

In both cases the vote was to remain part of Canada, but the second referendum was a very closely run thing. The Parti Québécois governments have twice held referenda on sovereignty, in 19. Provincial politics have dominated Quebec for decades.

The Nord-du-Québéc region, occupying the northern half of the province, is sparsely populated.

Most of the province’s inhabitants live in urban areas near the Saint Lawrence River between Montreal and Quebec City – the provincial capital. Quebec is bordered nationally and internationally by the Ontario, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador provinces of Canada, and by the US states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and New York. 8.2 million, at 1Q2016) province in Canada after Ontario, and the only one to have a predominantly French-speaking population, and French is the sole official language for the province.
