• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / History / Where did the name Canada come from and what does it mean?

Where did the name Canada come from and what does it mean?

April 3, 2020 by Karen Hill

Canada got its name from the Iroquois word “Kanata,” meaning “village.”

Explorer Jacques Cartier, for lack of a better name, called the whole region “Canada”, his interpretation of the Iroquois term, and it stuck.

By 1545, European books and maps had begun referring to this region as Canada.

Canada is the second largest country in the world by total area, and Canada’s border with the United States is the longest in the world.

Related Facts

  • When Did Canada Become an Independent Country and Does Canada Belong To the United Kingdom?
  • How Many Provinces Does Canada Have and What Are the Names of Canada's 10 Provinces?
  • How Many Official Languages Does Canada Have and Is English Canada's Official Language?
  • What Are Canada's Most Important Agricultural Products and What Other Products Does Canada Export?
  • How Much of Canada Is Covered With Snow In the Winter and Where Do Most People Live In Canada?
  • How Did Toronto Get its Name, What Does Toronto Mean, and When Was the Largest City in Canada Founded?

Filed Under: History

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Was it John Glenn or Alan Shepard who said, “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind”?
Next Post: How many times did Christopher Columbus sail to the New World? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2021 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy