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<b>Quebec</b>
{{otheruses}}
{{Canadian province or territory |
Name = Québec<!-- official form in French -->|
AlternateName = Quebec<!-- official form in English; see note--><ref name=EFname>According to the ], '''Quebec''' without the accent is the official name of the province in ] and '''Québec''' is the official form in ]; the name is . In this system, the official name of the capital is Québec in both official languages. The Quebec government renders both names as ''Québec'' in both languages.</ref>|
Flag = Flag of Quebec.svg |
EntityAdjective = Provincial |
CoatOfArms = Qc-coat-thb.jpg |
Map = Quebec-map.png |
Motto = ] (]: I remember) |
OfficialLang = ] |
Flower = ] <br>(] Linné) |
Tree = ] |
Bird = ] |
Capital = ] |
LargestCity = ] |
Language = ] |
Gentilic = Quebecoise|
Premier = ] |
PremierParty = ] |
Viceroy = ] |
ViceroyType = Lieutenant-Governor |
PostalAbbreviation = QC |
PostalCodePrefix = ], ], ] |
AreaRank = 2<sup>nd</sup> |
TotalArea = 1,542,056 |
LandArea = 1,183,128 |
WaterArea = 176,928 |
PercentWater = 11.5 |
PopulationRank = 2<sup>nd</sup> |
Population = 7,598,100 |
PopulationYear = 2005|
DensityRank = 5<sup>th</sup> |
Density = 4.90 |
GDP_year = 2005 |
GDP_total = $274.863&nbsp;billion |
GDP_rank = 2<sup>nd</sup> |
GDP_per_capita = $36,175 |
GDP_per_capita_rank = 9<sup>th</sup> |
AdmittanceOrder = 1<sup>st</sup> |
AdmittanceDate = ], ] |
Nationalday = June 24th|
TimeZone = ]-5, -4 |
HouseSeats = <br>75 |
SenateSeats = <br>24 |
ISOCode = CA-QC |
Website = www.gouv.qc.ca
}}


{{portal}} {{stub}}
'''Quebec''', or '''Québec''' in ],<ref name=EFname /> (] {{IPA|}} or {{IPA|}} in ] and {{IPA|}} in ]) is a ], in ], surrounded by the ] of ], ] and ] to the west, by ] to the north, by the ] and the provinces of ] and ] to the east, and by the ] (the states of ], ], ] and ]) to the south. It also shares maritime borders with ], ] and ].

By area, Quebec is the largest province in ]: only the territory of ] is larger. It is the second most populated province, and most of its inhabitants live along or close to the banks of the ]; the north portion of the province is sparsely populated.

The ] of Quebec is ]; it is the sole Canadian province whose population is mainly ], and where ] is not an official language at the provincial level. Quebec is also the sole territory north of the ] – aside from ] itself, and the thinly populated archipelago of ] – where French is spoken by a majority of the population. Part of ] until 1760, Quebec became a province within the ] at its founding in 1867.

While the province's formidable natural resources have long been the mainstay of its economy, Quebec has renewed itself to become a key player in the ]: information and communication technologies, aerospace, biotechnology, and health industries. It has also developed close relations with the ].

== Geography ==
{{main|Geography of Quebec}}
The province occupies a vast territory (nearly three times the size of ]), most of which is very sparsely populated. More than 90 percent of Quebec's area lies within the ] and includes the greater part of the ]. In 1870, Canada purchased ] from the ] and over the next few decades the ] transferred portions of this territory to Quebec that would more than triple the size of the province.<ref>], .</ref> In 1898, the Canadian Parliament passed the first ] that expanded the provincial boundaries northward to include the lands of the ] ]. This was followed by the addition of the ] through the ] that added the northernmost lands of the aboriginal ] to create the modern Province of Quebec.

