A huge freshwater territory
Beyond its magnificent forests, Quebec is renowned for the extent of its freshwater reserves, which are among the largest in the world. Including ponds and lakes, there are nearly 3.6 million bodies of fresh water in the province, the majority (97%) of which are very small (less than 25 hectares). However, about 60 are considered huge (15,625 to 390,625 hectares), starting with the largest natural body of water, Lake Mistassini in the James Bay region. With a surface area of 2,336 km², it is as long as the distance between Montreal and Trois-Rivières. In addition, there is a network of tens of thousands of streams and rivers that flow into the Atlantic through the Gulf of St. Lawrence and into the Arctic Ocean through James, Hudson and Ungava Bays, not to mention the groundwater and wetlands that cover more than 10% of Quebec.
But the big star is the St. Lawrence, which is a river, an estuary and a gulf, linking the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the St. Lawrence-Great Lakes hydrographic system, one of the most important commercial navigation routes in the world. The system is the 17th longest in the world at 3,260 km from Lake Superior to Cabot Strait.
Distinct regions
Québec is made up of 20 tourist regions, 17 administrative regions, 2 metropolitan communities, more than 1,000 urban and rural municipalities, nearly 100 unorganized territories and some 60 Aboriginal communities inhabited by members of Québec's eleven nations. The province is also divided into different geographic zones, each with its own particularities:
Canadian Shield. In northern Quebec, around James and Hudson bays, the Canadian Shield occupies 80% of the province's total surface area. Composed of granite and gneiss, this immense surface has undergone billions of years of intense and constant erosion, being covered by water, buried under thick layers of marine sediment and then subjected to glacial erosion. Melting ice caps have created myriad lakes in the valley bottoms. The Shield's landscape is essentially made up of plateaus deeply incised by rivers and interrupted, in places, by mountain ranges between 1,000 and 1,500 metres in altitude: the Otish Mountains in the center, the Torngat Mountains in the west, bordering Labrador, whose Mount D'Iberville (1,652 metres) is the highest point in Quebec. Sparsely populated, the Shield harbours enormous natural resources. It is covered by a gigantic forest and boasts an exceptional hydrographic network, providing enormous hydroelectric potential: the Caniapiscau, La Grande, Eastmain and Manicouagan reservoirs (a former meteorite crater). Far to the north, the Ungava Peninsula, the territory of the Inuit (Nunavik), is the domain of the Arctic, the aurora borealis and permanently frozen ground (permafrost).
Abitibi Plateau. South of James Bay, this plateau stretches along the border with Ontario, between the Ottawa River and the Eastmain Plain. It is traversed by major rivers (Abitibi, Harricana). Glacial erosion has created a flat landscape punctuated by hills that bear witness to volcanic activity in the Precambrian era. To the south, the loop of the Ottawa River marks the boundary of the Témiscamingue region, home to dairy farms nestled in spruce-covered hills. Abitibi's immense boreal forests once attracted fur traders, then forestry companies and paper mills. In the 20th century, copper and gold mining gave rise to pioneering towns like Val-d'Or, Rouyn-Noranda and Témiscaming.
Laurentians. South of the Abitibi plateau, the Laurentians stretch between the Ottawa and Saguenay rivers. Made up of rounded ridges rising from 600 to 800 meters and valleys criss-crossed by north-south rivers flowing into the St. Lawrence, they do offer a few higher peaks, such as Mont Tremblant (968 meters) north of Montreal and Mont Raoul-Blanchard (1,161 meters) in the Grands-Jardins massif. The Laurentians end at the St. Lawrence estuary in a spectacular escarpment known as the Charlevoix coast.
Saguenay Fjord and Lac Saint-Jean. Due to tectonic subsidence, Lake Saint-Jean occupies a basin connected to the St. Lawrence estuary by the Saguenay River. A veritable inland sea, the lake covers an area of over 1,000 km². The lower Saguenay valley, near Tadoussac, forms a magnificent fjord carved out by glaciers along the Laurentian fracture zone. The rock walls form veritable canyons in some places, such as Cap Eternité and Cap Trinité. Deep-sea boats can sail up the fjord as far as the town of Saguenay, where the effects of the tides are still felt. Hundreds of baleen whales - including fin, humpback and minke whales - and toothed whales, such as the beluga, return to the Tadoussac entrance to the fjord every summer to feed on krill, which are particularly abundant in this area.
North Shore. On the other side of the Saguenay Fjord lies Côte-Nord, the north shore of the St. Lawrence River. Sparsely populated and battered by the winds, this coastal plain stretches over 1,000 km to Labrador, cut by narrow valleys where powerful rivers rush in. Numerous hydraulic structures follow one another, such as the famous Manic-Outardes complex, north of Baie-Comeau. The Daniel-Johnson dam at the Manic-5 power station is the world's largest multiple-arch and buttress dam. Off Havre-Saint-Pierre, the Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve, renowned for its granite islands and islets with numerous monoliths, offers spectacular scenery, as does the immense wild island of Anticosti, an important hunting reserve.
St. Lawrence Plain. It lies between the Canadian Shield to the north and the Appalachian Mountains to the southeast, between Montreal and Quebec City, and rises steadily toward the northeast and the Gaspé Peninsula. To the east, between Montreal and the Appalachians, the Monteregian Hills have an altitude of less than 500 metres. These are ancient volcanic outcrops of solidified lava. The Basses-terres benefit from fertile soil and a milder climate: corn, oats, barley and wheat are grown here, and dairy farming is practiced. The urban population is concentrated mainly around the major cities of Montreal and Quebec City, both located on the left bank of the St. Lawrence River.
Appalachians and Lowlands (Eastern Townships, Beauce). Separated from the St. Lawrence by the Champlain Fault, the Appalachians extend northeast along the U.S. border. These mountains, of more recent formation than the Canadian Shield, have an average altitude of no more than 500 metres, with the highest peaks reaching 1,200 metres. This chain is the result of the collision of the American and Eurasian continental plates. The eroded peaks have created an undulating landscape of alternating ridges and river valleys. The heights are covered with hardwoods (sugar maple, oak, beech), while the plains are the domain of mixed farming. The Eastern Townships occupy the southwestern part of the Appalachians, along the U.S. border east of Montreal, and offer verdant mountains cut by deep valleys. This is where Montrealers go for vacation: water sports in summer, snow sports in winter. The Beauce, meanwhile, stretches out on either side of the Chaudière River, which flows from Lac Mégantic into the St. Lawrence. Like its French namesake, the Québec Beauce is a vast, flat and monotonous expanse of fertile land. Orchards, vineyards, pastures and dairy farms characterize its western part, while the rest of the Beauce country is occupied by the highest concentration of maple groves in Quebec.
Bas-Saint-Laurent, Gaspésie and Îles de la Madeleine. North of the Basses-terres and Appalaches, the Sutton mountain range extends into the Notre-Dame mountains, whose northern slopes descend into a narrow strip of land along the St. Lawrence River, known as the Bas-Saint-Laurent. On the other side of the Matapedia River lies the Gaspé Peninsula, between the St. Lawrence Estuary, New Brunswick and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. To the north, it is dominated by the Chic-Chocs mountains, culminating at Mont Jacques-Cartier (1,268 m), whose slopes are covered by thick boreal forests. The peninsula is home to superb national parks(Gaspésie, Forillon) and wildlife reserves(Matane, Chic-Chocs). On the St. Lawrence estuary, the northern Gaspé coastline is dotted with charming fishing villages, while the wave-swept Gaspé Peninsula, facing the Gulf of St. Lawrence, is particularly wild and spectacular, especially at Forillon and Percé. To the south of the peninsula, the Hautes-terres are deeply incised by numerous rivers, all of which flow into the Baie des Chaleurs. Protected from the polar winds, this region enjoys a microclimate that has earned it the name of southern Quebec. Off the coast of Gaspésie, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, we find the Magdalen Islands, a magnificent, isolated and windswept archipelago of fine sandy beaches stretching to infinity. In winter, the spectacle of whitecoats (baby seals) on the pack ice is nothing short of magical.
Going on an exploration
There are many opportunities to discover and admire the natural beauty of Quebec, starting with the national parks and wildlife reserves. In addition to educational activities, such as discovery activities, you can paddle on huge bodies of water, go mountaineering and backcountry expeditions, climb rock faces or via ferrata, or go canyoning. The latter two have become very popular in Quebec and many companies have made them their specialty, such as Les Palissades de Charlevoix, Arbraska, Canyoning-Québec or Eskamer Aventure. To go underground, we recommend the Lusk Cave located in the Gatineau Park in the Outaouais region and the Parc le Trou de la Fée in Lac-Saint-Jean. In addition, there are interpretation centers and regional museums for the theoretical aspect.
