BobRingReflections

       First Peoples to the Dominion of Canada This Part 1 article is about the history of Canada, starting from indigenous peoples, then covering first contact and exploration by Europeans, French rule, and British rule through the creation of the Dominion of Canada in 1867.   Part 2 of Canadian history, covering the period from the creation of the Dominion of Canada to the present, will be posted in a future blog. French explorer Samuel de Champlain and his map of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The article is a follow-on to my recent blogs on the history of Spain and Mexico in North America, and the territorial evolution of the United States. Natural Landscape Canada is the second largest country (counting its waters) in the world after Russia, with a total area of 3,855,100 square miles (about 25% larger than the contiguous United States) and has the world’s largest proportion (8.92%) of fresh water lakes.   Canada’s Arctic islands, Baffin Island, Victoria Island, and Ellesmere Islan