Although Jacques Cartier was not the first European to explore present-day Canada, he was the first to penetrate into the eastern interior, aided by two Iroquois guides whom he had kidnapped. The French explorer claimed the region for France in the 1530s, and over the next decade he completed three voyages to explore and map the Gulf of St. Lawrence region. He also sought what he believed were great riches at a legendary Indian kingdom named Saguenay. The map shown here, known as the Dauphin Map of Canada and based on Cartier’s explorations, includes French Canada and the entire east coast of North America. Created in 1543, this map includes the largest Indian settlements (Hochelaga and Stadaconna) but also names and claims numerous rivers, inlets, harbors, and the lands surrounding them for the French. Finally, it also illustrates some of the land claims of England and Spain in the region.