The city of Montreal is located in the province of Quebec in Canada. It is the largest city in the province, and the second largest in Canada. The city was originally called Ville-Mary, or translated the City of Mary. The city is named in honour of the triple peaked hill in the centre of the city.
Montreal has a population or almost 1.7 million, and takes up 4,259 square kilometres of land. The greater metro area has a population of almost 4 million. The city itself is located on the Island of Montreal, which is neighboured by some other smaller islands.
The primary language spoken in Montreal is French, with almost 57% of the population using it as their native tongue. English accounts for nearly 19% of the population. In the greater metropolitan area however, the statistics change somewhat with nearly 68% of the population speaking French and 16.5% that speak English. Overall, 56% of the population are able to speak both languages, making it one of the most bilingual cities in Canada. Outside of Paris, Montreal is the largest French speaking city in the world.
Montreal is a key commerce centre for tourism, gaming, pharmaceuticals, aerospace, film, culture, design, finance, and technology. The city has also received rankings in recent years as being the tenth best place in the world to be a university student.
Montreal certainly has its share of sister cities, with a staggering 24 of them being Algiers in Algeria, Amsterdam in the Netherlands, Beersheba in Israel, Brussels in Belgium, Bucharest in Romania, Busan in South Korea, Casablanca in Morocco, Hanoi in Vietnam, Hiroshima in Japan, Nashik in India, Lyon and Paris in France, Managua in Nicaragua, Manila in the Philippines, Milan and Rome in Italy, Moca in the Dominican Republic, Port au Prince in Haiti, San Salvador in El Salvador, Shanghai in China, Tunis in Tunisia, Santo Andre in Brazil and finally Yerevan in Armenia.
Montreal will also not disappoint when it comes to attractions, it is famous for landmarks such as Notre Dame Basilica, the Old Port of Montreal, La Ronde, Mount Royal, Saint Joseph's Oratory, Mary Queen of the World Cathedral, the Montreal Botanic Garden, the Pointe a Calliere Museum, the Notre Dame de Bon Secours Chapel, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the Olympic Stadium, the Montreal Biosphere, the Aldred Building, Chateau Ramezay, Bonsecours Market, the Montreal Insectarium, the Bell Centre, the Casino de Montreal, the Christ Church Cathedral, the Lachine Canal, the St. James United Church, the Montreal Planetarium, the McCord Museum, Habitat 67 and the Mount Royal Cemetery.
