Nice print titled Quebec. - vue generale prise de la Terrasse en 1888, from wood engraving with fine detail and clear impression, nice hand coloring, approx. page size 27.5 x 18 cm, approx. image size is 19 x 13 cm. From Amerique Boreale, volume 15 in series La Nouvelle Géographie universelle, la terre et les hommes / The Earth and Its Inhabitants, great work of Elisee Reclus.

Quebec,

French QUÉBEC, city and port, seat of Québec region and capital of Quebec province, Canada. It lies at the confluence of the St. Lawrence and Saint-Charles rivers, about 150 miles (240 km) northeast of Montreal. The first European to visit the area was Jacques Cartier, a French explorer, who in 1535 found on the site the Huron Indian village of Stadacona. In 1608 Samuel de Champlain installed the first permanent base in Canada at Quebec, which grew as a fur-trading settlement.

In 1629 Quebec was captured by the British, who held it until 1632, when the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye restored Quebec to France. The colony was then able to develop rapidly.

In 1690 the fleet of Sir William Phipps, governor of Massachusetts, attempted to take Quebec but was beaten back with troops led by its governor, the Count de Frontenac. In 1711 a second attempt to take the city also failed when a British armada crashed on the reefs of the St. Lawrence before reaching Quebec. The city fell to the British in 1759 and was ceded to Great Britain by the Treaty of Paris in 1763. During the U.S. War of Independence, the Americans, under Richard Montgomery and Benedict Arnold, failed in an attempt to capture the city.

In 1791 Quebec was designated as the provincial capital of Lower Canada, which later became the province of Quebec. It was incorporated in 1832 and was given its actual charter in 1840. In 1864 Quebec was the seat of the conference of British North American colonies to plan the confederation of Canada. During World War II U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill twice met in Quebec to plan the invasion of Europe.

Although Quebec is a major port of Canada, the largest employers in the city are the service and administrative industries. The leading manufactures include newsprint, milled grain, cigarettes, and garments; shipbuilding and tourism are also important.

The majority of the residents of Quebec are Roman Catholic and French speaking. The city has a dual school system--one for Roman Catholics and one for Protestants; instruction is in French and English, respectively.

Quebec's cultural life is concentrated on Laval University and its affiliated teaching institutions. Also notable are the concert hall, the Grand Théâtre, and the numerous museums and libraries throughout the city.

The principal historical buildings are religious in function, many dating from the 17th century. On the Place Royale stands the modest Church of Notre-Dame des Victoires (1688). Other old buildings include the Ursuline monastery, the seminary, the Anglican cathedral (the first such in Canada), and the Catholic basilica, where many of the bishops of Quebec are buried.

Sports are very popular, especially hockey, baseball, Canadian football, golf, and skiing in the many centres in the Laurentian Mountains only a few miles from the city. The Mont Sainte-Anne centre has been the scene of World Cup skiing tournaments. Among the principal local events are the three-week-long winter carnival ending on the night of Mardi Gras and the Provincial Exhibition of late August. Pop. (1991) city, 167,517; (1986) metropolitan area, 603,267.