Montreal

Montreal is the Métropole Quebec. Second more important agglomeration Canadian, Montreal constitutes a major center of the trade, international industry, culture, finance and businesses. Montreal accommodated the World Fair of 1967, the Olympic Games of summer of 1976 and the first gay Outgames world in 2006.

Regarded as the fourth French-speaking agglomeration of official language in the world, the town of Montreal occupies the second rank of the international agglomerations of French language, if one considers the proportion of his inhabitants who have the French like native tongue. It represents also the second Canadian agglomeration in importance and the only French-speaking metropolis in North America.

The island of Montreal is one of the 17 administrative areas of Quebec; its population approaches the 2 million inhabitants, while approximately 3,7 million people lives Large Montreal. Approximately 67 % of the population is Francophone (of culture and language French E), approximately 23 % are New Canadians and/or New Quebecer (of culture other than French E and English E), while 10 % are Anglophone S (of culture and language English E), making of Montreal a multicultural city.

Its name decides /m ɔ̃ʀeal/ , and /ˌmʌntɹiˈɒːl/ .

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Presentation

Montreal is located on the island same name, largest of the Archipel of Hochelaga, with the confluence of the Fleuve the St. Lawrence and Rivière of Outaouais. Upstream, the river of Outaouais is thrown in the Lac of the Two-Mountains, which itself flows in three rivers, of which the Rivière of the Meadows and the Fleuve the St. Lawrence which border the island of Montreal in north and the south, respectively. In fact, Montreal has more than 266 kilometers of banks.

The agglomeration is also composed of 75 islands and small islands, of which the island Jesus which form the town of Laval, the island Perrot, the island Bizard, the island of the Sisters, the island Sainte-Hélène and the island Notre-Dame.

The city holds its name of the immediate proximity of the Royal Mont, mountain and vast urban green area, today girds by the urbanization and carrying the image of the city.

Close to: 3607200 people live the metropolitan region of Montreal. The population of the island of Montreal is of some: 1850000 people and that of the city like such, a million and half.

In the south-east of the island, the Old man-Montreal constitutes the historical center and shelters many attractions, in particular the Old man-Port, the Place Jacques-Cartier, the town hall, the place of Weapons, and the basilica Notre-Dame.

The downtown area of Montreal conceals several modern Gratte-ciel the such 1000 Of Gauchetière, the 1250 Rene-Lévesque, the Tour CIBC, the Tour of the Stock Exchange. Most famous remainder the Place City-Marie, conceived by the architect Ieoh Ming Pei (1962) and who devoted the displacement of the downtown area in his current site. This cruciform tower is located above an underground shopping mall which constitutes the turntable of the underground city, one largest in the world, giving accesses to hundreds of trade, restaurants, offices and shops interior, like with the network of subway and the principal termini of transport, the whole with the shelter of the bad weather.

The Olympic Parc located in the east of the city includes/understands the Biodôme (modern museum and permanent laboratory in ecology), the Insectarium, and the Botanical garden, the second botanical garden in importance in the world after that of Kew, in England. The town of Montreal has also a Planétarium as well as a museum dedicated to water, the Biosphère. Many festivals are organized annually in Montreal.

With its merry district, the Village, the largest district of the kind in North America and one of largest in the world, Montreal is one of the poles of the merry life and lesbian in Canada. Montreal was chosen, between 1999 and 2000, in order to belong to the group sélect world merry capitals, including/understanding, in 1999, the towns of Montreal, Paris, Munich, Manchester, Sydney and in 2000, Amsterdam, Berlin, Manchester and Paris. In 2006, it accommodated the world first Outgames (Olympic Games LGBT).

Montreal is classified the 15th metropolis of the North America and the 77e in the world. In 2006, in Traveler' S Digest and AskMen.com classified Montreal better city where to live for its culture, its architecture, its history and its environment .