The most populated region is the ] valley in the south, where the capital, ], and the largest city, ], are situated. North of Montreal are the ], a mountain range, and to the east are the ] which extend into the ] and ] regions. Quebec's highest mountain is ], which is located on the border with ] in the northeastern part of the province. The ] juts into the ] to the east.

The northern region of ] is ] or ] and is mostly inhabited by ]. A major ] project is found on the La Grande and Eastmain rivers in the James Bay region (the ]) and on the ], north of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

===Climate===

Quebec has three main climate regions. Southern and western Quebec, including most of the major population centres, have a ] (] ''Dfb'') with warm, humid summers and long, cold winters. The main climatic influences are from western and northern ] which move eastward and from the southern and central ] that move northward. Due to the influence of both storm systems from the core of ] and the ], precipitation is abundant throughout the year, with most areas receiving more than 1,000 mm (40 inches) of precipitation, including over 300 cm (120 inches) of snow in many areas. Severe summer weather (such as ]es and ]s) are far less common than in southern ], although they occasionally occur.

Most of central Quebec has a ] (Koppen ''Dfc''). Winters here are long and among the coldest in eastern Canada, while summers are warm but very short due to the higher latitude and the greater influence of ] air masses. Precipitation is also somewhat less than farther south, except at some of the higher elevations.

The northern regions of Quebec have an ] (Koppen ''ET''), with very cold winters and short, much cooler summers. The primary influences here are the ] currents (such as the ]) and continental air masses from the ].

===Ten largest municipalities by population===
{| class="wikitable"
!Municipality
!2001
!1996
!Image
|-
|]
|1 812 723
|1 774 846
|]
|-
|]
|532 329
|504 605
|]
|-
|] (Part of ])
|348 091
|373 009
|
|-
|] (Part of ])
|343 005
|330 393
|
|-
|] (Part of ])
|226 696
|217 591
|]
|-
|]
|148 050
|153 476
|
|-
|]
|146 689
|135 501
|
|-
|]
|122 395
|124 417
|]
|-
|] (Part of ])
|121 999
|118 344
|]
|-
|] (Part of ])
|80 531
|75 110
|]
|}

==History==
{{main|History of Quebec}}

===First Nations: Before 1500 ===
], ] and Inuit groups were the first peoples to populate what is now Quebec. Their lifestyles and cultures reflected the land on which they lived. Seven Algonkian groups lived nomadic lives based on hunting, gathering, and fishing in the rugged terrain of the Canadian Shield: (James Bay ], ], ]s) and Appalachian Mountains (], ]). ] lived more settled lives, planting squash and maize in the fertile soils of St. Lawrence Valley. The Inuit continue to fish, whale, and seal in the harsh Arctic climate along the coasts of Hudson and Ungava Bay. These peoples traded fur and food, and sometimes warred with each other.

The name "Quebec", which comes from an Algonquin word meaning "strait" or "narrowing", originally meant the narrowing of the St. Lawrence River off what is currently Quebec City. There have been variations in spelling of the name:

* Quebecq &mdash; Levasseur, 1601
* Kébec &mdash; Lescarbot, 1609
* Québec &mdash; Champlain, 1613

=== Early European exploration: 1000&ndash;1600 ===

] longboats from ] carried the first ]ans to the Arctic shores of the ] around 1000 CE. ] whalers and fishermen traded furs with Saguenay natives throughout the 1500s.

The first French explorer to reach Quebec was ], who planted a cross either in ] in 1534 or at ] on the ]. He sailed into the ] in 1535 and established an ill-fated colony near present-day Quebec City at the site of ], a St. Lawrence Iroquoian village.

===]===
] was part of a 1603 expedition from France that traveled into the ]. In 1608, he returned as head of an exploration party and founded ] with the intention of making the area part of the ]. Champlain's ''Habitation de Quebec'', built as a permanent fur trading outpost, was where he would forge a trading, and ultimately a ] alliance, with the ] and ] nations. Natives traded their furs for many French goods such as metal objects, guns, alcohol, and clothing.

