QUEBEC CITY -- HISTORY

Quebec City is Canada's oldest city, founded by Samuel de Champlain in 1608. Its name was an adaptation of the Algonquian word meaning 'the river narrows here' -- Champlain chose this spot for the settlement because the high cliffs and narrowing of the St. Lawrence River offered excellent natural and strategic defences.

While regarded as the centre of New France, the growing North American empire of the French, the colony struggled. The harsh climate combined with the rough terrain failed to…