Quebec City

The capital of the Canadian province of Quebec is Quebec City. The city's population was 531,902 as of July 2016, and the surrounding metropolitan area has an estimated 800,296 residents. After Montreal, it is the second-largest city in the province. Its humid continental climate features hot summers and chilly, icy winters.

The region was originally called Kébec by the Algonquian people because the Saint Lawrence River narrows close to Quebec's peninsula and its Cape Diamant. Kébec is an Algonquian term that means "where the river narrows." In 1608, explorer Samuel de Champlain established a French town here under the name of the local Algonquin people. One of the first European settlements in North America is Quebec City. Old Quebec's (Vieux-Québec) ramparts are the only fortified city walls still standing in the Americas north of Mexico. The "Historic District of Old Québec" was the location that UNESCO designated as a World Heritage Site in 1985.

The Citadelle of Quebec, an intact citadel that serves as the focal point of the fortifications around the ancient city and contains a secondary royal home, is one of the city's icons. The Château Frontenac hotel, which dominates the skyline, is another. The National Museum of Fine Arts of Quebec, the Musée de la civilisation, and the National Assembly of Quebec (the provincial legislature) are all located in or close to the Old Quebec area.

Population: 531,902