Québec, or Quebec in French, is a province in east-central Canada. It is the largest province in the area. It has a predominantly French-speaking population and is the only province to have an official provincial language, French. The capital of Quebec is Quebec City. The population of Quebec is 8.081 million. Quebec has three natural regions: the Canadian Shield, the St. Lawrence Plains and the Appalachians. The Canadian Shield is also called the Precambrian Shield or Laurentian Plateau. It is a large block of ancient crystalline rock. There is plenty of glacial debris and exposed rock. The Canadian Shield has a rugged environment and variable terrain. The plains, or valley, of St. Lawrence lie along the St. Lawrence River and are up to sixty miles wide. The terrain is mostly flat. The Appalachians are a continuation of the Appalachian Mountains in the United States. The lakes cover approximately 1/8 of Quebec's territory. Most of the lakes in the province of Quebec originate from glaciers. Quebec has long, cold winters and hot, short summers. Quebec was discovered in 1534 by a man named Jacques Cartier who took possession of the land in the name of the King of France. He put a cross in Gaspé that can still be seen today. Cartier is also the first known explorer to travel along the St. Lawrence River. Quebec City was founded in 1608 by Samuel de Champlain, and Paul Chomeny founded Montréal in 1642. The French originally controlled the area of ​​Quebec, called New France, but the Battle of the Plains of Abraham gave control to the English. The battle took place on September 13, 1759 during the Seven Years' War, also called the French and Indian War, and was fought by the French and the British. The Bri...... middle of paper ......pitales in the Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball, and the Quebec Remparts in the Minor Hockey League. Many recreational activities are also popular in Quebec, including: skiing, snowboarding, hunting, fishing, ice fishing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, rock climbing, hiking, canoeing, swimming, and golf. There are also more than 35 nature parks and preserves, and many are open for regulated hunting and fishing. Works Cited http://www.bonjourquebec.com/qc-en/sports0.html http://www.britannica.com /EBchecked/topic/486652/Quebec/271976/Sports-and-recreation http:/ /www.gouv.qc.ca/portail/quebec/pgs/commun/gouv/?lang=en http://geography. howstuffworks.com/canada/quebec.htm http://canada.careers.org/quebec http://www.quebec-guidetouristique.travel/history.aspx http://encyclopedia.kids.net.au/ page/ba/Battle_of_the_Plains_of_Abraham