History

De Hochelaga with the draft of the furs

The strengthened village of Hochelaga, of the Iroquoiens of the St. Lawrence, was on the island at the time of the visit of Jacques Cartier in October 1535. He had baptized it “Mons realis” (royal Mount in Latin). At the 20th century, Archéologue S discovered artefacts making it possible to evaluate a human presence approximately 3000 to 4000 years before our era. However, at the time of the foundation of the town of Quebec by Samuel de Champlain the July 3rd 1608, it had there no more trace of the village of Hochelaga; its site remains unknown.

In 1615, Samuel de Champlain puts forward the idea of a new city on the Fleuve the St. Lawrence in order to promote the religion Catholique among the Indians of News-France.

The French settled there only the May 17th 1642, when a group of priests, nuns and colonists of the Société Notre-Dame of Montreal carried out by Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve founded the village of City-Marie. Among these colonizers, one notes Jeanne Mance which founded soon the Hôtel-Dieu of Montreal, the first hospital of North America.

In 1680, one counts 493 people in Montreal; 75 Paris iens, 68 Norman, 54 Aunis iens (La Rochelle), 35 Angevins, 34 Poitevins, 28 Mance with, 23 Saintonge board, 17 Bretons, 16 Percherons, 13 Angoumois, 12 Champenois and 10 Picards.

In August 1701: 1300 Amerindian S of the North-East of America met in Montreal (which counted then: 1200 inhabitants) to establish a peace between their various nations like with the French. The Great peace of Montreal, as was named this treaty, allowed the end of the hostilities handicapping the trade of the furs in News-France. At this same time, the city counts more than 2000 hearts.

The village grew thus and became an important center of the Traite furs. It was the starting point of the French exploration of the interior by explorers such Louis Jolliet, the Room, Vérendrye and Duluth. Wood ramparts are built as of 1725. In spite of the very powerful seism which took place the 16 seven 1732, the city continued to thrive and was thereafter strengthened towards 1740 and remains French until in 1760, when the Duke of Lévis goes to the British army ordered by Lord Jeffrey Amherst.

British colonial mode and industrialization

In 1759, the French city of Montreal counted more: 5000 hearts. After the British conquest of 1760, Montreal resembles much the provincial towns French. The bottom of population and the vast majority are French everywhere. But the people Francophone remain conquered people. The rich classes are for the majority English are. Although the French is the language almost universally spoken, the majority of the newspapers, the posters, and to the signs of the merchants French are in English.

The rapid growth of the city was accelerated by construction in 1824 of the Canal of Lachine, making it possible the ships to cross the Rapides of Lachine in the south of the island. The craft industry little by little yielded the place to a more thorough industrialization. Second half of the 19th century brought to it fast development of the railroad and the railway company of the the Canadian Pacific installed its head office in there 1880, making city the rail junction of Canada.

Between the epidemics and the large fires, Montreal, then the center of a vast back-country, developed a solid commercial middle-class then industrial, mainly English. It was however served by the political disturbances at the time of the Rébellion of the Patriots of 1837-1838. The Parlement of Canada-Plain the was located there between 1843 and 1849 before its fire by English rioters.

The strong development of the banks and other financial institutions at the same time gives the dash making it possible Montreal to become the Canadian financial center lasting all first half of the 20th century. Idea spread at federalists Québécois wants that come to power of freedom fighters with Montreal in second half of 20th century has deposed city of title of metropolis economic of Canada with profit of Toronto (Paul-Andre Lintel, Montreal, Boreal, 1992, political science), whereas the cause of this transfer to the dires of the Québécois freedom fighters is the development of the sea route of the St-Laurent, who will give place to a true economic boom in the Ontario of the Big lakes, like certain federal economic policies favorable to the rise of Toronto.

Contemporary international city

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The gradual displacement of the populations towards the west will complete the downgrading of Montreal during the following decades. An important industrial reorganization and a development of culture industries will give then a second breath to the city.

The international statute of the city was ensured by the World Fair of 1967, held at the same time as the celebrations of the 325e birthday of the city and by the Olympic Games of summer of 1976.

Dated January 1st 2002, the whole of the municipalities located on the island of Montreal, adding up a population of: 1871774 people, as on several peripheral islands which composed until now the Urban community of Montreal, were amalgamated by a law of the government of the Quebec to form the new town of Montreal.

