|
Capital: Québec city
Motto: Je me souviens (Lest we forget)
Flower: Fleur-de-Lys (Madonna Lily)
Population(1998): 7,334,094
The Land
From north to south, Quebec takes in three main geographical regions: the Canadian Shield, the St. Lawrence Lowlands and the Appalachian Mountains. Extending from the shores of the Canadian Arctic to the Laurentians, the Canadian Shield covers about 60 percent of the land mass and contains some of the world's oldest rocks. Permafrost reigns in the northern part of the Shield; only dwarf birches and lichen are able to grow there.
The St. Lawrence River, the province's dominant geographical feature, links the Atlantic Ocean with the Great Lakes. My Great-Grandfather "Teophile de La Boursodiere", was one of the people responsible for building the "St-Lawrence" Bridge in 1886: this train-bridge was the first link to the Island of MONTREAL from the South Shore. Then, his son, my Grandfather "Louis de La Boursodiere", founded the City of Vaudreuil in 1896 and was it's Mayor from 1930-1934. Quebec's forests are equal in area to those of Sweden and Norway combined. To the south, the foothills of the Appalachians separate Quebec from the United States.
Economy
Québec exports 40 percent of its total production, mainly from the forest industry (printing, lumber and paper), mining (aluminum and iron ore) and transportation equipment manufacturing. Québec also exports electricity, engineering know-how, electronic products and telecommunications equipment. I was in the Fur Business for 28 years and fROM 1992 - 2001, SOLD to RETAIL STORES IN THE USA through my New York Company called "Cowboyd Fashions Ltd" until 9-11. Then I decided to go back into the business which my Mother started in 1958 called "K. Boyd Realities", only under my own name "Cowboyd".
The People
Quebec has a population of over 7 million, roughly 6 million francophones are descendants from colonists who came from France in the 17th and 18th centuries. English-speaking residents of Quebec are descendants mainly from British immigrants, but also from other ethnic groups seeking a better life in North America. At present, there are more than 590,000 anglophones in Québec, most of whom live in the Montréal area. My Mother, Kathleen Boyd, and her Family "The Boyd's of Ste-Chrysostome", was one of those Anglophone families.
*Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, Copyright (c) 2003.
|