The Province of Quebec Qubec is the largest province in Canada by area and borders Ontario, New Brunswick and

Newfoundland (Labrador was attributed to Newfoundland in 1927 by the British Privy Council). The territory of Qubec represents 15.5% of the surface area of Canada and totals 1.5 million km2. This is equal to the size of France, Germany and Spain combined. The province also neighbours on 4 American states: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and New York. Despite its impressive size, the territory of Qubec today is only a portion of what was once New France. The original boundaries were changed through the ROYAL PROCLAMATION OF 1763, the QUEBEC ACT of 1774, the CONSTITUTIONAL ACT, 1791 and the BRITISH NORTH AMERICA ACT of 1867. The French North American empire before 1763 was a vast territory including the St Lawrence River valley, the Great Lakes region and territories around the Missouri and Mississippi rivers from the Ohio River valley to the Gulf of Mexico. The JAMES BAY region and the northern part of Qubec were officially British territories after the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, half a century before the Conquest of 1760. The word Canada (meaning "village" in Iroquoian), not Qubec, was used by the French to refer to the territory of New France that lay along the St Lawrence River. There was a strong sense among the French population of belonging to North America. The inclusion of the vast interior of the continent, reinforced by the fur trade and French exploration, has never completely disappeared from the complex sense of identity of francophone Quebeckers. The name Qubec referred, until 1763 and the Royal Proclamation, to the city of Qubec only. The name was inspired by an Algonquian word meaning "where the river narrows." It was the British, not the French, who first used the word Qubec in a broader sense.

Provincial Fact Sheets

Qubec Places, Map

Southern Qubec Places

Description Fourteen-fifteenths of the province form part of the vast Precambrian or Canadian Shield, which is considered the most ancient geological formation in the universe. The mountains may be classified in three groups, the Laurentians which skirt the St. Lawrence from Labrador to a point not far from the city of Quebec and then recede, leaving a widening lowland between them and the river as far as the Ottawa river; the Appalachians, a continuation of the chain of the same name in the United States, which run in Canada from the frontier in the neighbourhood of lake Champlain to the city of Quebec, and thence to the gulf, down the St. Lawrence valley and through the Gasp peninsula; and lastly the Monteregians, situated in the western portion of the St. Lawrence lowlands. In the Laurentians, along the gulf and the river St. Lawrence, the elevations vary from less 1

than 1,000 to over 3,000 feet. Some peaks of the Appalachians rise to 3,000 feet in the Eastern townships, and even to 4,000 in the Gasp peninsula. The Monteregians are considerably lower, their highest elevation slightly exceeding 1,700 feet. The province is abundantly watered. Its liquid area, not including tidal waters, comprises 71,000 square miles, compared with 49,300 in Ontario , the nearest rival. The main artery is the river St. Lawrence, which brings transatlantic vessels to the harbour of Montreal, nearly 1,000 miles from the ocean, during seven and a half months of the year. Among the most important tributaries of the St. Lawrence must be mentioned the Ottawa, the St. Maurice, the Richelieu, and the Saguenay. With the exception of the Richelieu, the importance of which is only local, these rivers are navigable only in part, but they have been long used for the floating of timber. There are besides in the province of Quebec numerous lakes of all dimensions, the largest being Mistassini lake, with an area of 840 square miles. The province extends from the 45th parallel of latitude to 62 40' north, and its temperature is therefore of necessity varied. In the upper regions, winters are very long and extremely severe, but in the settled part the seasons do not offer very striking contrasts. While the winters are still cold, the summers are warm and sunny. In general, the climate is considered healthy and favourable to most kinds of culture.

Traditional village scene of Quebec with the Church spire dominating and the houses clustered around it. From a painting by J. Johnstone reproduced in the Canadian Magazine, Vol. 61 (1923): p. 289.

