Canada

The origin of the name "Canada" comes from the expedition of explorer Jacques Cartier up the St. Lawrence River in 1535. The Iroquois, pointing out the route to the village of Stadacona (future site of Quebec City) used the word "kanata," the Huron-Iroquois word for village. Jacques Cartier used the word Canada to refer to both the settlement of Stadacona and the land surrounding it subject to Chief Donnacona. By 1547, maps were showing the name Canada applied to everything north of the St. Lawrence River, and as the New France colonies grew, the name stuck.