Quebec (French: Québec) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. Quebec has an estimated population of 8.18 million, which makes it the second-most populous province in Canada. It is historically and politically considered to be part of Central Canada (with Ontario). Quebec is the second-most populous province of Canada, after Ontario. It is the only one to have a predominantly French-speaking population.

Geography

Quebec is bordered to the west by the province of Ontario and the bodies of water James Bay and Hudson Bay; to the north by Hudson Strait and Ungava Bay; to the east by the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the province of Newfoundland and Labrador; and to the south by the province of New Brunswick and the U.S. states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York. It also shares maritime borders with Nunavut, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia. Quebec is Canada's largest province by area and its second-largest administrative division; only the territory of Nunavut is larger. 

Climate

The climate around the major cities is four-seasons continental with cold and snowy winters combined with warm to hot humid summers, but farther north long winter seasons dominate and as a result the northern areas of the province are marked by tundra conditions. Even in central Quebec, at comparatively southerly latitudes, winters are severe in inland areas.

History

At the time of European exploration, the entire region was fully settled and controlled by various Aboriginal groups. French explorer Jacques Cartier landed in what is now Québec City and Montréal in 1535. Samuel de Champlain, also of France, first heard and recorded the word ‘kebec’ (meaning ‘where the river narrows’) when he founded a settlement at Québec City some 70 years later, in 1608.Throughout the rest of the 17th century, the French and English skirmished over control of Canada, but by 1759 the English, established themselves as the winners in the Canadian colony sweepstakes. When thousands of British Loyalists fled the American Revolution in the 1770s, the new colony divided into Upper (today’s Ontario) and Lower (now Québec) Canada; almost all the French settled in the latter region. Power struggles between the two language groups continued through the 1800s, with Lower Canada joining the Canadian confederation as Québec in 1867.The 20th century saw Québec change from a rural, agricultural society to an urban, industrialized one.

Economy

Québec's economy is highly industrialized and diversified. Quebec’s advanced manufacturing sector produces a wide variety of products for export, such as air traffic control equipment, software, subway trains, helicopters, compact disks, air purifiers and toys. Montreal, the province's commercial capital, has developed competitive industries in space and aeronautics, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, energy, transportation and finance. Montreal has also recently become known for its software startups, most notably with regards to the entertainment industry, and the city follows Vancouver as a major movie production center.

Government and Politics

The Lieutenant Governor represents the Queen of Canada and acts as the province's head of state. The head of government is the premier (called premier ministre in French) .The government of Quebec awards an order of merit called the National Order of Quebec. The current Premier of Quebec is François Legault of the Coalition Avenir Quebec, sworn in on October 18, 2018 following the 2018 election.

Health Care

Under Canadian Law, all provinces and territories must provide universal, publicly funded health care to all citizens and legal residents of Canada. In other words, most basic health services in Canada are offered at no direct cost to the patient. Certain procedures that are not deemed necessary (such as elective cosmetic surgery and a number of dental care procedures, for example) are generally not covered, but the list of services paid for publicly varies from province to province.

Healthcare in Quebec is universally available to all residents at no cost to the individual. The Quebec Health Care plan covers the full cost of all necessary medical services for all citizens and most permanent residents in Quebec. This coverage includes doctor examinations, medical testing, emergency care, hospital care and emergency dental care.