Eastern Townships

45°28′53″N 71°40′04″W / 45.4814°N 71.6678°W / 45.4814; -71.6678

The Eastern Townships (French: Cantons de l'Est, pronounced [kɑ̃tɔ̃ də lɛst]) is a historical administrative region in southeastern Quebec, Canada. It lies between the St. Lawrence Lowlands and the American border, and extends from Granby in the southwest to Drummondville in the northeast. Its largest city is Sherbrooke. Since 1987, most of the area is within the administrative region of Estrie, which covers nearly 12,500 km² and is composed of eight regional county municipalities (MRCs) along with the city of Sherbrooke. With the exception of its eastern portion around Lake Mégantic and the upper Chaudière River, the region largely corresponds to the middle and upper basin of the Saint-François River, fed by major lakes such as Lake Memphrémagog, Lake Magog, Lake Massawippi, Lake Aylmer, and Grand Lake Saint-François.