Twenty-seven suburbs were thus integrated into the old city and transforms in districts, against the will of some of them, particularly of the anglophone suburbs of the western sector of the island.

After the election of a liberal government with Quebec, a referendum on the municipal défusions took place the June 20th 2004. On the 22 municipalities amalgamated in 2002 which obtained to have the behavior of a referendum on the défusion following the signature of registers, 15 voted to become again of the autonomous municipalities. That was granted to them dated January 1st, 2006, although with reduced capacities. The town of Montreal and the municipalities défusionnées are found within a council of agglomeration which manages competences of agglomeration (e.g.: organizes, firemen, water, economic development) and the défusionnées cities manage competences of proximity (leisures, public works, etc).

Historical events

In 1643 is set up the first cross on the Royal Mont by Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve, founder of the city, to achieve a wish which it had made with the Blessed Virgin after having requested for the stop of a flood devastator.
It is in the neighborhoods of 1740 that the fortifications of Montreal are built, replacing the old wood ramparts. Of 1804 with 1812 they are demolished, following the popular pressures. Nowadays remain only one mean portion of the ramparts, in particular with the park of Field-of-March and the Museum Point-with-Callière.
It is in 1925 that construction begins from the Pont Jacques-Cartier which is inaugurated on May 14th, 1930. A urban Légende wants that the four ends of the principal Travée, whose appearance their deserved the nickname of “Eiffel Towers”, were offered by the France. However, they were envisaged in the original plan.
the October 14th 1966 mark the inauguration of the Subway of Montreal.
In 1967 takes place the World Fair of Montreal, Ground of the Men.
In 1967, speech of Charles de Gaulle since the balcony of the Town hall. See the article of “free Quebec”.
In 1976, Montreal accommodates the XXIe Olympic Games of summer.
In 1980, Montreal accommodates the International Floral festivals on the sites of the islands Notre-Dame and Sainte-Hélène (from now on the Parc Jean-Flag).
In 1993, Montreal gains its last Coupe Stanley with the Canadian.
In 2004, the Expos play their last match with the Olympic stadium, before moving with Washington.
In 2005, Montreal receives the Championnats of the world of the watery sports of FINA.
In 2006, Montreal is the host of the first gay Plays Outgames.

Municipal administration

See also: List of the mayors of Montreal

The current mayor of Montreal east Gerald Tremblay, member of the Union of the citizens and the citizens of the Island of Montreal (UCIM).

The Councils and commissions

The Council of city

Executive committee

Raising directly of the Council of city, the Executive committee is in load of the preparation of various documents, the such budget or the local by-laws which are then subjected to the judgment of the Council of city. It is in load in particular of the granting of the contracts, the subsidies, the human and financial municipal building and provisioning, stock management.

The Councils of district

19, they consist of a mayor, also sitting at the Council of city, and in a minimum of five advisers (including the advisers of city). On the whole, the 19 districts include/understand 40 advisers of district. They are in load, locally, of town planning, the removal of the residual matters, the culture, the leisures, the Community development, the parks, the roadway system, the dwelling, human resources, the prevention of the fires, financial management and nontax tariffings.

Commissions of the council

The seven commissions of the council are in charge with the public consultations and the reception of the comments and the critics related to their work programme. They are above all the bodies of consultation, therefore nondecisional, contrary to the executive council. Their mission consists with well informing and clarifying the choice of the members of the council of city and supporting the participation of the citizens in the public debates. Each commission is made of seven to nine elected members (except for a representative of the government of the Quebec at the Commission on public safety), including a president and a vice-president.

Political parties

Source: Town of Montreal .

Districts

The Arrondissements of the town of Montreal form 19 territories constituting the town of Montreal:

Twinnings

Demography

The Metropolitan region of Montreal includes/understands a population of: 3635733 inhabitants (2005), according to Statistical Canada. This number includes the inhabitants of the neighbouring cities of Laval, Longueuil and of some other small municipalities. It is the more important 30e urban Aire of the Americas and the 77e universally.

