Abbr. PQ or Que. A province of eastern Canada. It joined the confederacy in 1867. The region was first explored and claimed for France by Jacques Cartier (1534) and Samuel de Champlain (1608) and was made a royal colony, known as New France, by Louis XIV in 1663. Conflict between the French and British for control of the territory ended in 1763 when Great Britain was given sovereignty, but the French influence has remained dominant. Quebec is the capital and Montreal the largest city. Population: 7,550,000.
also Quebec City or Québec City The capital of Quebec, Canada, in the southern part of the province on the St. Lawrence River. Champlain established a colony in its Lower Town in 1608. British forces under General Wolfe defeated the French forces led by General Montcalm at the Plains of Abraham here in 1759. The city is today a popular tourist center. Population: 491,000.
(kwĭ-běk') 