<P> In 1534, Jacques Cartier planted a cross in the Gaspé Peninsula and claimed the land in the name of King Francis I. It was the first province of New France . The first settlement of 400 people, Fort Charlesbourg - Royal (present - day Quebec City), was attempted in 1541 but lasted only two years . </P> <P> French fishing fleets continued to sail to the Atlantic coast and into the St. Lawrence River, making alliances with Canadian First Nations that became important once France began to occupy the land . French merchants soon realized the St. Lawrence region was full of valuable fur - bearing animals, especially the beaver, which were becoming rare in Europe . Eventually, the French crown decided to colonize the territory to secure and expand its influence in America . </P> <P> Another early French attempt at settlement in North America took place in 1564 at Fort Caroline, now Jacksonville, Florida . Intended as a haven for Huguenots, Caroline was founded under the leadership of René Goulaine de Laudonnière and Jean Ribault . It was sacked by the Spanish led by Pedro Menéndez de Avilés who then established the settlement of St. Augustine on 20 September 1565 . </P> <P> Acadia and Canada (New France) were inhabited by indigenous nomadic Algonquian peoples and sedentary Iroquoian peoples . These lands were full of unexploited and valuable natural resources, which attracted all of Europe . By the 1580s, French trading companies had been set up, and ships were contracted to bring back furs . Much of what transpired between the indigenous population and their European visitors around that time is not known, for lack of historical records . </P>

Which number indicates the area claimed by france