List of municipalities in Quebec

Quebec is the second-most populous province in Canada with 8,164,361 residents as of 2016 and is the largest in land area at 1,356,625 km² (523,796 sq mi).[1] In 2016, Quebec's 1,108 municipalities covered 37.7% of the province's land mass yet were home to 99.3% of its population.[2][3]

Location of Quebec in Canada

The Government of Quebec's Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Land Occupancy recognizes seven types of municipalities – cities (cités), towns (villes), villages (villages), parishes (paroisses), townships (cantons), united townships (cantons unis), and municipalities (municipalités).[2] All municipalities (except cities), are functionally and legally identical. In some cases, the designation serves to disambiguate between otherwise identically-named municipalities. Municipalities are governed primarily by the Code municipal du Québec (Municipal Code of Québec, R.S.Q. c. C-27.1),[4] whereas cities and towns are governed by the Loi sur les cités et villes (Cities and Towns Act, R.S.Q. c. C-19)[5] as well as (in the case of the older ones) various individual charters.

Of Quebec's 1,108 municipalities, 652 or 59% of them are simply "municipalities". Among the remaining 456, there are 227 towns, 43 villages, 142 parishes, 42 townships, and 2 united townships. Despite still being a legal municipal status, there are no longer any cities in Quebec.

In 2016, 21% of Quebec's population resided in Montreal, its largest municipality. Saint-Louis-de-Gonzague-du-Cap-Tourmente is Quebec's smallest municipality with a population of 0.[3] The largest municipality by land area is Eeyou Istchee James Bay at 297,355.46 km² (114,809.58 sq mi), while the smallest by land area is Notre-Dame-des-Anges at 0.04 km² (0.015 sq mi).[3]

Types of munipalities

Towns

Quebec has 227 towns (French: villes) that had a cumulative population of 6,827,286 in the 2016 Canadian Census.[2][3] Quebec's largest and smallest towns by population are Montreal and L'Île-Dorval with populations of 1,704,694 and 5.[3] Quebec's largest and smallest towns by land area are La Tuque and L'Île-Dorval with 25,112.41 km² (9,695.96 sq mi) and 0.19 km² (0.073 sq mi).[3]

Villages

Quebec has 43 villages that had a cumulative population of 44,067 in the 2016 Canadian Census.[2][3][6] Quebec's largest village is Val-David with a population of 4,917, while Kingsbury is province's smallest village with a population of 138.[3] Quebec's largest and smallest villages by area are Baie-Trinité and Lac-Poulin with land areas of 424.38 km² (163.85 sq mi) and 0.88 km² (0.34 sq mi).[3]

Parishes

Quebec has 136 parishes (French: paroisses) that had a cumulative population of 142,373 in the 2016 Canadian Census.[2][3][6] Quebec's largest and smallest parishes Notre-Dame-du-Mont-Carmel and Saint-Louis-de-Gonzague-du-Cap-Tourmente with populations of 5,751 and 5.[3] Quebec's largest and smallest parishes by land area are Saint-Alexis-des-Monts and Notre-Dame-des-Anges with 1,048.39 km² (404.79 sq mi) and 0.04 km² (0.015 sq mi).[3]

Townships

Quebec has 42 townships (French: cantons) that had a cumulative population of 45,333 and in the 2016 Canadian Census.[2][3][6] Quebec's largest and smallest townships by population are Shefford and Ristigouche-Partie-Sud-Est with populations of 6,947 and 171.[3] Quebec's largest and smallest townships by area are Nédélec and Bedford with land areas of 374.10 km² (144.44 sq mi) and 31.98 km² (12.35 sq mi).[3]

United townships

Quebec has two united townships (French: cantons unis). Stoneham-et-Tewkesbury, the larger united township, had a population of 8,359 in the 2016 Canadian Census, while Latulipe-et-Gaboury had a population of 295.[3]

Municipalities

Quebec has 658 municipalities that are simply designated "municipalities" (French: municipalités). They had a cumulative population of 1,037,909 in the 2016 Canadian Census.[2][3][6] Quebec's largest and smallest municipalities are Sainte-Sophie and Saint-Benoît-du-Lac with populations of 15,690 and 32.[3] Quebec's largest and smallest municipalities by land area are Eeyou Istchee James Bay and Howick with 297,355.46 km² (114,809.58 sq mi) and 0.97 km² (0.37 sq mi).[3]