Quebec

Located in the North Eastern Corner of North America, Quebec - also known as "la belle province' - is the largest (by area) province in Canada covering 1.5 million square kilometers. It is also home to two of the world's greatest cities, Montreal and Quebec City, which is the capital city. Its unique French culture and rich history can still be seen in its language, cuisine and past times. Quebec offers its visitors beautiful landscapes including the rugged cliffs of the Gaspeì Peninsula, the sparkling lakes and rivers of Nouveau - Quebec and the lush forests of the Laurentian Mountains.

Climate
Quebec has heavy precipitation and temperatures that vary from season to season. Winters can be harsh throughout the province lasting for 4 to 5 months. Summers are moderate in the north and hot towards south of Quebec. Spring and fall seasons are usually so brief such that they go unnoticed in most parts of Quebec.

Vegetation and wildlife
The forests in Quebec have been an important resource, providing the native people with building materials and fuel, and has also been home to the animals on which the native people depended on for food and clothing. The forest has supported the paper and lumber industry.
The wildlife in Quebec include polar bears, caribou, deer, moose, red fox, wolves, coyotes, woodchucks, just to name a few. Quebec has over 400 species of birds including sparrows, chickadees, snow geese and gannets among others. The blue whales, beluga and several species of seals frequent Quebec's waters.

The People
According to Statistics Canada (2007), Quebec's population is an estimate 7,719,993. Half of this population lives in Montreal. Once upon a time, before the Europeans came to North America, the native peoples alone occupied Quebec. Today, the native people make up less than 1% of the population in Quebec. French is the main language spoken in Quebec, however English is also spoken especially in Montreal.

Economy
Quebec is a huge province with a lot of natural resources. However, it does not have any form of fossil fuel (coal or petroleum). It is industrialized and very diversified. Farming, fishing and forestry were once the main economic activities in Quebec. Now, aerospace, pharmaceuticals, information technology mining and hydroelectric generation are now the main economic activities.

Culture and Entertainment
Quebeckers are known for making the most of life. In any given year, over 300 festivals and fairs are held across the province. Some of these festivals include singing, theatre, sport, and agricultural fairs. Quebeckers are very keen on their art, actors, singers and writers.

Since Quebec is snow bound for over 120 days in a year, most of their activities including sport are winter activities. Ice hockey, snowmobile and cross country skiing are just some of the popular sporting activities in Quebec.

Ice fishing is also a popular winter activity in Quebec. This is because the rivers freeze over during wintertime, such that they are solid enough to walk upon.

Quebec city
This is the capital of Quebec. Quebec City's old town, the Vieux – Quebec is the only fortified city in North America, that has also been declared a world heritage site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Quebec city is well known for its summer festival - Festival d'été de Québec and its winter carnival - Carnaval de Québec.

The Summer Festival - Festival d'été de Québec- takes place over the first two weeks of July. It is organized by groups of artists and business people in Queben city. The Winter Carnival – Carnaval de Quebec is a 17 day event and is the biggest winter festival in the world. The festival starts either on the last Friday or January or the first Friday of February.

Montreal
Montreal is an effervescent and culturally alive. A modern city with its downtown bristles with skyscrapers with unexpected shapes and colors. Montreal is the largest city in Quebec and the second largest in Canada. Montreal was originally known as "Ville – Marie". French is the official language of Montreal. It is spoken by 70% of the Montreal population. According to Statistics Canada (2006) Montreal's population is an estimate 1, 620, 693. Montreal has been ranked the 10th cleanest city in the world. Some of the festivals in Montreal include:

• Montreal Reggae Festival
  
• Montreal Jazz Festival
  
• Fantasia Festival Genre films festival
  
• Les FrancoFolies de Montréal
  
• Divers/Cité gay pride celebrations
  
• Just for Laughs comedy festival
  
• Pop Montreal indie-rock festival, to name a few.