Claim: Quebec's southern region is sparsely populated.

Quebec -LRB- pronounced -LSB- audio = En-Quebec . ogvkwᵻˈbɛk -RSB- or -LSB- kəˈbɛk -RSB- Québec -LSB- kebɛk -RSB- -RRB- is the second-most populous province of Canada and the only one to have a predominantly French-speaking population , with French as the sole provincial official language .   Quebec is Canada 's largest province by area and its second-largest administrative division ; only the territory of Nunavut is larger . It is bordered to the west by the province of Ontario , James Bay , and Hudson Bay ; to the north by Hudson Strait and Ungava Bay ; to the east by the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the province of Newfoundland and Labrador ; and to the south by the province of New Brunswick and the US states of Maine , New Hampshire , Vermont , and New York . It also shares maritime borders with Nunavut , Prince Edward Island , and Nova Scotia .   Quebec is Canada 's second-most populous province , after Ontario . Most inhabitants live in urban areas near the Saint Lawrence River between Montreal and Quebec City , the capital . Approximately half of Quebec residents live in the Greater Montreal Area , including the Island of Montreal . English-speaking communities and English-language institutions are concentrated in the west of the island of Montreal but are also significantly present in the Outaouais , Eastern Townships , and Gaspé regions . The Nord-du-Québec region , occupying the northern half of the province , is sparsely populated and inhabited primarily by Aboriginal peoples . The climate around the major cities is four-season continental with cold and snowy winters combined with warm to hot humid summers , but further north long winter seasons dominate and as a result the northern areas of the province are marked by tundra conditions . Even in central Quebec at comparatively southerly latitudes winters are severe in inland areas .   Quebec independence debates have played a large role in the politics of the province . Parti Québécois governments held referendums on sovereignty in 1980 and 1995 ; both were voted down by voters , the latter defeated by a very narrow margin . In 2006 , the House of Commons of Canada passed a symbolic motion recognizing the `` Québécois as a nation within a united Canada . ''   While the province 's substantial natural resources have long been the mainstay of its economy , sectors of the knowledge economy such as aerospace , information and communication technologies , biotechnology , and the pharmaceutical industry also play leading roles . These many industries have all contributed to helping Quebec become an economically influential province within Canada , second only to Ontario in economic output .