Québec is North American by its geographic location, French by its language and civil code and British by its parliamentary system. Initially a French colony that was later ceded to England, Québec is one of Canada's founding provinces.

Since the early 20th century, some 700,000 immigrants from Europe, Africa, Latin America and Asia have become part of Québec society. Before that, Québec was composed primarily of settlers of French or British descent, in addition to its 11 First Nations peoples. The cultural diversity of recent years has given Québec a new face, one that is most visible in Montréal, the French-speaking capital of North America.