Quebec cannot be generalized, typified or characterized by any common means. In many ways, it is a province of dichotomies that is truly unlike any other location in North America or even the world. Quebec's culturally diverse population is highly skilled in both the practical sensibilities of business as well as the recreational art of living. Their entrepreneurial flair and know-how is equally balanced by their leadership role in the global marketplace. Indeed, this combination of disparities resonates throughout every aspect of the province of Quebec, from its distinctly European culture to its burgeoning economy.

Covering a surface area of approximately one million square miles, Quebec shares a common border with the American states of New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine as well as the Canadian provinces of Ontario and New Brunswick. Its total population of 7.4 million inhabitants is mainly concentrated in the southernmost regions in the urban centers of Montreal, Laval, Quebec City, Hull and Sherbrooke. From these locations, Quebec-based companies have access to a pool of over 100 million consumers within a 600 mile radius of Montreal. As a result, New York, Boston, Toronto, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington DC have all become key trading partners for Quebec's business community.