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| (Flag of Québec) |
(Coat of Arms of Québec) |
|
| Motto: Je me souviens (I remember) |
| |
| Capital |
Quebec City |
| Largest city |
Montreal |
| Lieutenant-Governor |
Lise Thibault |
| Premier |
Philippe Couillard(PLQ) |
| Area |
1,542,056 km² (2nd) |
| • Land |
1,183,128 km² |
| • Water |
176,928 km² (11.5%) |
| Population (2005) |
| • Population |
8,214,672 (2nd) |
| • Density |
6.02/km2 (5th) |
| Admittance into Confederation |
| • Date |
July 1, 1867 |
| • Order |
1st |
| Time zone |
UTC-5, -4 |
| Parliamentary representation |
| • House seats |
75 |
| • Senate seats |
24 |
| Abbreviations |
| • Postal |
QC |
| • ISO 3166-2 |
CA-QC |
| Postal Code Prefix |
G, H, J |
| Web site |
www.gouv.qc.ca |
Quebec is the largest province in Canada and the second most populous, after Ontario, with a population of 8,214,672 (Statistics Canada, July 2014). This represents about 24% of the Canadian population. Quebec's official language is French, is the only Canadian province where English is not an official language (at the provincial level), and it is one of only two provinces – in addition to the federal government – where French is an official language (the other, per the Constitution Act, 1982, is New Brunswick; Manitoba enjoys limited official bilingualism). The capital is Quebec City (simply referred to as "Québec" in French) and the largest city is Montréal.
A resident of Quebec is called a Quebecer (also spelled "Quebecker"), and in French, un(e) Québécois(e).
10 Largest Municipalities by population
| Municipality |
2014 |
1996 |
| Montreal |
3,824,221 |
1,774,846 |
| Quebec City |
765,706 |
504,605 |
| Longueuil (Part of Greater Montreal) |
348,091 |
373,009 |
| Laval (Part of Greater Montreal) |
343,005 |
330,393 |
| Gatineau |
314,501 |
217,591 |
| Saguenay |
157,790 |
153,476 |
| Sherbrooke |
201890 |
135,501 |
| Trois-Rivières |
151,773 |
124,417 |
| Lévis |
|
118,344 |
| Terrebonne |
|
75,110 |
Discovery and exploration
The name Quebec, which comes from an Algonquin word meaning "strait" or "narrowing", originally meant the narrowing of the St. Lawrence River off what is currently Quebec City.
Economy
The St. Lawrence River Valley is a fertile agricultural region, producing dairy products, fruit, vegetables, maple syrup (Quebec is the world's largest producer), and livestock.
North of the St. Lawrence River Valley, the territory of Quebec is extremely rich in resources in its coniferous forests, lakes, and rivers—pulp and paper, lumber, and hydroelectricity are still some of the province's most important industries.
High-tech industries are very important around Montreal. It includes the aerospace companies like jet manufacturer Bombardier, the jet engine company Pratt & Whitney, the flight simulator builder CAE and defense contractor Lockheed Martin, Canada. Those companies and other major subcontractors make Quebec the fourth biggest player worldwide in the aviation industry.
Ethnicity
The majority of the population are of French descent, approximately 80% of the population. There are also significant numbers of Irish, English, Italians, and Portuguese.
Religious Groups
Language
Quebec is the only Canadian province where French is the only official language.
- French speakers
- English speakers
- French and English
- Allophones
Symbols and emblems
The motto of Quebec is Je me souviens (I remember), which is carved into the Parliament Building façade in Quebec City (Ville de Québec) and is seen on the coat of arms and licence plates.
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