Quebec
Pronunciation: /kwɪˈbɛk/
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Definition of Quebec
- 1a heavily forested province in eastern Canada; population 7,546,131 (2006). It was settled by the French in 1608, ceded to the British in 1763, and became one of the original four provinces in the Dominion of Canada in 1867. The majority of its residents are French-speaking and it is a focal point of the French-Canadian nationalist movement, which advocates independence for Quebec. French name Québec /kebɛk/.
- (also Quebec City) the capital city of Quebec, a port on the St Lawrence River; population 491,142 (2006). Founded in 1608, it is Canada’s oldest city. It was captured from the French by a British force in 1759 after the battle of the Plains of Abraham, and became capital of Lower Canada (later Quebec) in 1791.