Historedia
AmericasEvent

Discovery of Saint Pierre and Miquelon

When
1520
Where
Archipelago off Newfoundland
Episodes
1

On 21 October 1520, Portuguese explorer João Álvares Fagundes landed on the archipelago off Newfoundland. He named the islands the "Eleven Thousand Virgins" to honor the feast day of Saint Ursula and her companions.

Episodes

  1. 21 October 1520 · Archipelago off NewfoundlandLanding and Naming

    João Álvares Fagundes landed on the islands on 21 October 1520 and named them the "Eleven Thousand Virgins".

Background and detail

Geographical Context. Saint Pierre and Miquelon is an archipelago of eight islands located in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean, off the Canadian island of Newfoundland. The territory covers 242 square kilometers and is situated near the Burin Peninsula.

People involved

Sources

  1. Saint Pierre and Miquelon Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-13

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.