Biography : Jacques Cartier

Jacques Cartier was a French navigator who explored Canada. The mission given to him by King Francis I was to discover islands and lands where a great quantity of gold and other precious things are to be found. Cartier's original goal was to find the Northwest Passage, a mythical sailing route from the North Atlantic to the Pacific. Instead, he became the first European to explore and map the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the St. Lawrence River. Thanks to his map, France established its first permanent colony in Canada. Cartier believed that China was at the other end of the river, so he named the rapids that blocked his way the Lachine Rapids.