In that year, French King Francois I decided that it was high time to catch up with and overtake Spain, Portugal and England which had succeeded in geographical discoveries. He called out successful corsair (a pirate holding state license) Jacques Cartier and charged him with the task to “discover certain islands and lands rich in gold and other precious metals and stones.” Unlike the jeweler bearing the same family name, Cartier had nothing to do with jewelry, naturally if one does not consider Canada discovered by him a diamond in the crown of French king. The navigator explored the island of Newfoundland, the Atlantic coast of Canada, and discovered a gulf which he named the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. After that, he left for France to report to the king about discovering… the Asian coast – Cartier was completely convinced in it. Why did he choose name Canada for the land he discovered? This story has become a scientific anecdote. “What is located up the river?” Cartier allegedly asked the Indians. “Kanata,” they answered. Word kanata meant something like a hut or village in their language. Cartier thought that it was the name of their country. This is how a country surpassing the USA and China in size and being behind only Russia with regards to territory received ridiculous name village.
