French colonization of the Americas began in the 16th century, and continued as France established a colonial empire in the 17th century. Major French colonies were located in Canada and the Mississippi River Valley, along the Gulf coast in what is today Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, on the Caribbean islands of Hispaniola, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and St. Lucie, and at French Guiana in South America. Most colonies were developed to export products such as fish, sugar, and furs. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... British colonization of the Americas began under the Kingdom of England in the late 16th century, before reaching its peak after the Acts of Union 1707, which established the Kingdom of Great Britain. ... The Duchy of Courland was the smallest nation to colonize the Americas with a short-lived colony in Tobago during the 1654–1659, and again 1660–1689. ... Denmark had a colonial empire from the 18th century until the 20th. ... During the 17th century, Dutch traders established trade posts and plantations throughout the Americas; actual colonization, with Dutch settling in the new lands was not as common as with settlements of other European nations. ... The German colonization of the Americas consisted of a failed attempt to settle Venezuela in the 16th century. ... Portugal was the leading country in the European exploration of the world in the 15th century. ... After the discovery of northern Alaska by Ivan Fedorov in 1732, and the Aleutian Islands, southern Alaska, and north-western shores of North America in 1741 during the Russian exploration conducted by Vitus Bering and Aleksei Chirikov, it took fifty years until the founding of the first Russian colony in... Scottish colonization of the Americas consisted of a number of failed or abandoned settlements in North America, a colony at Darien, Panama and a number of wholly or largely Scottish settlements made as part of Great Britain. ... // The Spanish conquest and colonization of the Americas began with the arrival in the Western Hemisphere of Christopher Columbus (Cristóbal Colón) in 1492. ... The Swedish colonization of the Americas consisted of a 17th century settlement on the Delaware River in Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, and possessions in the Caribbean during the 18th and 19th century. ... The Vikings, or Norsemen, explored and settled areas of the North Atlantic, including the northeast fringes of North America, beginning in the 10th century. ... Welsh colonization of the Americas began in the 19th century. ... Decolonization of the Americas refers to the process by which the countries in North America and South America gained their independence. ... -1... The Mississippi River, derived from the old Ojibwe word misi-ziibi meaning great river (gichi-ziibi big river at its headwaters), is the second-longest river in the United States; the longest is the Missouri River, which flows into the Mississippi. ... Official language(s) English Capital Montgomery Largest city Birmingham Area  Ranked 30th  - Total 52,419 sq mi (135,765 km²)  - Width 190 miles (306 km)  - Length 330 miles (531 km)  - % water 3. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... This Article does not cite its references or sources. ... Early map of Hispaniola The island of Hispaniola (from Spanish, La Española) is the second-largest island of the Antilles, lying between the islands of Cuba to the west, and Puerto Rico to the east. ... St. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ...

As they colonized the New World, the French founded cities such as Quebec and Montreal in Canada, and Detroit, Michigan, St. Louis, Missouri, Mobile, Alabama, Biloxi, Mississippi, Baton Rouge, Louisiana and New Orleans, Louisiana in the United States. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Motto: Concordia Salus Coordinates: Country Canada Province Quebec Founded 1642 Established 1832 City Mayor Gérald Tremblay Area    - City 366. ... Nickname: Motor City, Motown Motto: Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus (Latin for, We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes) Location in Wayne County, Michigan Coordinates: Country United States State Michigan County Wayne County Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick Area    - City 370. ... Nickname: Gateway City, Gateway to the West, or Mound City Location in the state of Missouri Coordinates: Country United States State Missouri County Independent City Mayor Francis G. Slay (D) Area    - City 66. ... Nickname: The Azalea City Coordinates: Country US State Alabama County Mobile Founded 1702 Incorporated 1814 Mayor Sam Jones Area    - City 412. ... Biloxi and Mississippi coast Biloxi () is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, in the United States. ... Nickname: Red Stick Motto: Authentic Louisiana at every turn Coordinates: Country United States State Louisiana Parish East Baton Rouge Parish Founded 1699 Incorporated 16 January 1817 Mayor Melvin Kip Holden (D) Area    - City 204. ... Nickname: The Crescent City, The Big Easy, The City That Care Forgot, NOLA (acronym for New Orleans, LA) Location in the State of Louisiana and the United States Coordinates: Country United States State Louisiana Parish Orleans Founded 1718 Mayor Ray Nagin (D) Area    - City 350. ...

North America

Early exploration and colonies

Canada and the Great Lakes

Louisiana

West Indies

The French were also responsible for the settlement of the nation of Haiti, the nation which shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic, as well as the islands of Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Lucie and St. Martin (which is now shared with the Netherlands Antilles) and their immediate areas. The western one-third of the Hispaniola was ceded to the French, by the Spanish crown in 1697 and the French gained more land in 1795, which established a legitimate French colony on the island. After the French were driven out by a slave revolt in 1804 (the first and only successful revolution by Africans in the New World), Haiti gained independence. In Martinique throughout the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte, slavery was never abolished. However, Guadeloupe is unique in these French colonies because slaves gained independence for a brief period from 1795 (due to pressures by the French Revolution, the convention in Paris performed this task and sent Victor Hugues to implement the new law) to the reinstatement of the institution of slavery by Bonaparte in 1802. Early map of Hispaniola The island of Hispaniola (from Spanish, La Espa̱ola) is the second-largest island of the Antilles, lying between the islands of Cuba to the west, and Puerto Rico to the east. ... St. ... St. ... Combatants Haiti France Commanders Toussaint LOuverture Jean-Jacques Dessalines Charles Leclerc vicomte de Rochambeau Strength Regular army: up to 55,000 Volunteers: up to 100,000 Regular army: 60,000 86 warships and frigates Casualties Unknown military deaths Civilian deaths: up to 100,000 5,000-6,000 dead... Bonaparte as general Napoleon Bonaparte ( 15 August 1769 Р5 May 1821) was a general of the French Revolution and was the ruler of France as First Consul (Premier Consul) of the French Republic from November 11, 1799 to May 18, 1804, then as Emperor of the French (Empereur des... Victor Hugues - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ...

South America

French Guiana was first settled by the French in 1604. It remains an overseas department of France. From 1555 to 1567, French Huguenots, under the leadership of vice-admiral Nicolas Durand de Villegaignon, made an attempt to establish the France Antarctique in Brazil, but were expelled. From 1612 to 1615, a new failed attempt was made in São Luís, Brazil. Nicolas Durand de Villegaignon, born 1510 in Villegaignon, Seine et Marne, France was a naval officer (vice-admiral of Brittany) who attempted to help the Huguenots in France escape persecution. ... France Antarctique was the name of the failed French colony south of the Equator, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which existed between 1555 and 1567. ... São Luís is the capital of the state of Maranhão, Brazil. ...

See also

• Atlantic world
• French and Indian Wars
• French colonial empire
• New France
• French in the United States
• Illinois Country
• Haiti

The Atlantic world is an organizing concept for the historical study of the Atlantic Ocean rim from the fifteenth century to the present. ... The French and Indian Wars is a name used in the United States for a series of conflicts in North America that represented the actions there that accompanied the European dynastic wars. ... -1... New France (French: la Nouvelle-France) describes the area colonized by France in North America during a period extending from the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River, by Jacques Cartier in 1534, to the cession of New France to the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1763. ... The French language is spoken as a minority language of the United States. ... French settlements and forts in the Illinois Country in 1763, showing U.S. current state boundaries. ...

References

• The French Founders of North America and Their Heritage, Sabra Holbrook, Atheneum, New York, 1976, hardback, ISBN 0-689-30490-0