Municipal fusions of 2002 reduced the number of these municipalities from 109 to 66. The town of Montreal as such includes/understands close to 1,5 million inhabitants since the défusions of January 1st 2006. This high number inhabitants justifies the fact that the town of Montreal has, with the town of Laval, its clean postal district, begin with the letter H .

Languages

Majority of the inhabitants of the metropolitan Community of Montreal (approximately 68,8 %) have French for native tongue, a considerable share (18,9 %) of the population is New Canadian, not having neither French nor English like source language while approximately 12,3 % are declared anglophone.

On the whole of the island of Montreal, the report changes whereas approximately 53 % of the population is declared French-speaking, 29 % allophone and 18 % anglophone. However, the majority of the citizens at the very least have a practical knowledge of the one of the two majority languages and the majority of the allophones have French or English like language second. Close to 53 % of Montréalais are bilingual French and English, 29 % of people speak only French and 13 % of Montréalais speak only English (especially concentrated in the west of the island of Montreal).

Certain people are not able to communicate in English French nor. The tendency that have the new immigrants to learn one from the two majority languages is accelerated since the introduction of the Charte of the French language during the Années 1970. The Italian , the German , the Portuguese, the Spanish , the Greek , the Yiddish but also the Arab , the Cantonese and the Hindi are also languages used in Montreal (due to immigration). The use of the French at the house, in general, progresses in the metropolitan Community of Montreal. The population Anglophone continued to decrease by 1996 with 2001. Its proportion passed from 13,7 % in 1996 with 12,8 % in 2001. The proportion of Francophones slightly increased during this quinquennial period, passing from 67,9 % with 68,1 %.

Immigration

The population of European origin is as a vast majority of French descent , Irish, English and Italy, always according to Statistique Canada. The four ethnicities in importance on the island of Montreal were, in 2001, the Canadians, (population established in Canada since several generations) with 55,7 % (: 1885085), French with 26,6 % (: 900485), the Italy NS with 6,6 % (: 224460) and Irish with 4,7 % (: 161235). In the town of Montreal, always in 2001, the descendants of French-speaking people or anglophone Canadian of ancestral identity, of French, Italy NS, Haiti ens, Chinese and Greek was in majority. Those identified as Canadian of identity known as ancestral, according to the law on the official languages of Canada, are mainly of French descent , Irish or English, or their families having elected residence on the territory since several generations. Often seen like a multicultural city, Montreal remains however the most homogeneous metropolis in North America.

Here the pattern of the settlement by skin color.

White: : 2886400 is 86,8 %;
Black: : 129705 is 3,9 %;
Arab: : 67830 is 2,0 %;
Asian S: : 56655 is 1,7 %;
Chinese: : 50115 is 1,5 %;
Multi-races: : 46900 is 1,4 %.
Persan (Iranians): : 9500 is 1% of the population

Religion

Celebrities

See also: List of people born in Montreal

Many personalities result from the agglomeration of Montreal. Among them, one can quote singers such as Leonard Cohen, Michel Rivard and Mylène Farmer, the Poète Emile Nelligan, the ex-First minister of Canada Pierre Elliott Trudeau, the player of Tennis Mary Pierce, the Astrophysicien and ecologist celebrates Hubert Reeves or the writer Saul Bellow, Nobel Prize of literature and celebrates it actor of the series Star Trek William Shatner.

Geography

Districts

See also: : Category: District of Montreal

In addition to the legal division of the city in districts, Montreal has various districts. They represent specific sectors of the city. Here are some:

the Center-South
Hochelaga-Maisonneuve
the Royal Mount and its neighborhoods
the small Italy
the Pointe Saint-Charles
Saint-Henri
the Pôle of the Rapids
the Chinese Quartier of Montreal
the Quartier of the Museum
the international Quartier of Montreal
the Latin Quarter of Montreal
the Old man-Montreal
the Red Light
the Point-with-Tremble
the Mount-Royal Plateau

Regional attractions

Starting from Montreal, some entertaining or tourist circuits are accessible. One counts among them mountains of the Laurentides, of which Mount-Trembling, an important ski station, the Wine trail of Estrie and the Mount Saint-Hilaire, recognized by UNESCO like the first Reserve of biosphere in Canada.

