Quebec City
Encyclopedia : Q : QU : QUE : Quebec City
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| ''Motto : « Don de Dieu feray valoir » (I shall put God's gift to good use) | |||||||
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Site in the province of Quebec | |||||||
| Official logo |
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| Country | |||||||
| Province |
Québec | ||||||
| Agglomeration | Quebec City | ||||||
| Statute of the city | Capitale-Nationale | ||||||
| Administrative Region | Capitale-Nationale | ||||||
| Constitution date | 1833 | ||||||
| Geographical code | 24 23027 | ||||||
| Founder Foundation date | Samuel de Champlain 1608 | ||||||
| Mayor Chief of the opposition Term | Andrée P. Boucher Ann Bourget 2005-2009 | ||||||
| Federal senator | Dennis Dawson | ||||||
| Federal Members of Parliament
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Luc Harvey | ||||||
| Minister for the Capital | Michel Després | ||||||
| Members of the National Assembly of Quebec
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Raymond Bernier | ||||||
| Latitude Longitude | 46°48' N 71°23' O | ||||||
| Area | 542,71 km² | ||||||
| Population
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532 329 inhab. (2001) | ||||||
| Rank of population
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2nd (2006) | ||||||
| Gentilic | Québécoise, Québécois | ||||||
| Time zone | UTC-5 | ||||||
| Telephone code | +1-418 | ||||||
Quebec City is known for its Winter Carnival and the Château Frontenac, an historic hotel which dominates the city skyline. The Assemblée nationale du Québec (provincial parliament), the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec (Museum of Fine Arts) and the Museum of Civilization are found within or near Vieux-Québec.
Among the tourist attractions in the city are Montmorency Falls and the Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré in the town of Beaupré.
- 1 History
- 1.1 History of the name Quebec
- 1.2 From Stadacona to James Wolfe
- 1.3 British rule
- 1.4 20th and 21st centuries
- 1.5 Capital
- 2 French and English names for Quebec City
- 3 Municipal public administration
- 3.1 City Council
- 3.2 Boroughs Council
- 3.3 Quarters Council
- 3.4 Public safety
- 3.5 International networks, twinning and agreements
- 4 The city today
- 5 Demographics
- 6 Transportation
- 7 Museums
- 8 Natural science sites
- 9 Media
- 10 Personalities associated with Quebec City
- 11 Attractions
- 12 Post-secondary education
- 13 Festivals and events
History
History of the name Quebec
The low width of the river as it enters the towns of Quebec and Lévis, on the opposite bank, provided the name given to the city, Kébec being the Algonquin word meaning "where the river narrows".From Stadacona to James Wolfe
Quebec City is not the oldest settlement in Canada; Port Royal, Nova Scotia, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador and Tadoussac, Quebec were all created earlier. However Quebec city is the first to have been founded with the explicit goal of receiving permanent settlement and not as a commercial outpost, and therefore is often considered to be the first city in Canada.
It was founded by Samuel de Champlain on 3 July 1608 at the site of a First Nations settlement called Stadacona. It was to this settlement that the name "Canada" refers (kanata is an Iroquoian word meaning "village"). It is the cradle of the Francophone population in North America. The place seemed favourable to the establishment of a permanent colony.
At the end of French rule, the territory of present-day Quebec City was a world of contrasts. Forests, villages, fields and pastures surrounded the town of 8 000 inhabitants. The town distinguished itself by its monumental architecture, fortifications, muddy and filthy streets, affluent homes of masonry and shacks in the suburbs St-John and St-Roch. Despite its urbanity and its status as capital, Quebec City remained a small colonial city with close ties to its rural surroundings. Nearby inhabitants traded their farm surpluses and firewood for imported goods from France at the two city markets.
-->Quebec City was captured by the British in 1759 and held until 1763. It was the site of the Battle of the Plains of Abraham during the Seven Years' War, in which British troops under General James Wolfe defeated the French general Louis-Joseph de Montcalm and took the city. France later ceded New France to Britain.
British rule
During the American Revolution, the British garrison at Quebec City was assaulted by American troops in the Battle of Quebec. The defeat of the Americans put an end to their hopes that Canada would also rebel. Major General Isaac Brock fortified Quebec City by strengthening the walls and building an elevated artillery battery before the War of 1812.Quebec City was the capital of Canada from 1859 to 1865. After the Province of Canada was formed, the capital moved to Kingston and Montreal. When the Dominion of Canada was formed in 1867, the capital was moved to Ottawa. The Quebec Conference on Canadian Confederation was held here.
