Population: 7,651,531
Demographics
French-Canadian 82%
Irish 4.1%
Italian 3.5%
English 3.1%
Other 7.3%

Capital: Quebec City
Largest Cities:Montreal, Quebec, Longueuil
Time Zone: Eastern Standard Time (UTC-5)
Daylight Savings Time: Yes
Official language: French
Official website: www.gouv.qc.ca
Currency: Canadian dollar

Quebec, located in Eastern Canada, is surrounded by the province of Ontario, James Bay and Hudson Bay to the west, by Ungava Bay to the north, by the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the provinces of New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador to the east, and by the United States (the states of New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine) to the south. It also shares maritime borders with Nunavut, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia.

By area, Quebec is the largest province and the second-largest administrative division in Canada: only the territory of Nunavut is larger. It is the second most populated province, and most of its inhabitants live along or close to the banks of the Saint Lawrence River; the north portion of the province is sparsely populated.

The official language of Quebec is French; it is the sole Canadian province whose population is mainly French Canadian, and where English is not an official language at the provincial level. Quebec is also the sole territory north of the Caribbean Sea – aside from France itself, and the thinly populated archipelago of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon – where French is spoken by a majority of the population. Part of New France until 1760, Quebec became a province within the Canadian Confederation at its founding in 1867.

With its entire southern portion dissected by the St. Lawrence, one of the largest rivers in the world, Québec is graced with an incredible variety of landscapes: a fertile fluvial plain between the Canadian Shield to the north and the Appalachian Mountains to the south, wide swaths of forest, taiga and tundra, all of which share over a million lakes and thousands of rivers, or some 180,000 km² (69,480 sq. mi.) of fresh water. The highest peaks in Québec are Mont D’Iberville (1,622 m / 5,321 ft.); located in Nunavik’s Torngat mountains, and Mont Jacques-Cartier (1,268 m / 4,160 ft.), part of the Chic-Chocs mountain range in the Gaspésie.

Southern Québec enjoys four very different seasons, characterized by significant temperature variations. A rigorous, snowy winter—the average snowfall for Québec City is over three meters, or ten feet—is followed by a lush, exhilarating spring, then a warm summer that segues into a flamboyant fall. In essence, Québecers owe their legendary warmth and vitality to these astonishing climatic variations!

French is the language used by the majority of Québecers, although English is spoken or understood almost everywhere in the province, particularly in the large urban centers. Québec’s dual Catholic/Protestant heritage can be seen everywhere you look, especially in its religious architecture and art. Over the years, many other groups from around the world have arrived to complete the religious tapestry, joining the descendants of the French and English settlers who came before them.

Québec has a population over seven million, the vast majority of whom live in the vicinity of the St. Lawrence River. Nearly 70,000 Amerindians, belonging to 10 different nations, along with 9,000 Inuit, live in approximately 50 villages spread throughout the territory of Québec.

Québecers have always held food and drink in high esteem. Discover a culinary tradition that’s unique in North America—one that features fine produce, local beers, ciders and wines, and some 100 varieties of cheese. Lobster caught in the Îles-de-la-Madeleine, farmed game, apples, blueberries and numerous maple products are just some of the local products that are the pride of Québec.