Quebec

Quebec (, sometimes ; French: Québec [kebɛk] (listen)) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. Located in Central Canada, the province shares land borders with Ontario to the southwest, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, New Brunswick to the southeast, and a coastal border with Nunavut; it also borders the U.S. states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and New York to the south. Quebec is the largest province by area, at 1,542,056 km2 (595,391 sq mi), and the second-largest by population, with 8,164,361 people. Much of the population live in urban areas along the St. Lawrence River, between the most populous city, Montreal, and its capital city, Quebec City. Quebec is also the home of Québécois, recognized as a nation by both the provincial and federal governments. French is Quebec's official language and 94.6% of the province's population reports knowledge of French. Québécois French is the local variety, and there are 14 regional accents deriving from it. Quebec is renowned for its unique and vibrant culture. The province has its own celebrities, and produces its own literature, music, films, TV shows, festivals, folklore, songs, art and more. Quebec also has its own cuisine and national symbols. Quebec is well-known for producing nearly 72% of the world's maple syrup, its comedy, and making hockey one of the most popular sports in Canada. Between 1534 and 1763, Quebec was called Canada and it was the most developed colony in New France. Following the Seven Years' War, Quebec became a British colony in the British Empire. It remained as such from 1763 to 1867, first as the Province of Quebec (1763–1791), then as Lower Canada (1791–1841), before becoming Canada East (1841–1867) as a result of the Lower Canada Rebellion. It was, finally, confederated with Ontario, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick in 1867, beginning the Confederation of Canada. Until the early 1960s, the Catholic Church played a large role in the development of social and cultural institutions in Quebec. However, in the 1960s, the Quiet Revolution increased the role of the Government of Quebec in controlling political, social and future developments of the state of Quebec. The Constitution Act, 1867 incorporated the present-day Government of Quebec, which functions within the context of a Westminster system and is both a liberal democracy and a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system. The premier of Quebec, presently François Legault, acts as head of government and holds office by virtue of commanding the confidence of the elected National Assembly. Québécois political culture mostly differs on a nationalist-vs-federalist continuum instead of a left-vs-right continuum. Quebec independence debates have played a large role in politics. Parti Québécois governments have held referendums on sovereignty in 1980 and 1995. Quebec society's cohesion and specificity is based on three of its unique statutory documents: the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms, the Charter of the French Language and the Civil Code of Quebec. Furthermore, unlike in the rest of Canada, law in Quebec is mixed. Private law is exercised under a civil law system, and public law is exercised under a common law system. The economy is diversified and post-industrial. Sectors of the knowledge economy such as aerospace, information and communication technologies, biotechnology and the pharmaceutical industry play leading roles. Quebec's substantial natural resources, notably exploited in hydroelectricity, forestry and mining, have also long been a mainstay. The province's 2018 output was CA$439.3 billion, making it the second-largest Canadian province or territory by GDP. Wikipedia ->