The St. Lawrence River connects the world’s largest freshwater system — the Great Lakes — with the Atlantic Ocean. Each second, 16,800 cubic metres of water flow out its mouth, making it Canada’s largest river.

For thousands of years, the Algonquin and Iroquois peoples have lived along its banks. From the 16th century onwards, the St. Lawrence served as a gateway for European settlers, explorers and fur traders. Habitants cultivated its shores in long narrow farms that gave each family access to the river.

Today, 80 per cent of the province’s residents live within the watershed, while half of all Quebecers rely on the St. Lawrence or its tributaries for their drinking water.

River otters, beluga whales and more than 100 species of fish live in the St. Lawrence River. Meanwhile, its sandbanks and river reefs provide a seasonal staging area for massive flocks of migratory birds, including almost all of the world’s snow geese.