2020-06-29 Mon

On 29th June 1534, a French explorer Jacques Cartier landed at Prince Edward Island. He was the first European to travel inland in North America. Claimed what is now known as Canada for France.

In early 1534, Cartier was introduced to King Francis I by Jean Le Veneur, bishop of Saint-Malo. On April 20, 1534, Cartier set sail with two ships and 61 men under a commission from the king, hoping to discover a western passage to the wealthy markets of Asia.

It took him twenty days to sail across the ocean and on 10th May he reached the parts of Newfoundland and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. In 1534, Jacques Cartier became the first European to see the Prince Edward Island.

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).

Canadian Postal Department honors Jacques Cartier by issued various commemorative stamps.

Image Source: Wikipedia.org