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A cast iron sculpture in Gaspé, Quebec, symbolizing scenes of the historic encounter between French explorer Jacques Cartier and the Iroquois in July 1534. Pierrette Guertin/Shutterstock
By 1530 the success of Spain and Portugal in exploiting the riches of the Americas and Asia led other European countries to send out exploratory expeditions. They were particularly eager to find a northwestern passage that would connect their lands with the economies of China and the Indies.
