Montreal

From Wikipedia, a free encyclopedia written in simple English for easy reading.

Montreal (colored in red) in the province of Quebec (in white)

Montreal boroughs (in green) on the Island of Montreal (in grey), 2006

Montreal (spelled Montréal in French) is a city in the country of Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec and the second-largest city overall in Canada.

Montreal is built on an island sitting in the Saint Lawrence River. More than three million people live in and around the Montreal metropolitan area. At the center of Montreal lies a mountain called 'Mount Royal', which is almost entirely part of a large city park.

Most of the people who live in Montreal speak French, but English is commonly spoken as well.

[edit] History

The origin of the name 'Montréal' is derived from Mons realis, which means 'Mount Royal' in latin.

Montreal has always played a very important part in the history and development of Canada, and continues to be a large Canadian industrial and commercial center, as well as a major sea port (via the Saint Lawrence River). It once was the largest city in Canada, before Toronto grew to be larger.

Montreal is a very historical and culturally interesting place for visitors. One can visit the Old City in horse drawn carriages, where many buildings from the earliest years are standing proud, all of which is a constant reminder (and source of inspiration) to describe a lot about the way of life that started in the New World, when Montreal was just a fur trading outpost belonging to France over 350 years ago.

[edit] Economy

Many large corporations have their main offices in Montreal. The city is home to four major Universities, harbouring students from all parts of Canada and from all over the world.

[edit] Culture

Downtown area seen from across the Saint Lawrence River

Montreal features many beautiful churches (Montreal is referred locally as 'the city of the hundred churches'), including the largest church in Canada, and also many important art, history, and science museums. You can also visit the location of the 1967 World's Fair, where today, among numerous other attractions, one will find the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve Formula One automobile race course. Also of interest is the site where the 1976 Summer Olympic Games were held, including the modern architecture of the Olympic statium (the 'Big O') and its tall inclined observation tower (the highest inclined tower in the world); now a hallmark of the Montreal landscape.

A lot of Montrealers are interested in hockey, with Montreal's professional hockey team, the Montreal Canadiens, being probably the most famous in the world.

To many people, Montreal is both beautiful to live in and to visit, day and night.