20th and 21st centuries
In World War II, two conferences were held in Quebec City. The first one was held in 1943 with Franklin Delano Roosevelt (the United States' president), Winston Churchill (the United Kingdom's prime minister), William Lyon Mackenzie King (Canada's prime minister) and T.V. Soong (China's minister of foreign affairs). The second one was held in 1944, and was attended by Churchill and Roosevelt. They took place in the buildings of the Citadelle and of nearby Château Frontenac.
Capital
Through nearly 500 years of its existence, Quebec City has served as a capital:- from 1608 to 1627 and 1632 to 1763, it was capital of French Canada and all of New France,
- from 1763 to 1791, it was the capital of the Province of Quebec,
- from 1791 to 1841, it was the capital of the Province of Lower Canada,
- from 1849 to 1865, it was capital of the Province of Canada,
- from 1867 to today, it has been capital of the Province of Quebec.
French and English names for Quebec City
The city is called Québec (with an acute accent) by both the provincial and federal governments in both languages. To differentiate between Quebec the city and Quebec the province in English, the city is commonly referred to as "Quebec City" while the province is referred to as "Québec". It is common for the accent to be dropped in English texts.In French, Quebec City is generally referred to simply as "Québec" without the French equivalent of the word "city." French names of large geographical regions such as provinces and countries are typically preceded by articles whereas city names are not (unless it is part of the name, such as "La Malbaie"). As a result, the province is called le Québec ("in Quebec" = au Québec, from Quebec = du Québec) while the city is simply Québec ("in Quebec City" is à Québec, "from Quebec City" = de Québec).
The official legal, corporate name of the city is Ville de Québec in both languages. In the English section of Quebec City's official website, the city is referred to as "Québec City" (with the acute accent over the 'e').
In French, residents of Quebec City are called Québécois (male) or Québécoise (female). To avoid confusion with Québécois/e meaning an inhabitant of the province, the term Québécois/e de Québec for residents of the city is sometimes used (as opposed to Québécois/e du Québec, resident of the province). As noted above, in French, the city is Québec (possessive form "de Québec") and the province, le Québec (possessive form "du Québec"). In English, the term Quebecer (or Quebecker) is generally (and variably) used.
Also, Quebec City is sometimes referred to as "la capitale nationale" ("the national capital"). This colloquialism is controversial, politically charged and can be confusing to non-"Québécois," since Ottawa, Ontario is the National Capital of Canada.
Municipal public administration
City Council
The mayor of Quebec City is Andrée P. Boucher, independent, and the chief of the official opposition is Ann Bourget from the Renouveau municipal de Québec.
| Party | Initial | Chief | Governorship | Opposition | Seats |
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| Renouveau municipal de Québec | R.M.Q. | Ann Bourget | 1989 - 2006 | 2006 - | 24 |
| Action civique de Québec | A.C.Q. | Pierre-Michel Bouchard | 6 | ||
| Parti Vision Québec | V.Q. | Marc Bellemare | 1 | ||
| Option Capitale | O.C. | Pierre Coté | 0 | ||
| Independent | Ind. | 6 | |||
| Vacant | 0 | ||||
| Total | 37 |
Boroughs Council
Quarters Council
Public safety
Quebec City is protected by Service de police de la Ville de Québec and Service de protection contre les incendies de Québec.International networks, twinning and agreements
Quebec City is twinned with the cities of :
It has agreements of co-operation and friendship with :
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The city today
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-->Quebec City has 34 districts in 8 boroughs.
| Borough | Districts |
| La Cité | Latin/Old Québec · Quartier gai · Saint-Jean-Baptiste · Montcalm · Saint-Sacrement · Petit Champlain* ·Saint-Sauveur · Saint-Roch · Saint-Malo |
| Les Rivières | Vanier · Lebourgneuf · Neufchâtel · des Saules · Duberger |
| Sainte-Foy—Sillery | Cité universitaire · Saint-Louis · Sillery · Pointe-de-Ste-Foy |
| Charlesbourg | Saint-Rodrigue · des Sentiers · des Monts |
| Beauport | Vieux-Moulin · Sainte-Thérèse-de-Lisieux · Villeneuve · Courville |
| Limoilou | Maizerets · Vieux-Limoilou · Lairet · du Colisée |
| La Haute-Saint-Charles | |
| Laurentien |
The Lower Town is filled with Statues ,Wall paintings and gorgeous streets and shops.
