Abstract
During the sixteenth century a vast French-speaking Empire was claimed by a few brave adventurers. New France was the name of this vast Empire in North-America. It was a territory that spread from historic Acadia (present day Canadian Maritime provinces), past Quebec and the great lakes (then called Canada), and stretched along the Mississippi River till New-Orleans (then Nouvelle-Orléans). During the French regime, the fur trade was the major commercial activity that sustained New France. This trade remained very important throughout the french regime but had to evolve as it moved gradually towards the interior.
