Territorial Claims in North America

While France colonized areas that would become the United States, it has had a much greater impact on Canada. English and French are the official languages of Canada. Most Francophones or French-speaking Canadians live in the province of Quebec, which includes areas French fishermen and fur traders settled in the 1500s.

The thematic map in Figure 4.5 shows the French territory of North America in blue. The modern political boundaries are outlined in white. Quebec is a province with predominantly French place names, such as Montreal and Quebec.