🏛️ Chapter 3: Canada's History
Which explorer first charted Canada's Atlantic coastline?
Correct answer: John Cabot
A Jacques Cartier
✓ John Cabot
C Samuel de Champlain
D Leif Erikson
💡 Explanation
Cabot was born in Italy but had settled in England and sailed under its flag. His 1497 voyage brought him ashore either at Newfoundland or on Cape Breton Island, where he claimed the New Founde Land for the English Crown. Actual settlement by the English only started in 1610.
Key facts to remember
- Vikings from Iceland colonized Greenland about 1,000 years ago
- They also reached Labrador and the island of Newfoundland
- Their settlement l'Anse aux Meadows is a World Heritage site
- Real European exploration began in 1497 with John Cabot
- John Cabot: an Italian immigrant to England
- Landed 1497 on Newfoundland or Cape Breton Island
- First to map Canada's Atlantic coast; claimed New Founde Land for England
- English settlement did not start until 1610
Why this is the answer
From the official Discover Canada study guide — 3.1.2 The First Europeans:
About a thousand years ago, Vikings from Iceland settled Greenland. From there they sailed further west and reached Labrador and the island of Newfoundland. They were the first Europeans to arrive. What is left of their settlement is called l'Anse aux Meadows, and today it is a World Heritage site. After the Vikings, centuries passed with little contact. Serious European exploration only began again in 1497, with the voyage of John Cabot.
John Cabot was an Italian who had moved to England. In 1497 he stepped ashore on either Newfoundland or Cape Breton Island. He claimed the New Founde Land for England. Cabot was also the first person to draw a map of Canada's East Coast, the Atlantic shore. His voyage is treated as the true start of European exploration here. English people did not begin settling in the area, however, until 1610.
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