The People

Quebec was settled largely by the French and is inhabited mainly by their descendants. Despite many years of British rule, French traditions and ways of life have been retained, especially in rural areas and villages along the lower St. Lawrence River and on the Gaspé Peninsula. People of British descent live mainly in or near the area known as the Eastern Townships—the area extending from the United States border almost to the St. Lawrence River, between Montreal and Quebec.

Population

According to the 2001 census, Quebec had a population of 7,237,479 including some 79,400 Indians and a small number of Inuit (Eskimos). The province's population density was about 12 persons per square mile (4.6 per km2), nearly twice that of the country as a whole. About 80 per cent of the people lived in urban areas.

Language and Religion

French is Quebec's official language. French is the main language of more than 80 per cent of the population; English, of about 15 per cent. One out of four persons is able to speak both French and English.

The Roman Catholic Church is the predominant church, especially among the French-speaking people. The leading Protestant bodies are the Anglican Church and the United Church of Canada.

Education

School attendance is compulsory from age 6 to age 15. Schools are under the jurisdiction of the provincial department of education. The school program includes a one-year kindergarten, six years of elementary school, and five years of secondary education. Post-secondary institutions, called collèges d'enseignement général et professionnel (CEGEP's), provide three-year terminal vocational programs or two-year academic programs, the latter being required for admission to a university.

Institutions of higher learning in which the language of instruction is French include Laval University in Quebec City; the universities of Montreal and Sherbrooke; and the University of Quebec, which has its main campus in Quebec City and branches in various other cities. English-speaking universities include McGill and Concordia in Montreal and Bishop's in Lennoxville.