Quebec is Canada’s largest province, a vast territory, most of which is very sparsely populated. More than 90 percent of Quebec’s area lies within the Canadian Shield and includes the greater part of the Labrador Peninsula. Quebec’s landscape is shaped by rivers, containing 2% of the world’s fresh water. The province is home to more than a million lakes and 15,228 watercourses, including the country’s largest—the Saint Lawrence River. The name Quebec comes from an Algonquian word meaning “where the river narrows.”
The St. Lawrence flows through fertile valleys and hardwood forests. Whitewater pool-and-drop rivers lined with glacier-polished rock flow across the Canadian Shield from the Ottawa Valley to the Côte-Nord. South of the St Lawrence, the Appalachian mountains extend from the Montreal area east to the Gaspé Peninsula, birthing many rivers and streams.
Nunavik is the northernmost region of Quebec. This 507,000 km2 pristine territory — bordered by Hudson Bay to the west, Hudson Strait to the north, Ungava Bay and Labrador to the east — makes up one third of the province, all above the 55th parallel. Lifetimes of exploring await. What are you waiting for; grab your packraft and go!
Petit Saguenay, Charlevoix, QC