], born July 7, 1620, to French habitants Pierre Desportes and his wife Françoise Langlois, was the first child of European descent born in Quebec.

From Quebec, ], ], and Catholic missionaries used river ]s to explore the interior of the North American continent, establishing fur trading forts on the ] (] 1615), ] (] and ] 1659-60), ] and ]s (] 1682), as well as the ] and ] (] 1734-1738).

After 1627, King ] introduced the ] and forbade settlement in ] by anyone other than ]s. ] and ] clerics founded missions in ] (Laviolette) and Montréal or Ville-Marie (] and ]) to convert ]'s ] and ] allies to ]. The seigneurial system of governing New France also encouraged immigration from the motherland.

New France became a Royal Province in 1663 under King ] with a ] that included ] ]. This ushered in a golden era of ] in New France, including the arrival of les "]". The population would grow from about 3,000 to 60,000 people between 1666 and 1760. Colonists built farms on the banks of St. Lawrence River and called themselves "]" or "]". The colony's total population was limited, however, by a winter climate significantly harsher than that found in France; by the spread of diseases; and by the refusal of the French crown to allow ], or French Protestants, to settle. The population of New France lagged far behind that of the ] to the south, leaving it vulnerable to attack.

===Fall of New France===
after the 1980s, the population of the rival British colonies to the south had surpassed 1 million, compared to barely 60,000 for New France.
In 1753 France began building a series of forts in the British ]. They refused to leave after being notified by the British Governor and in 1754 ] launched an attack on the French ] (now ]) in the ] in an attempt to enforce the British claim to the territory. This frontier battle set the stage for the ] in North America. By 1756, France and Britain were battling the ] worldwide. In 1758, the ] mounted an attack on ] by sea and took the French fort at ].

On 13 September 1759, General ] defeated General ] on the ] outside Quebec City. France ceded its ]n possessions to ] through the ]. By the ], Canada (part of New France) was renamed the Province of Quebec.

In 1774, fearful that the French-speaking population of Quebec (as the colony was now called) would side with the rebels of the ] to the south, the British Parliament passed the ] giving recognition to French law, Catholic religion and French language in the colony; before that Catholics had been excluded from public office and recruitment of priests and brothers forbidden, effectively shutting down Quebec's schools and colleges. The first British policy of assimilation (1763-1774) was deemed a failure. Both the petitions and demands of the Canadiens' élites, and Governor ], played an important part in convincing London of dropping the assimilation scheme, but the looming American revolt was certainly a factor. By the Quebec Act, the Quebec people obtained their first Charter of rights. That paved the way to later official recognition of the ] and ]. The Act allowed '']'' to maintain French ] and sanctioned the freedom of religious choice, allowing the ] to remain. It also restored the ] to Quebec, reserving the territory for the fur trade.

The act, designed to placate one North American colony, had the opposite effect among its neighbors to the south. The Quebec Act was among the ] that infuriated ], who launched the ]. A ] by the American ] met with early success, but was later repelled at ]. However, the ] was ultimately successful in winning the independence of the Thirteen Colonies. With the ], Quebec would cede its territory south of the ] to the new United States of America.

===The ''Patriotes''' Rebellion in Lower Canada===
{{main|Lower Canada Rebellion}}
Like their counterparts in ], in 1837, ] and ] residents of Lower Canada, led by ] and ], formed an armed resistance group to seek an end to British colonial rule. They made a Declaration of rights with equality for all citizens without discrimination, and a Declaration of Independence in 1838. Their actions resulted in the ]. An unprepared ] had to raise a local ] force and the rebel forces were soon defeated after having scored a victory in ], east of ].

