Difference between revisions of "Quebec"

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Revision as of 21:59, 15 June 2008

Hitchhiking in Chalevoix, Quebec

Quebec is the largest province of Canada and the second in population. The official language is French with its local dialect while English is in minority and more widely spoken by the border areas. English is known at a certain level by the population, most often by the young generation or the people working in constant contact with foreigners. Surprisingly as it may sound, for the majority of the population, English is rarely of daily use. The daily life, economical life are all lived in French and the size of the province has enable the fact that one can travel great distance without even having to speak English. Most commonly, a person has simply not used their English in such a long time and gets so suddenly surprised to be aboard in English that they don't find their words anymore, which will be even more of a fact in the rural areas while the elderly are simply more used to speak in their old local dialect which are about to become extinct.

The province is bordered by Ontario to the West, the United States to the South (New-York/Vermont/New Hampshire and Maine), New Brunswick to the South-East and Labrador (NewFoundLand) to the East.

The vast majority of the population (and therefore the cities) are located in the southern part of the province by the shore of the St-Lawrence River. Québec is the Capital and administrative centre of the province also being the historic gateway to the northern part of the continent, it is the second city of Quebec and the seventh of Canada in term of population.

Montreal is the main economical centre and the second city of Canada in term of population with a population above 3 milions.

The third biggest city of the province, Trois-Rivières, is located half way between Quebec city and Montreal on the north shore of the St-Lawrence, being another historic city that has mainly follow an industrial path in its development.

Sherbrooke, Gatineau-Hull, Drummondville, Chicoutimi and Rimouski are also important regional cities usually located outside the St-Lawrence river vallee corridor of Quebec-Montreal.

The cities and towns are usually well sprawled and crossing them can often be a pain if you are left at the beginning or downtown and want to avoid local traffic. As peripherical ways are usually inexistant, it might be worth (although not best) to try along to stick to the main commercial road crossing the town, usually trying up at the local petrol station.

The province is divide into Administrative regions (by the government and by Touristic Agency), which regions are subdivided into Urban area and Rural Counties, the urban area being usually the main Service Centre for a vast area. The urban areas are usually divided into boroughs which popular names usually differs from the 'official names' imposed by the government. The Rural counties are divided into municipalities.


Local attitude towards hitching

In the majority of the province (Montreal Metropolitan Area excepted), hitch-hiking is well accepted and commonly used for local distance. In the countryside, it will be common for the people to pick a hitch-hiker for a couple of km further to the next village as it is seen as a local way of transportation since public transit is non-existant, most of these people will also belief that you might be the child of one of their neighbour and feel they have some community responsability towards the person standing. Less to say that they might be surprised to notice they picked a foreigner and quite flattered and happy by this sudden encounter as it is not an everyday event in the majority of the province.

Long distance travelling will usually end up being something reserved to some major destination (such as Quebec-Montreal) as otherwise most of the destinations are not direct. This said, the scale of the country and perception of what is local and what is long distance might surprise people, 30km is a neighbour while up to 100km is still local.

Approaching people to ask for a lift is not common as standing with the thumb up is usually the main representation of searching for a lift, so many people might got surprised by the request. It won't be perceived as negative but just as simply uncommon.

Hitch-hiking a truck will usually be less common for the reason mentionned above, that the majority of the hitch-hiker are usually travelling short distance or heading into cities. Truck drivers usually stick to the main 'governement number road' or highways and rarely adventures themself into the cities. The uses of CB radio is well spread, therefore catching a ride with a truck driver could means that he can contact its surrounding to find you another lift further away.

This said, even if people are well receptive to hitch-hiker (elderly and women included), encounting red neck behaviour while standing along the road (ie. being yelled at, honked or fingered) will also happen simply as people are bored and you became an easy target to a prank. In another situation those very same people would probably react totally kindly and receptive if you would approach them at a Service-Station.

Road and Highway network

The numerous provincial roads follows a grid pattern where the even number marks the roads heading East-West, while the uneven indicate a road heading North-South.

The main highway vectors are the A-20 (Transcanadian Highway) which goes East-West from the border of Ontario through Montreal until the border of New Brunswick passing on the south shore of the St-Lawrence river.

Highway A-40 follows the same path on the north shore of the St-Lawrence, going through Trois-Rivières and ends up in Quebec city. The connection between those two main highways can only be made through one of the few bridges crossing the St-Lawrence at few specific points.

This is possible either:

For a more exhaustive description of it see the provincial highway page.

Cities

Border Crossing to the United States

Look over Quebec for more details

Look over Montreal for more details

Look also Monteregie for more details regarding the Rural Crossings West of Lacolle

Look over Sherbrooke, St-Jean sur Richelieu and St-Armand for more details

Places of interest

A vibrant cosmopolitan metropole with historic quarter.

North America's oldest and only fortified city, the heart of the former French American Colony, surrounded by National Parks and Waterfalls to trek around for days.

  • Charlevoix:
    • National Park
    • Area of Natural Beauty (Landscape and historic)

The Mega Meteoritic crater area of Charlevoix has given a particular landscape of high mountains meeting the St-Lawrence, one of the first North American 'Cottage Country' area. One of Canada's top five!

  • Gaspesie:
    • Perce Rock
    • Appalachian Mountain Range and National Park
    • Area of Natural Beauty (Landscape)

Another majestic rural area where the Appalachian Mountain range start while meeting the sea, plenty of historical settlements and panorama.

  • Laurentides:
    • Laurentide hills and Mont-Tremblant
    • Area of Natural Beauty (Landscape and fishing)

Montreal's northern playground, with loads of trekking, outdoors activities and backcountry possibilities in a typical East Canadian Landscape, to visit during the Indian Summer!

  • Saguenay Fjord:
    • Whale watching
    • National Park and Marine National Park
    • Area of Natural Beauty (Landscape)

Just East of Charlevoix, the picturesque area continues into this large fjord where whale watching is even possible from the shoreside.

  • Eastern Township (Estrie) - Sherbrooke area:
    • Area of Natural Beauty (Landscape and historic)


Provinces and Territories of Canada