QUEBEC

Located in the Northeast of the North American continent, Canada's largest province covers an area of 1,667,926 square kilometres. It is twice the size of Texas and seven times the size of the United Kingdom. Quebec's immense territory stretches for nearly 2,000 kilometres from north to south, and 1,500 kilometres from east to west. It extends from the fertile St. Lawrence Lowlands bordering the American States of New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, to the vast expanse of Baffin Island and the northern boreal seas. Quebec borders Ontario on the west and New Brunswick on the east.

Quebec has an astounding diversity of landscapes. Its vast expanse of boreal forest, taiga and tundra is scattered with a million lakes and rivers, comprising a fresh water network of 180,000 kilometres. Its rugged Gaspé Peninsula and island-scattered North Shore reach into the majestic Gulf of St. Lawrence. One of the world's major rivers, the St. Lawrence also shapes the topography of Quebec's southern regions. Quebec's Laurentians are some of the oldest mountains on the planet. Quebec's two highest mountains are Mont D'Iberville at 1,622 metres in the Torngat chain bordering Labrador, and Mont Jacques-Cartier at 1,268 metres in the Chic-Chocs range on the Gaspé peninsula.

The name Quebec comes from the Algonquin word for "narrow passage" or "strait" and was first used in reference to the narrowing of the St. Lawrence River near Quebec City. Quebec has had many names throughout its history: Canada, New France, Lower Canada and Canada East. The original settlers were Indian tribes, mostly of the Algonquian and Iroquoian linguistic groups, who greatly influenced the early history of Quebec. Among the Algonquian tribes were the Naskapi-Montagnais and the Algonquin. Northern Quebec was and largely is today, inhabited by Inuit.

Quebec was one of the first areas in Canada to be explored and settled by Europeans. Jacques Cartier landed in the Gaspe in 1534 and claimed the land in the name of King Francois I of France. After the Treaty of Paris in 1763, New France was ceded to the British along with all the French colonies in Canada (except the islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon, which still are a part of France).

In 1791, the province was divided into Upper and Lower Canada to accommodate the sudden influx of Loyalists from the American colonies to the western half of the province (present-day Ontario.) However, the union of Upper and Lower Canada was not successful. Canada East and Canada West, as they came to be known, retained their separate identities. Yet they knew that some kind of alliance was the best way of achieving greater independence from both Britain and the United States.

When the province entered into the confederation agreement with Nova Scotia and New Brunswick in 1867, Canada East became the new province of Quebec and Canada West became the province of Ontario. The area of Quebec was increased first in 1898 and then in 1912, when its boundaries were redefined to include the District of Ungava, formerly part of the Northwest Territories.

As the only French-speaking enclave in North America, Quebec is totally distinct from the rest of the continent. Social change came with the Charte de la langue française, better known as Bill 101, which established French as the official language of the province. In October 1993 the Bloc Quebecois, the main opposition party in Ottawa pledged to hold a referendum on sovereignty and in 1994 added support came when the Parti Quebecois returned to power in the provincial elections. A year later, the referendum resulted in the Quebec people opting to remain a part of Canada.

So, with its rich history, Quebec is a delightful blend of the New World and the Old with a warm and friendly people, full of energy and creativity to match their vast surroundings, and proudly attached to the language and culture that make them unique in so many ways. Big-city sights, country resorts, sweet exhilaration or complete relaxation, no matter what the pleasure, it can sure be found in Quebec.!