3rd July: Quebec

On this date in 1608, French explorer Samuel de Champlain built a wooden fort and a fur trading post at the location where another French explorer, Jacques Cartier, had landed in 1535. The settlement grew into the City of Quebec, the oldest French speaking community in North America. 10 things you might not know about Quebec.

1. The name of the city derives from an Algonquin word, “Kebec” which means “where the river narrows”.
2. It is the only city in North America to have walls. 4.6km of city wall, to be exact.
3. About 95% of the people who live in Quebec are native French speakers. Only 1.5% have English as their first language. Over a third of the people can speak both languages.
4. On average, for 149 days of the year, Quebec will be covered in at least an inch of Snow. Around 124 inches/316cm of snow fall each year. An ice hotel, Hotel de Glace, is built there every year, using 400 tons of ice.
5. Because it is located at the meeting point of two rivers, the St Lawrence and the St Charles river, the city itself is fairly flat. The Laurentian Mountains lie north of the city, though, so there is Skiing to be had.
6. The Chateau Frontenac Hotel holds the Guinness World Record for the most photographed hotel in the world.
7. Another famous building is the cathedral, Notre Dame de Quebec. It was the first church in the New World to be made a basilica, and the only North American church to have a Holy Door (a door which is concreted shut except in Jubilee years).
8. Quebec has at least one signature dish. Poutine is French Fries, gravy and cheese curds.
9. It's the capital of the province of Quebec, so one of the mainstays of its economy is public administration. Others are defence, transport and tourism.
10. Quebec City is twinned with Calgary in Canada and Bordeaux in France.