Southeastern Quebec is a coastal region in Quebec with small towns and villages hugging the coast. It is east of Quebec City and south of the St. Lawrence River. The Gaspé is considered particularly scenic.

Regions

Bas-Saint-Laurent between the St. Lawrence River and northern Maine

Gaspé Peninsula rugged peninsula jutting into the Gulf of St. Lawrence

Cities

• 1 Gaspé
• 2 Matane
• 3 Percé
• 4 Rimouski
• 5 Rivière-du-Loup

Other destinations

• 1 Îles-de-la-Madeleine - the Magdalen Islands in the Gulf of St. Lawrence
• 2 Gaspésie National Park

Understand

This is the most "maritime" part of Quebec. It's economy and culture are, much like neighbouring New England or Atlantic Canada, heavily influenced by the sea. This area was first explored by Europeans (mainly people from the Basque-speaking region of France) hunting for whales, before later becoming a French-speaking agricultural settlement using the St. Lawrence River for transportation.

Nowadays, whale-watching, not hunting, is an important industry here along with fishing and farming.

Talk

French is the primary language of communication here, and you hardly hear any English spoken, although many younger people are bilingual.