Quebec City

Quebec City (in French: Québec; corporate legal name Ville de Québec), is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec. Quebec's Old Town (Le Vieux-Québec), the only North American fortified city north of Mexico whose walls still exist, was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985. The city, following the 2002 merger with several former surrounding municipalities, has a population of 528,595, while the metropolitan area has a population of 682,757 (2004).

To differentiate between Quebec the city and Quebec the province, the city is commonly referred to as Quebec City in English. In French, because of the use in French of articles before proper nouns, the province is called le Québec ("in Quebec" = au Québec) while the city is simply Québec without the le. "In Quebec City" is à Québec. The city is called Québec (with an acute accent) by both the provincial and federal governments in both languages. The official legal, corporate name of the city is "Ville de Québec" in both languages.

Quebec City is known for its Winter Carnival and the Château Frontenac, a hotel which dominates the city skyline. The Assemblée nationale du Québec (provincial parliament), the Musée national des beaux-arts du Quebec (Museum of Fine Arts) and the Museum of Civilization are found within or near Vieux-Québec.

Among the tourist attractions in the area are Montmorency Falls near the borough of (Beauport) and the Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré in the town of Beaupré.