Demographics
According to the last (May 2001) census, there were 682,757 people residing in Quebec City, of whom 48.2% were male and 51.8% were female. Children under five accounted for approximately 4.7% of the resident population of Quebec City. This compares with 5.2% in the province of Quebec, and 5.6% for Canada overall.
In mid-2001, 13.0% of the resident population in Quebec City was of retirement age (65 and over for males and females) compared with 13.2% in Canada; therefore, the average age is 39.5 years of age compared to 37.6 years of age for Canada as a whole.
In the five years between 1996 and 2001, the population of Quebec City grew by 1.6%, compared with an increase of 1.4% for the province of Quebec as a whole. Population density of Quebec City averaged 216.4 people per square kilometre, compared with an average of 5.3, for the province of Quebec as a whole.
At the time of that May 2001 census, the population of the Quebec City authority was 682,757, but was 710,700 when encompassing the Greater Quebec City Area, compared with a resident population in the province of Quebec of 7,237,479 people.
According to the 2001 census, over 90% of the population was Roman Catholic, along with sizable Jewish and Protestant populations.
| 1931 | 1941 | 1951 | 1961 | 1971 | 1981 | 1991 | 2001 | 2006 |
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| 131 000 | 151 000 | 289 000 | 379 000 | 481 000 | 576 000 | 646 000 | 683 000 | 720 000 |
Transportation
-->Quebec City is served by Jean Lesage International Airport, located in the West of the city. [Web site]
The city also has a large major port on the St-Lawrence in the first, fifth and sixth boroughs. [Web site]
Three bridges, the Quebec Bridge and Pierre Laporte Bridge connect the city with the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River, as does a ferry service to Lévis, and Orleans Island Bridge connects Quebec City with the Orleans Island. The city is a major hub in the Quebec provincial road network, fanning out from both sides of the river with an extensive autoroute system.
Several important motorways of the Quebec road network pass by Quebec City, of which Autoroute 40 connects it towards the west to Montreal and Autoroute 175 connects it towards the north to Saguenay.
Three principal expressways cross the agglomeration from the north to the south (starting from the west) : Autoroute Henri-IV, Autoroute du Vallon, and Autoroute Laurentienne. Three other motorways cross the western part of town (from north to south): Autoroute Félix Leclerc (known by the inhabitants as "Autoroute de la Capitale"), Autoroute Charest, as well as Champlain Boulevard, which goes along the river to the Downtown area, then another Autoroute called Dufferin-Montmorency allows easier access to the extreme east of the city.
The city is served by VIA Rail (Gare du Palais), and is the eastern terminus of the railway's main Quebec City-Windsor Corridor. The provincial networks of transport per long distance bus have also their station at this place.
The Réseau de transport de la Capitale is responsible for public transportation by bus. [Web site in French only]
Museums
- Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec
- Musée de la civilisation
- Musée de l'Amérique française
- Espace Félix Leclerc
- Musée naval de Québec
- Choco-Musée Erico
- Musée des Ursulines de Québec
- Musée du Fort
- Musée du Royal 22e Régiment
- Musée Québec Expérience
- Mussee de l'Abeille
Natural science sites
- Jardin zoologique du Québec, reopened in 2002 after two years of restorations but closed in 2006 after a political decision. It was presenting to the public 750 specimens of 300 different species. The zoo was specialized in winged fauna and garden themes, but also presented several species of mammals. While it emphasizes the indigenous fauna of Quebec, one of its principal attractions was the Indo-Australian greenhouse, featuring fauna and flora from these areas.
- Parc-Aquarium du Québec, reopened in 2002 on a site overlooking the St. Lawrence River, presents approximately 3500 specimens of mammals, reptiles, fish and other aquatic fauna of North America and the Arctic. Polar bears and various species of seals of the Arctic sector and the "Large Ocean", a large basin offering visitors a view from underneath, form part of the principal attractions. Website : http://www.spsnq.qc.ca/
Media
Roadway system of Québec City
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Buildings and structures
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External links
- [Official website of Quebec City]
- [Quebec City on Google Maps]
- Official website of Quebec City Tourism : http://www.regiondequebec.com/e/
- [Buildings of Quebec City]
- [Parc technologique du Québec métropolitain]
- [Municipal election in Quebec City - Radio-Canada.ca]
- http://www.politiqc.com/
- [Website of the firemen of Quebec City]
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