-the largest province
-a French-speaking province
-located in eastern Canada
-capital city is Québec City
-largest city is Montreal (4,098,927 CMA 2016)
-Montreal is the second largest city in Canada.
-flower - the Blue Flag, tree - Yellow Birch, bird - Snowy Owl
-"Québec" came from the Algonquin word "kepék" meaning "the place where the river narrows."
-nicknamed "La Belle Province" because of the diverse landscape and architecture
-motto - "Je me souviens" which is French for "I remember".
THE PEOPLE
-population - 8,164,361 (2016 census)
-ethnic groups include French, Irish, Italian, English, Aboriginal, Scottish and German.
-main languages spoken: French 80%, English 7.8%, Italian 1.7%, Spanish 1.5%, Arabic 1.5%, (2006 census)
-home to over 108,430 aboriginal people: Mohawk, Wendat (Huron), Cree, Algonquin, Innu (Montagnais), Micmac,
Attikameks, Inuit and Métis (2006 census)
-People came from France, Britain, Southern Europe, East and Southeast Asia.
-The largest city is Montreal (population of the metropolitan area is over 3.7 million).
-Most cities and towns are along the St. Lawrence River.
-Nearly 80% of Québecois live near the shores of the Saint Lawrence River.
HISTORY
-first people : the Cree, Innu, Attikamek,
Algonquin, Abenaki, Malecite, Micmac, Inuit
-Iroquois lived in villages along the St. Lawrence River. They grew squash, beans and maize.
-Montagnais Nation (Innu) were hunters and gatherers who lived in birchbark covered wigwams.
-Inuit of the north hunted seals, whales and polar bears.
-Explorer Jacques Cartier arrived in 1534 and claimed the land for France.
-Samuel de Champlain set up a colony called New France in 1608.
-Farmers called "habitants" settled there.
-British and French fought the Seven Years' War.
-The war ended when Québec City was captured by the British (1759).
-Loyalists arrived from the U.S. (1781) and settled farther west up the river.
-The area was divided into Upper Canada (English speaking) and Lower
Canada (mainly French speaking) in 1791.
-The Act of Union in 1840 united Upper and Lower Canada and established the Province of Canada.
-In 1867 the Province of Canada was divided into Ontario and Quebec.
-Québec became one of the four original provinces of the Dominion of Canada, along with Ontario, New Brunswick
and Nova Scotia in 1867.
WATER AND LAND
-The land is divided into three regions -
Canadian Shield, St. Lawrence Lowlands and
Appalachian Region
-About 90 % of Québec is in the Canadian Shield Region.
-The Shield is rocky, with forests, lakes and rivers.
-Forests cover over half of Québec.
-The Lowlands are along the St. Lawrence River.
-This is the agricultural region and where most of the people live.
-The St. Lawrence River (over 1200 km. long) links Québec to the Atlantic Ocean.
-Ships sail inland on the St. Lawrence River.
-The Appalachian Region in the southeastern area of the province consists of weathered mountains.
-Québec has more fresh water than any other province.
-There are more than one million lakes and thousands of waterways.
RESOURCES / INDUSTRY
-Gold, copper, iron ore,silver, zinc, nickel and asbestos are mined in Quebec.
-Hydroelectric power is produced and exported to the U.S.
-One of the largest hydroelectric plants in the world is near James Bay.
-Québec produces more than a third of Canada's pulp and paper products
(paper, newsprint, boxes, tissue and cardboard)
-Lumber is used to make furniture and to build homes.
-The province is Canada's main producer of maple syrup.
-The main farming area is the St. Lawrence Lowlands.
-The dairy industry is the largest in Canada
-Raising hogs, cattle and poultry and growing hay, corn and oats to feed the animals are important agricultural activities.
-All kinds of fruits and vegatables are grown in southern Québec.
-Manufacturing : aerospace industry, aircraft and commuter trains,
computer and electronic products, pharmaceuticals
CLIMATE
-northern Québec : arctic climate, very cold winters, permafrost
-the Shield and Lowlands: subarctic climate, long cold winters, short warm summers
-southern Québec: humid; cold snowy winters; hot muggy summers
EVENTS
-The Winter Carnival is held in Québec City in February. Activities include
winter sports, dances, ice sculptures, dog sled races,
parades and concerts. "Bonhomme" is the snowman mascot.
PLACES
-Bonaventure Island bird sanctuary - largest colony of gannets in the world
-Québec City - the only walled city north of Mexico, has many historic buildings
-Old Montreal - cobblestone streets and historic 17th and 18th century architecture
-The Québec Citadel - a large fortification built in the 19th century to protect the city
-Religious shrines (Saint Joseph's Oratory in Montreal and Ste-Anne-de-Beaupré Basilica) attract millions of pilgrims.
PEOPLE
-Celine Dion - has records in English and French, has recorded movie soundtracks
-Oscar Peterson (1925-2007) - jazz pianist
-William Shatner - actor (Captain Kirk of Star Trek series)
-J.A.Bombardier (1907-1961) inventor of the snowmobile, produced the Ski-Doo in 1959
-Myriam Bédard - winner of two Olympic Gold medals (biathlon)
-Gaétan Boucher - winner of four Olympic Gold medals (speed skating)
-Marc Gagnon - four time World champion, winner of three Olympic Gold medals (speed skating)
-Gilles and Jacques Villeneuve - race car drivers
-Marc Garneau and Julie Payette - Canadian astronauts
-Canadian Prime Ministers from Québec : Jean Chrétien, Brian Mulroney, Pierre Trudeau, Louis S. St-Laurent, Sir Wilfred Laurier
and Sir John Abbot
.
-Famous hockey players from Québec : Henri and Maurice "ROCKET" Richard, Jean Béliveau, Guy LaFleur, Patrick Roy,
Bernie "Boom Boom" Geoffrion, Mario Lemieux.