Economy

View of Montreal from the MountRoyal belvedere. The St. Lawrence River Valley is a fertile agricultural region, producing dairy products, fruit, vegetables, foie gras, maple syrup (of which Quebec is the world's largest producer), fish, and livestock. North of the St. Lawrence River Valley, the territory of Quebec has significant resources in its coniferous forests, lakes, and riverspulp and paper, lumber, and hydroelectricity (of which Quebec is also the world's largest producer through Hydro-Qubec) are still some of the province's most important industries. There is a significant concentration of high-tech industries around Montreal, including aerospace companies such as aircraft manufacturer Bombardier, the jet engine company Pratt & Whitney, the flight simulator builder CAE, defence contractor Lockheed Martin, Canada and communications company Bell Canada. In the video game industry, large video game companies such as Electronic Arts and Ubisoft have studios in Montreal. Government

Parliament Building in Quebec City The Lieutenant Governor represents Queen Elizabeth II as head of state. The head of government is the Premier (called premier ministre in French) who leads the largest party in the unicameral National Assembly or Assemble Nationale, from which the Council of Ministers is appointed. Until 1968, the Quebec legislature was bicameral, consisting of the Legislative Council and the Legislative Assembly. In that year the Legislative Council was abolished, and the Legislative Assembly was renamed the National Assembly. Quebec was the last province to abolish its legislative council. The government of Quebec awards an order of merit called the National Order of Quebec. It is inspired in part by the French Legion of Honour. It is conferred upon men and women born or living in Quebec (but non-Quebecers can be inducted as well) for outstanding achievements.

Symbols

The Fleurdelis leads a ship to harbour near Quebec City. Coat of arms In 1939, the government of Quebec unilaterally ratified its coat of arms to reflect Quebec's political history: French rule (gold lily on blue background), British rule (lion on red background) and Canadian rule (maple leaves) and with Quebec's motto below "Je me souviens". Motto Main article: Je me souviens Je me souviens ("I remember") was first carved under the coat of arms of Quebec's Parliament Building faade in 1883. It is an official part of the coat of arms and has been the official license plate motto since 1978, replacing "La belle province" (the beautiful province). The expression La belle province is still used mostly in tourism as a nickname for the province.

[edit] Flag
Main article: Flag of Quebec The fleur-de-lis, the ancient symbol of the French monarchy, first arrived on the shores of the Gaspsie in 1534 with Jacques Cartier on his first voyage. In 1900, Quebec finally sought to have its own uniquely designed flag. By 1903, the parent of today's flag had taken shape, known as the "Fleurdelis". The flag in its present form with its 4 white "fleur-de-lis" lilies on a blue background with a white cross replaced the Union Jack on Quebec's Parliament Building on January 21, 1948.

[edit] Other official symbols

The floral emblem of Quebec is the Iris versicolor.[7]

The harfang des neiges (snowy owl), official bird of Quebec.

Since 1987 the avian emblem of Quebec has been the snowy owl.[7]

An official tree, the yellow birch (bouleau jaune, merisier), symbolises the importance Quebecers give to the forests. The tree is known for the variety of its uses and commercial value, as well as its autumn colours.[7]

In 1998 the Montreal Insectarium sponsored a poll to choose an official insect. The White Admiral butterfly (Limenitis arthemis)[70] won with 32 % of the 230 660 votes against the Spotted lady beetle (Coleomegilla maculata lengi), the Ebony Jewelwing damselfly (Calopteryx maculata), a species of bumble bee (Bombus impatiens) and the six-spotted tiger beetle (Cicindela sexguttata sexguttata).

[edit] Fte nationale

Main article: Fte nationale du Qubec In 1977, the Quebec Parliament declared June 24 to be Quebec's National Holiday. Historically June 24 was a holiday honouring French Canada's patron saint, St. John the Baptist, which is why it is commonly known as La Saint-Jean-Baptiste (often shortened to La St-Jean). On this day, the song "Gens du pays" by Gilles Vigneault is often heard and commonly regarded as Quebec's unofficial anthem.