The Land
Bordered by Ontario, New Brunswick and Labrador (the mainland
portion of the province of Newfoundland) and by the United States,
Quebec has an area of 1 357 812 km2, three times that
of France and seven times that of Great Britain, making it the
largest of Canada's provinces. The province is almost entirely
surrounded by water: by Hudson Strait to the north, the St.
Lawrence River and Gulf to the south, and James Bay and Hudson Bay
to the west.
From north to south, Quebec takes in three main geographical
regions: the Canadian Shield, the St. Lawrence Lowlands and the
Appalachian Mountains. Extending from the shores of the Canadian
Arctic to the Laurentians, the Canadian Shield covers about 60
percent of the land mass and contains some of the world's oldest
rocks. Permafrost reigns in the northern part of the Shield; only
dwarf birches and lichen are able to grow there.
The St. Lawrence River, the province's dominant geographical
feature, links the Atlantic Ocean with the Great Lakes. The St.
Lawrence Lowlands are dotted with more than a million lakes and
rivers. Quebec's forests are equal in area to those of Sweden and
Norway combined. To the south, the foothills of the Appalachians
separate Quebec from the United States.
Almost 80 percent of Quebec's population live in urban centres
located along the St. Lawrence. Montreal and its suburbs have a
population of over 3.4 million; Quebec City is the province's
capital.
The History
The name Quebec, which comes from the Micmac word "Gepèg"
meaning "strait," originally meant the narrowing of the
St. Lawrence River off what is currently Quebec City. Paleo-Amerindians,
whose presence in Quebec can be traced back 10 000 years,
preceded the Algonquin and Iroquois Aboriginal people, with whom
the Europeans first made contact in the 16th century. The northern
part of the province was, and still is, inhabited by the Inuit.
The arrival of the French explorer Jacques Cartier in 1534
marked the first European presence in Quebec. The succeeding two
centuries were characterized by the establishment of a thriving
fur trade, a fishing industry, interdependent relations with the
Aboriginal people and a continuous rivalry between France and
Britain.
Founded in 1608, Quebec City gave birth to New France and
became its capital. During the French regime, the fortified city
was an important military, commercial, administrative and
ecclesiastical centre, which prevailed over the development of the
colony. Recognized as the cradle of French civilization in
America, Quebec, which has conserved its fortifications, was named
a World Heritage City by UNESCO in 1985.
French-British rivalry in North America culminated with the
Seven Years' War, which saw the fall of Quebec City to British
forces in 1759. With the Treaty of Paris in 1763, New France
became a colony of Britain. In 1774, under the Quebec Act,
Britain granted official recognition to French Civil Law,
guaranteed religious freedom and authorized the use of the French
language.
In 1791, the colony was divided in two to reflect the large
influx of Loyalists who, wishing to remain British subjects, fled
north after the American Revolution to settle in the western
region of the "province of Quebec" of the time. This led
to the creation of Upper Canada (now Ontario) and Lower Canada
(Quebec). After rebellions for political reforms in both regions
in 1837, the two were reunited by the Act of Union in 1840
and became the "Province of Canada." In 1867, Quebec
became a founding member of the new Dominion of Canada.
Quebec's mainly rural society was transformed into an
industrial society in the second half of the 19th century, at
which time the city of Montreal emerged. During this era and until
the first few decades of the 20th century, a great number of
Quebec residents emigrated to the United States. At the start of
the 20th century, a second industrial wave intensified
urbanization and led to a higher standard of living.
Beginning in 1960, Quebec entered yet another period of
transition: the "Quiet Revolution". It was marked by
rapid economic expansion, a democratization of education, national
pride and a revamping of public-sector institutions to meet the
needs of contemporary society. The Quiet Revolution was also the
beginning of a new period of political tension as the province
sought to assume greater control over its economy and
institutions.
In 1980, a provincial referendum was conducted on negotiating
an arrangement for sovereignty association with Canada. The
referendum was defeated by a majority of Quebec citizens, as was a
second referendum held in 1995. Less than a month after the Quebec
sovereignty referendum of October 30, 1995, the Parliament of
Canada passed a resolution recognizing Quebec as a distinct
society.
Ever since the British conquest of New France in 1760, the
survival of the "French fact" in Quebec has been central
to the concerns of its citizens. It is this very aspect that most
reflects Quebec's distinct place in the Canadian Confederation and
greatly contributed to Canada's cultural richness and bilingual
character.
The People
Of a total population of over 7 million, roughly 6 million
francophones are descended from colonists who came from France in
the 17th and 18th centuries. English-speaking residents of Quebec
are descended mainly from British immigrants, but also from other
ethnic groups seeking a better life in North America. At present,
there are more than 590 000 anglophones in Québec, most of
whom live in the Montréal area.
The population of Québec also includes some 600 000
immigrants. Italians and Eastern Europeans were traditionally the
largest immigrant groups to Quebec, but since 1960 the ranks of
new residents have been swollen by Portuguese, Haitians, Lebanese,
South Americans and Southeast Asians. Quebec welcomes about 25 000
immigrants from over 100 countries every year.
There are some 72 430 Aboriginal people in Quebec: Mohawk,
Cree, Montagnais, Algonquin, Attikamek, Micmac, Huron-Wendat,
Abenaki, Malecite and Naskapi, as well as Métis and Inuit.
French is the mother tongue of 81 percent of the population,
while approximately 8 percent cite English as their mother tongue.
The Economy
Highly industrialized and quite diversified, Quebec's economy
is strong and full of promise. The province has abundant natural
resources and energy, along with well-developed agriculture,
manufacturing and service sectors.
Quebec's dynamic business sector has seized on the economic
potential of the province and produces a wide variety of top
quality products for export. Montreal, the province's commercial
capital, has developed competitive industries in space and
aeronautics, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, energy and
transportation. Quebec also exports electricity - about 14.4
percent of global production.
In 1999, Quebec exported 57.7 percent of its total production
in relation to its gross domestic product (GDP). In that same
year, about 85 percent of Quebec's international exports were to
the United States.
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