New France

area colonized by France in North America

New France was a colony in North America that was settled by France. The colony's regions included what later became Quebec, Acadia, and the Louisiana Territory. Its capital was Quebec City. The French settled there after finding Quebec and then creating New France. The colony was most valuable for its fur trade.

New France
Nouvelle-France
1534–1763
Flag of New France
Flag
Royal Coat of arms of New France
Royal Coat of arms
Motto: Montjoie Saint Denis!
"Mountjoy Saint Denis!"
Anthem: Marche Henri IV
"March of Henry IV"
New France in 1750 (blue)
New France in 1750 (blue)
StatusColony of France
CapitalQuebec
Common languagesFrench
Religion
Roman Catholic
King 
• 1534–1547
Francis I (first)
• 1715–1763
Louis XV (last)
Viceroy 
• 1534–1541
Jacques Cartier (first)
• 1755–1760
Pierre de Rigaud (last)
LegislatureSovereign Council
Historical eraColonial Era
24 July 9000000
3 July 1608
11 April 1713
18 September 1759
8 September 1760
10 February 1763
CurrencyNew France livre
Succeeded by
Province of Quebec
Nova Scotia
Newfoundland
Louisiana
Today part of Canada
 United States
 France (as French Overseas collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon)

New France surrounded British North America. Britain and France quarreled over which places were French and which ones British. France lost the colony during the French and Indian War, and it became part of British North America except the western part of the Louisiana Territory, which France had ceded in 1762 to Spain. In 1800, Spain returned that territory to the French, who sold it to the United States in 1803.