Metropolitan region

See also: Contenu= {{pdf}} See it [http://www.mamr.gouv.qc.ca/publications/cartotheque/RMR_Mun.pdf chart of the metropolitan region] of Montreal.

The metropolitan region of Montreal is the principal basin of population of Quebec, with about half (47 %) of the Québécois population, and the principal economic center of the province. It extends on close to: 4000 square kilometers, going to the town of Saint-Jerome in the North-West, the MRC (regional municipalities of county) of Roussillon and It Valley-of-Richelieu the in the east, of Vaudreuil-Soulanges in south-west until Lavaltrie in the North-East.

The metropolitan region includes/understands 65 municipalities and extends on five administrative areas: Montreal (totality), Laval (totality), Laurentides, Lanaudière and the Montérégie. The metropolitan Communauté of Montreal is an organization responsible for planning, dialog, coordination and financing in for the metropolitan region.

Economy

Statistics

In 2007, the Unemployment rate is of 6,8 % on the island of Montreal. The highest rates are in the districts of City-Marie, Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, Villeray-Saint-Michel-Park Extension, Verdun, South-west, Lasalle and Montreal-North.

The branches of industry of the population montréalaise (on the island) are:

Services with the production: 14,2 %;
Services of distribution: 9,2 %;
Services with consumption: 25 %;
Governmental services, of teaching and health: 20,8 %;
manufacturing Sector: 16,8 %;
Sector of construction: 2,7 %.

International organizations

The city has nearly 72 seats of international organizations, including 67 governmental organizations (ONG). Among those, one finds in particular:

the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), an agency of the the United Nations;
the International association of Air transport (IATA);
the World Agency Antidopage (AMA), an Olympic organization ;
the Statistical institute of UNESCO (RESULTING).

Culture and communications

Festivals and events

See also: List of the festivals and events in Montreal

Many festivals take place each year in Montreal. Taking into account the not very lenient winter, the majority of those take place during the summer period, the such International festival of Jazz of Montreal, the FrancoFolies of Montreal and the Festival Right to laugh. At the time of the Jazz festival, great sections of the streets of the downtown area are closed to leave room to external scenes, places of free spectacles, and with pedestrian circulation. The city also counts many musical and cinematographic festivals. One says that Montreal is the best city in Canada for the entertainments, thanks to the many activities which it offers.

Each Sunday of shone upon summer, a certain number of people meet for the Tam-tams of the mount Royal, go intercultural and musical very popular, in particular near the young people. The center of the gathering is the monument with Sir George-Etienne Cartier, with the Mount-Royal Parc.

Cultural places

Montreal is an important center of the Québécois Culture and is internationally recognized for its cultural effervescence. The cultural complex of the Place of Arts shelters the Musée of contemporary art and several theaters. It is the seat of the Opéra of Montreal and the Symphony orchestra of Montreal. This last should receive a room especially built on an adjacent site in the next years.

One finds in Montreal important a Culture of the coffees, a little on the model French. Indeed, contrary to the majority of the other university cities North-American, it is not rare to see students working in group in the coffees montréalais, especially with the accesses of the three university campuses of the downtown area.

Museums and theaters

See also: List of the museums and theaters of Montreal

The city has many museums since the museum of archeology and history of Montreal while passing by famous the Musée of the fine arts or the Musée Right Rire, without counting the many theaters whose list does not cease lengthening since about thirty years. Among those, one retains in particular the Théâtre St-Denis, the Théâtre of the Green Curtain or the Théâtre of the New World, founded in 1951.

Monuments

See also: List of the monuments of Montreal

The Monument S of the city refer mainly to one or the other of its cultures Francophone or Anglophone. The Société Notre-Dame of Montreal which founded City-Marie is commemorated by an obelisk located at the place of Youville and its principal founder, Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve, by a statue in the center of the place of Weapons.

