Acadians were French colonists who settled in the Acadia region of North America (now parts of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Maine) in the 17th century. After being expelled from Acadia by the British in the 18th century, many of them migrated to the Louisiana region, where they became known as Cajuns. The French pronunciation of "Acadien" evolved into "Cadien" and then "Cajun".