Quebec City, Quebec, Canada

Québec is one of the ten provinces of the Canadian federation.

It was here at the base of this natural fortress dubbed the “Gibraltar of America” by Charles Dickens that Samuel de Champlain first established a fur-trading post in 1608. As religious and political institutions sprang up within the fortifications, merchants and craftsmen set up shop alongside the river. A coveted prize that was subject to repeated assault, Québec City eventually fell to the British in 1759, and New France became a subject of the English crown.

Québec City the cradle of French civilization in North America, is today a busy seaport, an important service and research centre, a cultural hot spot and, of course, the capital of Québec. Here you’ll find the art of living unsurpassed—and the pleasures of the table high on the list of priorities. Splendid public gardens and close proximity to the great outdoors add to a superb quality of life which does the locals proud. Be sure not to miss the celebrations slated for 2008 to mark the 400th anniversary of the city’s founding! Be sure not to miss the celebrations slated for 2008 to mark the 400th anniversary of the city’s founding!

Québec occupies part of a vast continental peninsula on the North Atlantic coastline.  Its land mass, half of which is forested, covers an area of almost 1.7 million square kilometres and is three times the size of Spain, five times the size of Japan, and larger than the largest US state.

Water dominates the landscape in Québec, which has a million lakes and rivers and is traversed over a distance of almost 1 200 kilometres by the St. Lawrence River, whose estuary broadens to a width of 100 kilometres.  The St. Lawrence is North America’s main waterway, and also one of the longest navigable rivers in the world.

Québec is one of the ten provinces of the Canadian federation.  It was one of the four founding provinces of Canada in 1867.

In the federal Parliament, Québec is represented by 75 out of 308 ridings in the House of Commons and 24 out of 105 seats in the Canadian Senate.

Québec society

Québec is a French-speaking society that has made French its official language. French is the language of government, and the language normally used in the workplace, in education, in communications, in commerce and in business.

A majority (83%) of the population speaks French at home; English is spoken at home by 10% of the population and other languages by 6%. Over 40% of the populations speaks both French and English (a percentage that rises to 53% in Greater Montréal). In addition, 13% of the population speaks a third language. 

Since the early 20th century, around 700 000 immigrants from Europe, Africa, Latin America, and Asia have become integrated into Québec society, and 48 000 new arrivals are added each year.  This cultural mix has changed the face of Québec, historically a land of immigration; this is especially true of Montréal, the French-language capital of the Americas.

To protect its language in a pool of over 300 million speakers of English, Spanish and other languages, Québec has introduced various measures, including the passage of legislation (the Charter of the French language is the framework Act that defines language rights in Québec) and the establishment of various government bodies.

Quebec City's 400th birthday party begins Monday night with a major concert and a fireworks display in the city's historic Old Town

Quebec City was a key to establishing a European settlement in North America but its 400th birthday is approaching with the stealth of Gen. James Wolfe's infantry scaling the city's cliffs some 250 years ago.

Perched on a promontory above the narrows of the St. Lawrence River, the city is preparing for a $90-million anniversary that will include dozens of parties, starting with new year fireworks and ending with a fall circus.

Sure of its charms and just a touch haughty, Québec City’s gracious yet simple style continues to delight its visitors, year after year.  The city has everything it takes to please: an enchanting setting on the St. Lawrence, a priceless architectural heritage, a rich and colourful past and, above all, a warm heart bubbling over with the special joie de vivre that has characterized it for four centuries.

For thousands of years, Québec was a regular gathering place for First Nations. When Jacques Cartier sailed up the St. Lawrence in 1535, he came upon the village of Stadaconé, not far from Cap Diamant, where the Iroquois people practiced agriculture and fishing. One century later, the Algonquin nomads were found at the future site of Québec City. Today, it is the Hurons-Wendat who live here, present in the area since 1650, they are settled in Wendake since 1697.