===Act of Union===
After the rebellions, ] was asked to undertake a study and prepare a ] on the matter and to offer a solution for the British Parliament to assess. The final report recommended that the population of Lower Canada be assimilated. Following Durham's ], the British government merged the two colonial provinces into one ] in 1841. However, the union proved contentious. Reformers in both Canada West (formerly Upper Canada) and Canada East (formerly Lower Canada) worked to repeal restrictions on the use of the French language. The two colonies remained distinct in administration, election, and law. In 1849, Baldwin and LaFontaine, allies and leaders of the Reformist party, obtained the grant (from ]) for responsible government and returned the French language to legal status.

===Canadian Confederation===
In the 1860s, the delegates from the colonies of British North America (Canada, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland) met in a series of conferences in Charlottetown, Quebec City, and London to discuss a broader union. As a result of those deliberations, in 1867 the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed the British North America Act, providing for the Confederation of most of these provinces. The former Province of Canada was divided into its two previous parts as the provinces of ] (Upper Canada) and Quebec (Lower Canada). ] and ] joined Ontario and Quebec in the new Dominion of Canada. (Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland entered Confederation later, in 1873 and 1949, respectively.)

===The "Quiet Revolution"===
{{main|Quiet Revolution}}
The ] government of ] and his ] dominated Quebec politics from 1944 to 1960 with the support of the Catholic church. ] and other liberals formed an intellectual opposition to Duplessis's repressive regime, setting the groundwork for the ] under ]'s ]. The Quiet Revolution was a period of dramatic social and political change that saw the decline of Anglo supremacy in the Quebec economy, the decline of the ] Church's influence, the ] of ] companies under ] and the emergence of a separatist movement under former Liberal minister ].

The Quiet Revolution has been described by some people as the time when everyone stopped going to church; so that by the end of 1963 the Catholic churches were virtually empty. Whether this is a factual comment or simply an expression of the felt change that Quebec was going through at the time, it provides a telling commentary to the widespread change that the people in Quebec underwent during the Quiet Revolution.

], first introduced in 1978, is "Je me souviens"; French for "I remember". It has been Quebec's motto since Confederation.]] Beginning in 1963, a ] group that became known as the ] (FLQ) launched a decade of bombings, robberies and attacks on government offices, resulting in at least five deaths. In 1970, their activities culminated in events referred to as the ] when ], the British trade commissioner to Canada, was kidnapped along with ], a provincial minister and Vice-Premier, who was murdered a few days later. In their published Manifesto, the terrorists stated: "In the coming year Bourassa (Quebec Premier) will have to face reality; 100,000 revolutionary workers, armed and organized."

At the request of Premier ], Prime Minister ] invoked the ]. Once the War Measures Act was in place, arrangements were made for all detainees to see legal counsel{{fact}}. In addition, the Quebec ] , Louis Marceau, was instructed to hear complaints of detainees and the Quebec government agreed to pay damages to any person unjustly arrested (only in Quebec). On February 3, 1971, ], the ], reported that 497 persons had been arrested{{fact}} throughout Canada under the War Measures Act, of whom 435 had been released. The other 62 were charged, of which 32 were crimes of such seriousness that a ] judge refused them bail. The crisis ended after a few weeks after the death of Pierre Laporte at the hands of his captors. The fallout of the crisis marked the zenith and twilight of the FLQ which lost membership and public support.

In 1977, the newly elected ] government of ] introduced the ]. Often known as ], it defined French as the only official language of Quebec.

===The Parti Québécois and constitutional crisis===
Lévesque and his party had run in the 1970 and 1973 Quebec elections under a platform of separating Quebec from the rest of Canada. The party failed to win control of Quebec's National Assembly both times &mdash; though its share of the vote increased from 23% to 30% &mdash; and Lévesque himself was defeated both times in the ] he contested. In the 1976 election, he softened his message by promising a referendum (plebiscite) on ] rather than outright separation, by which Quebec would have independence in most government functions but share some other ones, such as a common currency, with Canada. On November 15, 1976, Lévesque and the Parti Québécois won control of the provincial government for the first time. The question of ] was placed before the voters in the ]. During the campaign, ] promised that a vote for the NO side was a vote for reforming Canada. Trudeau advocated the ] of Canada's Constitution from the ]. The existing constitutional document, the ], could only be amended by the ] upon a request by the Canadian parliament.

