By 1688, the territorial extent included regions across North America. Which option correctly describes this extent?

• A. From the Gulf of Mexico to Hudson Bay and from Newfoundland to Manitoba
• B. From Newfoundland to Manitoba and Gulf of Mexico
• C. From Hudson Bay to Atlantic coast
• D. From the Great Lakes to the Pacific Northwest

Answer: (A)

Territorial reach across North America in 1688 stretched from the Gulf of Mexico up to Hudson Bay and from Newfoundland across to Manitoba. This captures the broad sweep of colonial claims of the era, showing control over the southern coastal region, the distant northern boundary, and the eastern-to-central western reach that included Newfoundland and moving as far west as Manitoba. The Gulf of Mexico marks the southern limit and Hudson Bay the northern limit, while Newfoundland and Manitoba illustrate the eastern and western extents of the territories involved in these imperial claims. The other descriptions miss one of these key boundaries, leaving out part of the expansive continental presence that marked European control in 1688.