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Quebec City
Quebec City, Quebec, founded in 1608, population 549,459 (2021 census), 531,902 (2016 census). Quebec City, the capital of the province of Quebec, is located on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River where it meets the Rivière Saint-Charles. Here, the St. Lawrence narrows to a width of just over 1 km, and navigation is made difficult by a group of islands, the largest of which is Île d'Orléans. Cap-Diamant, a promontory with an elevation of 98 m, dominates the site and was used effectively as a fortification, earning Quebec City the name "Gibraltar of North America." The name "Quebec" is probably derived from an Algonquian word meaning "narrowing of the river."