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 Montréal architectural style © Tourisme Montréal, Stéphan Poulin The huge province of Quebec occupies the eastern part of Canada,
with coasts on the North Atlantic, Hudson and James Bays, and the
Lawrence Seaway (the major shipping channel of the east coast which
cuts through the south of the province). The major cities of Quebec
and Montreal are both situated in the more populated south on the
St Lawrence.
The province has a wide variety of landscapes, climatic regions
and vegetation, and therefore numerous different and distinct
tourist attractions, routes and getaways to offer. In the most
northerly reaches the wilderness prevails covered by thick forests
and clear lakes. This gives way to the snowy mountains of the
Laurentians, popular resort country, while down south is the urban
sprawl of Canada's French-speaking cities and rolling pastures of
the farmlands.
Quebec has a uniquely French flavour, brought about by the fact
that barely 40 years after Columbus discovered America, Jacques
Cartier claimed this territory in the name of the King of France
and for nearly five centuries this has ensured the continued
survival of French culture and language (in Quebec French is the
official language and is spoken by more than 80 percent of the
population). For decades the province has been dogged by political
battles regarding secession, but currently moves to turn Quebec
into a sovereign state have been put on the back-burner in favour
of concentrating on economic development.
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