Sixty percent of the Quebec electorate voted against the proposition. Polls showed that the overwhelming majority of English and immigrant Quebecers voted against, and that French Quebecers were almost equally divided, with older voters less in favour, and younger voters more in favour. After his loss in the referendum, Lévesque went back to Ottawa to start negotiating a new constitution with Trudeau, his minister of Justice ] and the nine other provincial premiers. Lévesque insisted Quebec be able to veto any future constitutional amendments. The negotiations quickly reached a stand-still.

Then on the night of November 4, 1981 (widely known in Quebec as ''La nuit des longs couteaux'' or the "Night of the Long Knives"'), ] met all the provincial premiers except ] to sign the document that would eventually become the new Canadian constitution. The next morning, they put Lévesque in front of the "fait accompli." Lévesque refused to sign the document, and returned to Quebec. In 1982, Trudeau had the new constitution approved by the British Parliament, with Quebec's signature still missing (a situation that persists to this day). The Supreme Court of Canada confirmed Trudeau's assertion that every province's approval is not required to amend the constitution.

In subsequent years, two attempts were made to gain Quebec's approval of the constitution. The first was the ] of 1987, which was finally abandoned in 1990 when the provinces of ] and ] refused to support it. This led to the formation of the ] party in ] under the leadership of ], who had resigned from the federal cabinet. The second attempt, the ] of 1992, was rejected by 56.7% of all Canadians and 57% of Quebecers. This result caused a split in the ] that led to the formation of the new ] (Democratic Action) party led by ] and Jean Allaire.

On October 30, 1995, with the ] back in power since 1994, a ] on sovereignty took place. This time, it was rejected by a slim majority (50.6% NO to 49.4% YES); a clear majority of French-speaking Quebecers voted in favour of sovereignty.

The referendum was enshrouded in controversy. Federalists complained that an unusually high number of ballots had been rejected in pro-federalist areas, notably in the largely Jewish and Greek riding of Chomedey (11.7 % or 5,500 of its ballots were spoiled, compared to 750 or 1.7% in the general election of 1994) although Quebec's chief electoral officer found no evidence of outright fraud. The Government of Canada was accused of not respecting provincial laws with regard to spending during referendums (leading to a corruption scandal that would become public a decade later, greatly damaging the Liberal Party's standing), and to having accelerated the naturalization of immigrant people living in the province of Québec (43,850 immigrants were naturalized in 1995, whereas the average number between 1988 and 1998 was 21,733).

The same night of the referendum, an angry ], then premier and leader of the "Yes" side, declared that the loss was due to "]". Parizeau resigned over public outrage and as per his commitment to do so in case of a loss. ] became Quebec's new premier in his place.

Federalists accused the separatist side of asking a vague, overly complicated question on the ballot. Its English text read as follows:

''Do you agree that Quebec should become sovereign after having made a formal offer to Canada for a new economic and political partnership within the scope of the bill respecting the future of Quebec and of the agreement signed on June 12, 1995?''

After winning the next election, Bouchard retired from politics in 2001. ] was then appointed leader of the ] and premier of Quebec. In 2003, Landry lost the election to the ] and ]. Landry stepped down as PQ leader, and in a crowded race for the party leadership, ] was elected to succeed him. The PQ has promised to hold another referendum should it return to government.

== Government ==
]
{{main|Politics of Quebec}}
The ] represents ] as ]. The head of government is the ] (called ''premier ministre'' in French) who leads the largest party in the ] ] or ''Assemblée Nationale'', from which the Council of Ministers is appointed.

Until 1968, the Quebec ] was ], consisting of the ] and the ]. In that year the Legislative Council was abolished, and the Legislative Assembly was renamed the National Assembly. Quebec was the last province to abolish its legislative council.

