Which French explorer discovered the St. Lawrence River in 1535?

Jacques Cartier discovered the St. Lawrence River in 1535, during his second voyage to North America. Guided by two Iroquoian men, Domagaya and Taignoagny, Cartier sailed beyond the Gulf of St. Lawrence and began exploring the river’s inland route.

Cartier left France on 19 May 1535 with three ships and about 110 men. He reached the river’s entrance in August, then sailed upriver to Stadacona, near present-day Quebec City, and later to Hochelaga, near present-day Montreal. His expedition showed that the waterway offered access deep into the continent, although it did not provide the passage to Asia he hoped to find.

The word Canada entered European use through Cartier’s accounts of the region. Indigenous peoples had known and used the river long before European exploration, so “discovered” here means the first European exploration and documentation recognized in the traditional historical account. Samuel de Champlain later founded Quebec City along the same route.