 Located away from the capital of the nation, the city is the economic, social and cultural metropolis of the region.A number of major regional institutions, like Université du Québec à Rimouski, the cégep de Rimouski, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rimouski, the courthouse, the federal and provincial public administration, the seat of a number of companies and the regional hospital of Rimouski, the most important hospital centre of eastern Quebec, are located there.With a population of 47,687 inhabitants in 2012, this new city created in 2002, as part of the municipal reorganizations which occurred across Quebec.