The government of Quebec awards an order of merit called the ]. It is inspired in part by the ] ]. It is conferred upon men and women born or living in Quebec (but non-Quebecers can be inducted as well) for outstanding achievements.

==Economy==
{{main|Economy of Quebec}}
], North America's francophone Metropolis]]

<p>The St. Lawrence River Valley is a fertile agricultural region, producing ] products, ], ]s, ], ] (Quebec is the world's largest producer), and ].</p>

North of the St. Lawrence River Valley, the territory of Quebec is extremely rich in resources in its coniferous forests, lakes, and rivers—pulp and ], ], and ] are still some of the province's most important industries.

High-tech industries are very important around Montreal. It includes the aerospace companies like jet manufacturer ], the jet engine company ], the flight simulator builder ] and defence contractor ]. Those companies and other major subcontractors make Quebec the fourth biggest player worldwide in the aviation industry. Quebec's separatist debate has influenced many corporations to move their Canadian headquarters from Montreal to Toronto.

], the world's most photographed hotel, is iconic to the province of Québec.]]

==Culture==
{{main|Culture of Quebec}}
Quebecers comprise the largest French-speaking society in the ]. Most ] live in Quebec, though there are other concentrations of French-speakers throughout Canada with varying degrees of ties to Quebec. ] is the vibrant cosmopolitan cultural heart of Quebec. History made Quebec a place where cultures meet, where people from all over the world experience America, but from a little distance and through a different eye. Often described as a crossroads between Europe and America, Quebec is home to a people that are connected to the strong cultural currents of the ], ], and the ] all at the same time.

Quebec is also home to 11 aboriginal nations and to a large ] minority of approximately 600,000 people.

==Demographics==
{{main|Demographics of Quebec}}

Quebec's ] is now among the lowest in Canada. At 1.48, it is well below the replacement fertility rate of 2.1. This contrasts with the fertility rate before 1960 which was among the highest of the industrialized countries.

Although Quebec represents only 24% of the population of Canada, the number of international adoptions in Quebec is the highest of all provinces of Canada. In 2001, 42% of international adoptions in Canada were carried out in Quebec.

Quebec has a high-school dropout rate of 16%, the second highest such percentage in all of Canada.

===Population of Quebec since 1851===
{| class="wikitable"
!Year
!Population
!Five Year <br /> % change
!Ten Year <br /> % change
!Rank Among<br />Provinces
|-
|1851 ||892,061 ||n/a ||n/a ||2
|-
|1861 ||1,111,566 ||n/a ||24.6 ||2
|-
|1871 ||1,191,516 ||n/a ||7.2 ||2
|-
|1881 ||1,359,027 ||n/a ||14.1 ||2
|-
|1891 ||1,488,535 ||n/a ||9.5 ||2
|-
|1901 ||1,648,898 ||n/a ||10.8 ||2
|-
|1911 ||2,005,776 ||n/a ||21.6 ||2
|-
|1921 ||2,360,665 ||n/a ||17.8 ||2
|-
|1931 ||2,874,255 ||n/a ||21.8 ||2
|-
|1941 ||3,331,882 ||n/a ||15.9 ||2
|-
|1951 ||4,055,681 ||n/a ||21.8 ||2
|-
|1956 ||4,628,378 ||14.1 ||n/a ||2
|-
|1961 ||5,259,211 ||13.6 ||29.7 ||2
|-
|1966 ||5,780,845 ||9.9 ||24.9 ||2
|-
|1971 ||6,027,765 ||4.3 ||14.6 ||2
|-
|1976 ||6,234,445 ||3.4 ||7.8 ||2
|-
|1981 ||6,438,403 ||3.3 ||6.8 ||2
|-
|1986 ||6,532,460 ||1.5 ||4.8 ||2
|-
|1991 ||6,895,963 ||5.6 ||7.1 ||2
|-
|1996 ||7,138,795 ||3.5 ||9.3 ||2
|-
|2001 ||7,237,479 ||1.4 ||5.0 ||2
|}
''Source: ]''

