Three times the size of Spain
Four-and-a-half times the size of Japan

Québec occupies a vast continental peninsula bordering the North Atlantic. Its landmass, close to half of which is covered with forest, covers almost 1.7-million square kilometres.

Dotted with half a million lakes and thousands of rivers, Québec is bisected by the 1,200-kilometre-long St. Lawrence River, which stretches 100 kilometres across at its estuary. One of the world’s longest navigable waterways, the St. Lawrence is North America’s leading inland seaway.

Québec is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the south by the United States and New Brunswick, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and to the west by James Bay, Hudson Bay and Ontario.

There are four distinct seasons: a mild spring, a generally hot summer, a colourful fall, which is sometimes chilly, and a winter that is white and cold. Seasonal temperatures and vegetation vary depending on the latitude - contributing to the beauty and diversity that is Québec.

Québec society, which draws inspiration from both European and Anglo-American culture, is known for its artistic vitality and remarkable creative potential.

Culture, communications and the arts are key aspects of Québec’s economy, generating over 175,000 direct jobs and accounting for over $12 billion of the province’s GDP.

Each year, more than 4,000 works are published and some 2,000 stage performances are produced. Québec is also home to nearly 500 museums.

Thanks to the excellence of Québec productions, many Québec artists and performers are extremely successful internationally. Québec’s high-profile “cultural ambassadors” include Céline Dion, the Cirque du Soleil, Robert Lepage, Denys Arcand, Michel Tremblay, Nicole Brossard, Jean-Paul Riopelle, Les Violons du Roy, La La La Human Steps and Leonard Cohen.