Quebec 3New beginnings in a “New World” Founded in 1608 as a fur trading post, Quebec was located on the site of the ancient Iroquois village of Stadacona, whose inhabitants were left long before for unknown reasons. French explorer Samuel de Champlain chose the site because of its prime location, where the St. Charles River meets the St. Lawrence and the St. Lawrence narrows to about a mile wide. The undulating promontory rising abruptly from the river's edge provided an excellent topographical feature for defense purposes. In order to establish its own overseas colony in the "new world", France endeavored to establish a permanent settlement of its population in the Saint Lawrence Valley. Harris (2008) writes that "Quebec's existence reflected the needs of a French government that sought to centralize its colonial administration and concentrate its soldiers in a few well-defended sites, religious orders as administrative headquarters for their work and of merchants as permanent headquarters. bases of operations…” (p. 67). As the roles of administration, defence, religious establishment and merchants came together, they attracted many other sectors of society. Artisans, merchants, laborers and some manufacturers came to the newly settled village (Harris, p. 67). Quebec was now the center of French colonialism in North America, which lent itself to becoming the capital of New France. The center of French affairs in the Americas, Quebec became the administrative node of the colony of New France. The city became capital of the royal colony in 1663 because of its “deep-sea port and point of transition between sea and river navigation” (Harris, p. 67). It remained the capital of New France until 1763. In 1763, the French and...... middle of paper ......anada", according to its website, maintained one of its two head offices in Lévis. Lévis is a Quebec suburb located on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence where it was founded. The other main office is in Montreal where trading in international markets is more accessible. The company employs between 4,000 and 7,500 people in the CMA (WL, 2007). Works cited Desjardins. and In Who We Are. Extracted from http://www.desjardins.com/fr/a_propos/qui-nous-sommes/Fédération des marchés financiers du Québec. (2011). Employment levels in the CMAs of Quebec in the first quarter of 2011. Île-des-Soeurs, Quebec: www.fciq.ca/pdf/.../PDF.../11_04_2011-employment_in_rmr.pdfService Canada. (2011).Statistics Canada. (2011). Western Libraries. (2007). Canada's largest employers by city. London, Ontario: http://www.lib.uwo.ca/programs/companyinformationcanada/canadaslargestemployersbycity2007.html