DiscoverQuebec.ca - Quebec City Tourism, Quebec, Travel, Tourism, Montreal, Canada

Québec is the largest province of Canada. Québec is located in the eastern part of Canada and extends north from the United States border to Hudson Strait and east from the shores of Hudson Bay to the region of Labrador. Québec is nicknamed La Belle Province (The Beautiful Province) because of the splendor and diversity of its landscape and architecture. The site of the first permanent French settlement in North America, Québec is unique among the Canadian provinces in that the vast majority of its population is of French descent and speaks French as a first language. To many French Canadiana, Québec is far more than a province; it is a cultural homeland.

The province's enormous size and geographical variety have resulted in a wide range of climates and economic activities, and a wide distribution of population. Québec's landscape is divided into three major regions: the Canadian Shield, the St. Lawrence Lowlands, and the Appalachian Region. The Canadian Shield, which lies in the northern part of the province, makes up the overwhelming majority of Québec's territory. This region is sparsely inhabited as cold temperatures and permafrost (permanently frozen ground) make it unsuitable for agriculture. However, the Canadian Shield and the southeastern Appalachian Region are rich in natural resources. As a result, mining, forestry, and hydroelectric power production predominate in those areas. The St. Lawrence Lowlands, sandwiched between the other two regions, form the agricultural, industrial, and commercial center of Québec. The province's population is largely concentrated in this region, which is where most of Québec's largest cities are located.

Québec is the oldest province in Canada, settled by the French in the 1600s. It was one of the four original provinces that united in 1867 to form the Dominion of Canada. Its capital, Québec City, is the oldest city in Canada, and its largest city, Montréal, is the second largest metropolitan area in the country after Toronto, Ontario.