Quebec

Quebec is a province in the central part of Canada. It was founded in the Royal Proclamation of 1763. It is the largest province by area and the second largest by administrative division. It is surrounded by Ontario, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, and the U.S. States, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and New York.

The majority of the population in Quebec speak French, which is the only province in Canada that has that as its official language.

Samuel de Champlain chose the name Quebec in 1608, for the colonial outpost that would be used for the administrative seat for the French colony New France.

The word "Quebec" comes from Algonquin word meaning "Where the river narrows." It referred to the area around Quebec City where the Saint Lawrence River narrows into a cliff-lined gap.

Quebec was founded in 1608 by Samuel de Champlain, who named the area Kébec (later changed to Quebec). Quebec stood as the center of the enormous territory of New France in the 17th and 18th centuries. The area spanned from the Hudson Bay down to the Northern area of Florida and westward to the Great Lakes and Louisiana. Quebec eventually went from fur trading post to capital of a providence.

In 1759 the English won the battle of the Plains of Abraham in Quebec, disrupting a previously uneventful existence for the town. They took control of the town, and spread their control over the colony. In 1760, France signed over the colony in the Treaty of Paris, effectively ending the Seven Year War.

In 1775-1776 American troops tried to take over the city of Quebec. Then in 1791, Britain passed the The Constitutional Act of 1791, which split Quebec into two parts, Upper and Lower Canada. Quebec remained the capital of Lower Canada. The province was split to accommodate both the English speaking citizens and the French speaking ones. After the American Revolutionary War, many British loyalists fled to Canada to remain loyal to Britain.

http://www.quebecheritage.com/en/historique.html

Quebec is a large province, with a plethora of things to see. The best way to get around the town of Quebec is on foot. It is filled with quaint shops and things that could not be seen by car.

For the nature lover, Quebec offers countless great parks to walk around. In the center of Quebec lies the Battlefield Park, a 108 hectare park filled with flowers and tended lawns to observe. It has numerous trails open to walking, hiking, biking, in line skating, and cross country skiing in winter. There is also the Park du Bois-de-Coulonge along the St. Lawrence River, the Villa Bagatelle, the Domain Maizerets estate in the Limoilou district, the Place de la Gare, and the Place de la FAO. http://www.quebecheritage.com/en/environnemental.html

For those looking for family fun, Quebec does offer a few amusement parks. Once such park is the Village Vacances Valcartier http://www2.quebecregion.com/e/membres-details.asp?lnMemOrgId=30739&sMinorMinor=0110&lnMajMajorBc=100&LnMemTxtNumber=42 near the city of Quebec. They offer 35 water slides, 2 river rides, and a wave pool. You can rent a raft and go white water rafting down the Jacques-Cartier River as well! There is also the Méga Parc des Galeries de la Capitale, a large indoor mall similar to the Mall of America. It features 280 shops, 6 movie theatres, 35 restaurants, and an IMAX.