Better Know a Province: Quebec

Thinking about relocating to Quebec? Regardless of whether you live there now or are planning a move, we're about to drop some knowledge about the east-central Canadian province.

Quebec--named after the Algonquin word "kébec" meaning "where the river narrows"--is the only Canadian province to have a large majority of its population speak French. It's also the only region where French is the official language.

The largest province by area, Quebec shares borders with the U.S. states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and New York and is sometimes called la belle province ("the beautiful province.")

After Ontario, Quebec is the second most-populous province, with around half of its residents residing in the Greater Montreal Area. The Nord-du-Québec is sparsely occupied, but the primary residents are Aboriginal peoples. In addition to French-speaking residents, there are also English-speaking locations in the western parts of Montreal.

While the northern areas have tundra-like conditions and long winter seasons, the major cities experience typical cold and snowy winters with warm and humid summers.

Statistics

• Capital - Québec
• Largest city - Montreal
• Official languages - French
• Demonym - Quebecer or Quebecker, Québécois (masculine) or Québécoise (feminine)
• Time zone - UTC-5 and UTC-4

Symbols of Quebec

• Motto - Je me souviens (I remember)
• Symbol - fleur de lis
• Flower - blue flag
• Bird - snowy owl
• Tree - yellow birch