Page 261 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Canada
P. 261
Shoppers exploring the boutiques of rue du Petit-Champlain
QUEBEC CITY
The heart and soul of French Canada, Quebec
City sits overlooking the Saint Lawrence River
on the cliffs of Cap Diamant. One of the oldest
communities on the American continent, Quebec
City was dis covered as an Iroquois village by the
French explorer Jacques Cartier and founded as
a city in 1608 by explorer Samuel de Champlain.
Today, as provincial capital, the city is the
seat of regional government, and is at the center
of French-Canadian nationalism. Parisian in
atmosphere, with every tiny street worth visiting,
Quebec City is almost entirely French-speaking.
The European ambiance and architecture, and the
city’s crucial historical importance, all contributed
to the Historic District of Old Quebec being named
a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.
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