European explorer Jacques Cartier transcribed the word as "Canada '' and was the first to use the word to refer not only to the village of Stadacona but also to the neighbouring region and to the Saint Lawrence River, which he called rivière de Canada during his second voyage in 1535. By the mid 1500s, European books and maps began referring to this region as Canada. Canada became the name of a colony in New France that stretched along the St. Lawrence River. The terms "Canada '' and "New France '' were often used interchangeably during the colonial period.
when did the name of canada begin appearing on maps
the mid 1500s