Quebec
GEOGRAPHY
Quebec is the largest province and it's found on the east of Canada.
Quebec city is its capital, and the most popular city is Montreal.HISTORY
The first inhabitants were American indians and Inuit. In 1534 French explorer Jacques Cartier took possession of the land. For the next 75 years Quebec was visited by fishers.
In 1608 Samuel de Champlain founded the city of Quebec and established the first permanent colony. Montreal was founded in 1642.
The final battle between the French and British for possession of the New World was fought on the Plains of Abraham at the city of Quebec in 1759. The battle was part of the French and Indian War. At the end of the war Canada was ceded to Great Britain.
In the 1960s agitation broke out to separate Quebec from Canada and set up a new French-speaking country. In 1974 French was declared the official language of the province.
NAME ORIGIN
If you want to know why Quebec is called Quebec it’s because ,“Quebec” comes from the Algonquin word for “narrow passage” or “strait”. It was first used to describe the narrowing of the St. Lawrence River near where is now the City of Québec.
LANGUAGES
-Going to Quebec is a fantastic experience but if you want to make the most of it you should speak French. French is the only official language in Quebec. But if you don’t speak French and you know English, don’t worry! There won’t be any problem.
-Canadian French shows many differences with the one spoken in France.This video has some of them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tF46rEE5yZU
-Also there are some differences between French and English speakers canadians.Here we've got some of them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnwhezOlvqg
MAIN CITIES OF QUEBEC
Quebec is a beautiful region full of amazing cities which you can visit, here we have the main cities placed in Quebec.
1.Montreal- With 1,704,694 inhabitants is the most popular city in Quebec and the 2nd-most popular in Canada. The city occupies most of the Island of Montreal.
2.Quebec City- With 531,902 inhabitants is the capital city of the Canadian province of Quebec,it’s Canada's seventh-largest metropolitan area and Quebec's second-largest city after Montreal.
3.Laval- With 401,553 inhabitants is a Canadian city in southwestern Quebec, north of Montreal.It is the largest suburb of Montreal, the third largest municipality in the province of Quebec.
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Here a video explaining the largest and more important cities: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_ijOlPgHFQ
LANDMARKS IN QUEBEC
Visiting Quebec it’s a fantastic experience in which you can learn about Quebec’s culture by visiting its most important landmarks such as:
1- Notre-Dame Basilica: is a basilica in the historic district of Old Montreal, in Montreal.The church is located at 110 Notre-Dame Street West, at the corner of Saint Sulpice Street. It is located next to the Saint-Sulpice Seminary and faces the Place d'Armes square.Built in the Gothic Revival style, the church's is highly decorated.
2- Terrasse Dufferin: is a terrace that wraps around the Château Frontenac in Quebec City, overlooking the St. Lawrence. It was built in 1879 under the direction of Lord Dufferin, the then Governor-general of Canada.
3- Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral: is a minor basilica in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and the seat of the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Montreal. It is the third largest church in Quebec. The building is 101 m (333 ft) in length, 46 m (150 ft) in width, and a maximum height of 77 m (252 ft) at the cupola, the diameter of which is 23 m (75 f
EVENTS AND FESTIVALS
Carnival in Quebec
If you visit Quebec during the winter you should go to the Carnival, a very popular festival celebrated each year for 17 days. People transform the city into a beautiful winter wonderland: they build snow statues and castles and they participate in races and games.
But the most famous events are the nighttime and daytime parades, where the main character is… a snowman! It's the mascot of this Carnival and its name is Bonhomme Carnaval. For the parades the city is decorated with lights and more ice sculptures. Also numerous parties, shows and balls are performanced across the city.
Fetes de la nouvelle-France
Every August they celebrate during five days the life of the european settlers of Quebec on the 17th century in the Fetes De La Nouvelle-France (New France Festival). The event is known for its performances, parades, stories, dancing and f other cultural activities.
To celebrate this festival, people dress up as peasants, nobles and bourgeoisie while taking part in festival activities. So you can wear traditional clothes and you can feel as if you were 400 years ago. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2I6GZpUl0I
Festival montréal en lumière
In Canada winters can be very long and cold but at the end of February, in Montreal, it takes place a festival to celebrate that winter is near the end: Festival montréal en lumière.
During 11 days the city is full of lights, and at nights they throw fireworks to illuminate the night sky. There are also many activities that you can do with family and friends like ice skating or maybe you can go to a concert or participate in a performance.
FUN, WEIRD AND INTERESTING FACTS:
If you want to have fun and enjoy your travel in Quebec you should go to this event:
Festival d´ete de Quebec
This summer festival has been taking place annually since 1968 in Plains of Abraham, a historic area within The Battlefields Park in Quebec City. If you come you´ll listen to pop, rock, folk electronic and hip hop music. Also important groups as The Rolling Stones, Iron Maiden or Metallica have played in this festival! Some interesting facts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQV_f9UFaCI
- Only about 1.5% of the population speaks English. Over 95% of the population is French speaking. But more than a third of the population can speak both English and French.
- The Chateau Frontenac is the world’s most photographed hotel.
- On the winter solstice the sun rises at 7:27 am and sets at 3:59 pm.
- On the summer solstice the sun rises at 4:51 am and sets at 8:43 pm.
- The Hôtel de Glace in Quebec City (the only ice hotel in North America) requires 30 thousand tons of snow to build and 500 tons of ice and the inside temperature for sleeping is between -3°C and -5°C! You must wrap up if you want to sleep there!
THINGS TO DO IN QUEBEC
Here you've got two videos with different places you can visit in Quebec city and in Montreal.
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