===Ethnic origins===
{| class="wikitable" align="right"
|- bgcolor="#CCCCCC"
!Ethnic Origin
!Population
!Percent
|-
|]
|4,897,475
|68.73%
|-
|]
|2,111,570
|29.67%
|-
|]
|291,545
|5.09%
|-
|]
|249,205
|3.70%
|-
|]
|218,415
|3.07%
|-
|]
|156,140
|2.19%
|-
|]
|130,165
|1.83%
|-
|]
|94,940
|1.33%
|-
|]
|88,700
|1.24%
|-
|]
|82,450
|1.16%
|-
|]
|74,465
|1.05%
|}
The information regarding ethnicities at the left is from the .
The percentages add to more than 100% because of dual responses (e.g., "French-Canadian" generates an entry in both the category "French" and the category "Canadian".) Groups with greater than 70,000 responses are included.

===Religious groups===
Quebec is unique among the provinces in its overwhelmingly ] population. This is a legacy of colonial times; only Catholics were permitted to settle in the ] colony.

* 90.2% ]
** 83.3% ]
** 4.7% ]
** 1.4% ]
** 0.8% other Christian
* 7.1% non-religious
* 1.5% ]
* 1.2% ]

==Language==
{{main|Demolinguistics of Quebec}}
Quebec is the only Canadian province where French is the only official language. In 2001 the population was:
* French speakers: 82.0%
* English speakers: 7.9%
* Others: 10.1% (Italian 5.2%, Spanish 2.3%, Arabic 1.9%, and others)


==Symbols and emblems==
The motto of Quebec is ], which is carved into the Parliament Building façade in Quebec City and is seen on the coat of arms and licence plates.

]

The graphic emblem of Quebec is the ], usually white on a blue background, as on the ], the ''Fleurdelisé''. As indicated on the government of Quebec's Web site, the flag recalls the French ] banner said to have accompanied the army of ] during the victorious battle of Carillon in 1758. While the fleur-de-lis, a symbol of France's ], may be thought of "counter-revolutionary" in France today, it is a cherished symbol in Quebec (which was never ruled by the French Republic) and is prominent in its ].

The floral emblem of Quebec is the '']''. It was formerly the ], to recall the fleur-de-lis, but has been changed to the iris, which is native to Quebec.

The avian emblem of Quebec is the ].

In addition to the other emblems, an insect emblem has been chosen by popular vote in October 1998 during a poll sponsored by the ]: The ] (''Limenitis arthemis'') won with 32 % of the 230 660 votes. The butterfly was in competition with four other candidates: the Spotted ] (''Coleomegilla maculata lengi''), the Ebony Jewelwing ] (''Calopteryx maculata''), a species of ] (''Bombus impatiens'') and the six-spotted ] (''Cicindela sexguttata sexguttata''). The supports and finances actions to officially recognize the White Admiral as the insect emblem.

The patron saints of French Canada are ] and ]. ''La Saint-Jean'', ], is Quebec's national day and has been officially called the ] since 1977. The song "]" by ] is often regarded as Quebec's unofficial anthem.

== See also ==
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ] (historic)
* ] (current)
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]

==Notes==
<div class="references-small">
<references/>
</div>

== External links ==
* {{en icon}}
* {{en icon}}
* {{en icon}} , Quebec government official tourist site
* {{en icon}}
* {{en icon}}
* {{fr icon}} , online encyclopaedia from Quebec
* {{en icon}} {{wikitravel}}

'''History:'''
* {{en icon}} , online encyclopaedia made by Marianapolis College
* {{en icon}}
* {{en icon}} , Images from the McCord Museum's collections
* {{fr icon}} , 5,000 digitized maps

{{Quebec}}
{{Canada}}

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{{Link FA|fr}}

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Revision as of 05:53, 24 September 2006

Quebec

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