Final answer:
New France, located west and north of the Thirteen Colonies, was dotted with French trading posts mainly for the fur trade. The English settlement at Jamestown, founded by the Virginia Company in 1607, marked the beginning of permanent English presence in North America.
Step-by-step explanation:
The region referred to in the question, which was dotted with forts and trading posts, corresponds to the French territory in North America known as New France. This area was claimed by France and located west and north of the Thirteen English Colonies. The French and the Dutch both established colonies in northeastern North America, with the Dutch in present-day New York and the French in present-day Canada. These colonies mainly served as trading posts for lucrative fur trading with Native Americans, although they did not attract many settlers from Europe. The English, arriving later in the colonization race, managed to establish the first permanent settlement in North America at Jamestown in 1607, which was founded by the Virginia Company with a financial motive. The Pilgrims and the Puritans, in addition to numerous other settlers, established themselves along the Atlantic coast, eventually leading to the formation of the Thirteen English Colonies.