Resources Canada.

Reference Maps
Scroll down to the "Provincial and Territorial" section and then click on the name of a specific Canadian province or territory for a detailed map. Then, click on either "JPEG" or "PDF" to view the map on your computer screen. From "The Atlas of Canada," Natural Resources Canada.

Canada: A People's History
This CBC feature program highlights significant events, issues, and personalities in Canadian history.

The Explorers
This extensive Canadian Museum of Civilization resource details the exploits of Canada’s early explorers from the 16th to the 18th century. With many maps and illustrations.

Mediasphere
View brief video clips about past and present major political, social, and economic issues in Canada. A National Film Board website.

Canada and the United States: Ambivalent Allies
Read excerpts of the book "Canada and the United States: Ambivalent Allies." Examines the relationship between the two countries from the American Revolution to the 20th century. From the Google.com website.

Celebrating Dominion Day 1867-1917
This "Images Canada" collection depicts Canadians celebrating Dominion Day.

Teacher's Corner
This extensive Parks Canada website features multimedia learning resources about places, people and events that figured prominently in Canadian history. Includes a glossary, curriculum correlations and much more.

Keys to History
Search this "Keys to History" website for fascinating online exhibits about notable people, places, and events in Canadian history. From Montréal's McCord Museum.

Electoral Atlas of the Dominion of Canada (1895)
This website features an interactive map that shows the federal electoral boundaries in Canada in 1895. From Library and Archives Canada.

Geographical Names of Canada
Search the Canadian Geographical Names Data Base for the official name of a city, town, lake (or any other geographical feature) in any Province or Territory in Canada. A Natural Resources Canada website.

A Collector's Passion - The Peter Winkworth Collection
View an extensive collection of distinctive paintings that document more than four centuries of Canadian history. Also features artist's biographies and notes about specific paintings. From the Peter Winkworth Collection of Canadiana at the National Archives of Canada.

About Canada
Visitors to this site will find information on Canada’s history and geography, famous Canadians, the evolution of the Canadian government, how to immigrate to Canada, what to do when visiting or touring Canada and much more.

Youth Zone
Exciting virtual tours help you explore Canada's national parks, historic sites, and marine conservation areas. Especially for students and their teachers. From Parks Canada.

Canada's Constitution
A comprehensive guide to resources about the evolution of Canada's Constitution. From the nelson.com website.

Champlain Society
Search The Champlain Society digital collection for full text documents about Canadian history. Features first-hand accounts of Samuel de Champlain's voyages in New France and much more.

The Growth of an Empire
This article documents Canada’s complex relationship with Britain in the late 19th century. From the Department of National Defence.

Canadian Economic Development
This University of Toronto online course discusses key factors in Canada’s economic development. Read the lecture notes, peruse the graphics and listen to the lectures in RealAudio format.

Diplomatic Gateway to Canada
A one-stop information source for the diplomatic community in Canada. Covers national institutions and holidays, styles of address, honours and salutes, a directory of Foreign Representatives in Canada and much more. From Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada.

The French Language in Québec: 400 Years of History and Life
A chronology of major milestones in the establishment and growth of the French Language in Québec. From the Government of Québec website.

BBC Country profile: Canada
Facts and figures about Canada and Canadian history from the BBC.

Historical Atlas of Canada
Explore the history of Canada through detailed interactive maps that can be accessed at this "Historical Atlas of Canada" website.

Four Directions Teachings
Elders and traditional teachers representing the Blackfoot, Cree, Ojibwe, Mohawk, and Mi’kmaq share teachings about their culture. Animated graphics visualize each of the oral teachings. This website also provides biographies of participants, transcripts, and extensive learning resources for students and their teachers. In English with French subtitles.

The Penguin History of Canada
A brief synopsis of “The Penguin History of Canada.” From the Penguin Group (Canada) website.

Treaty of Paris, 1783
Scroll down the page for an overview of the Treaty of Paris (1783.) Click on the “Treaty of Paris” link for more information. From the “Canada in the Making” website.

Historic Photos of Canada
The "Historic Photos of Canada" website offers hundreds of high resolution images of Canada’s first 50 years of nationhood, as seen through the lenses of the world’s earliest cameras.

Canada Diamond Jubilee Broadcast
Listen to the festivities celebrating Canada's Diamond Jubilee on July 1, 1927. From CBC Digital Archives.

National Air Photo Library
NAPL On-Line allows clients to search and retrieve metadata for over three million air photos. Click on "Revised NAPL On-Line" to access their interactive map of Canada. From Natural Resources Canada.

Canada Before Confederation
Read excerpts from the book "Canada Before Confederation," described as a "classic study in modern historical geography that reflects the changing regional character of that part of North America that was to become Canada." From Google.com.

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