What is Quebec City?
Answer
The capital of Quebec, the only walled city north of Mexico, and the oldest permanently settled city in Canada, founded by Samuel de Champlain in 1608.
Explanation
Quebec City (Ville de Quebec) is the capital of Quebec and one of the oldest cities in North America. The city has a population of about 547,000 in the city proper and about 850,000 in the Census Metropolitan Area, making it the second-largest city in Quebec after Montreal and the eleventh-largest in Canada. Quebec City sits on the north bank of the St. Lawrence River where the river narrows to less than a kilometre (the Algonquian word kebec means 'where the river narrows').
Quebec City was founded by Samuel de Champlain on July 3, 1608, establishing it as the oldest permanently settled European city north of Mexico (older than Boston, Philadelphia, and New York City). Champlain built the Habitation de Quebec on the Place Royale in what is now Lower Town, anchoring the French colony of New France. The city served as the capital of New France until the British Conquest in the Battle of the Plains of Abraham on September 13, 1759. Under the Treaty of Paris of 1763, Britain took possession and Quebec City became the capital of British Quebec, then of Lower Canada (1791 to 1841), then of the Province of Canada (briefly), and finally of the Province of Quebec from 1867.
Quebec City is the only walled city north of Mexico, with city walls encircling Old Quebec (Vieux-Quebec) at Upper Town. The walls and Citadelle of Quebec (built 1820 to 1850 atop earlier French and British fortifications) were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985, the first North American city to receive the designation. The Plains of Abraham battlefield, where the British defeated the French in 1759, is now a 98-hectare urban park. The Chateau Frontenac (built 1893 by William Van Horne for the Canadian Pacific Railway) is the most-photographed hotel in the world.
Modern Quebec City's economy centres on provincial government (the city is one of Canada's most government-dependent metropolitan areas), the Universite Laval (the oldest French-language university in North America, founded 1663 as the Seminaire de Quebec), insurance and financial services (Industrial Alliance, Desjardins, La Capitale, and SSQ headquarter in the city), tourism (about 4.5 million annual visitors), and the Port of Quebec. The provincial National Assembly (Assemblee nationale du Quebec) sits at the Hotel du Parlement, completed in 1886. Quebec City's population is about 95 per cent francophone, the most monolingual major city in Canada.
Why this matters for your test
Quebec City's status as the oldest permanently settled European city in Canada and the only walled city north of Mexico makes it a near-certain test topic. Recognising the 1608 founding by Champlain and the 1985 UNESCO designation gives candidates two specific anchors.
Source: Ville de Quebec; UNESCO World Heritage Centre