The time of the French explorers is commemorated by the safeguarding of two their houses. That of Antoine Laumet of Mothe, sior of Cadillac, founder of the town of Strait to the the United States, is located at the angle of the Notre-Dame streets and the St. Lawrence. That of Rene Robert Cavelier of the Room, celebrates exploring area of the the Mississippi, is with the angle of the streets Saint-Paul and Saint-Pierre, in Old man-Montreal.

Claude de Ramezay, become governor of Montreal in 1704, was made build the following year a house which was going to become later the general headquarter of the army of invasion of the American rebels, thereafter a court of justice, as well as an educational establishment for finally becoming definitively a museum in 1895. The structure often was worked over again and increased, in particular the addition in 1903 of the turret which gives to the building its silhouette and the great restoration of the years 1970 which solidified the foundations. Located at the angle of the Notre-Dame streets and Saint-Claude, just opposite the town hall, the Musée of the Castle Ramezay is an important place of history montréalaise.

The passage to the British mode is commemorated by the column Nelson, one of the most discussed monuments city, located on the Place Jacques-Cartier and representing for some the aimings Impérialiste S Britannique S, as well as the statue of the queen Victoria, with the Square Victoria. A recall of the Canadian of formerly is on the Maison of the Patriot , street Saint-Paul in the Old man-Montreal. A monument with to sir George-Etienne Cartier, one of the fathers of the Canadian confederation, throne at the entry of the Mount-Royal Park.

The Catholicisme is also integral part of the culture montréalaise and Québécois. The Pietà, going back to 1855 and located in the Mausoleum Pietà of the Cemetery Our-Lady-of-Snows, which is a reproduction life size of the sculpture of Michel-Angel of the Basilique Saint-Pierre with the the Vatican.

Religious heritage

See also: List of the religious heritage of Montreal

The religion, which was the reason even of the foundation of the city, has in Montreal a rich and very complex past, being enriched with the passing of years by many beliefs, in addition to Catholicism. The city is indeed re-elected for its wealth of churches and temples of all denomination, which were worth to him at the 19th century the nickname of “city to the hundred bell-towers”.

Among the most important buildings historically, one finds in particular the Oratoire Saint-Joseph, the largest church dedicated to this saint in the world, the Chapelle Our-Lady-of-Good-Help, first church of Montreal as well as the Basilique Notre-Dame, the second larger church in America.

Others

Other important points of the cultural life montréalaise are the Agora of the dance, the Center commemorative of the Holocaust and Tohu, the City of Arts of the Circus.

Education

Montreal with the one of the highest proportions of students postsecondaires of all the big cities of North America, thanks to its four University S urban and at their affiliated schools. All things considered, its population coed is comparable with that of Boston (which is famous to comprise the greatest concentration of prizes winner of Nobel Prize in the world).

Although the universities are divided linguistically, the university Concordia, officially bilingual, comprises certain departments where it is possible to give of English or French work, although it is an anglophone university. The University of Montreal, French-speaking establishment, also makes it possible its students to give their work is in French or English. The university of McGill English language in addition offers also this service.

The official list of the educational establishments of the minister of education, the Leisure and the Sport. This tool allows the search and the creation for lists concerning the educational establishments of Quebec.

French-speaking universities

Two large French-speaking universities are located at Montreal. They are attended by of Montréalais, but also people of other areas of Quebec and Canada. Many students coming from a multitude of country choose to study in these French-speaking universities of international reputation. The Université of Montreal (UdM) is one of the ten large universities of Canada in addition to being most important of the Quebec. UdM is the first French-speaking university established in Montreal and the larger second in the world after the Sorbonne, in France. The Université from Quebec in Montreal (UQAM) comes to supplement the landscape of the French-speaking universities, and is affiliated with the Université of Quebec. Its principal house is located where the first French-speaking university of the city was created.

HEC Montreal (affiliated at the University of Montreal)
the Polytechnic school of Montreal (affiliated at the University of Montreal)
Hospital of the University of Montreal
School of design
School of languages
University of mode of Montreal
School of higher technology (ETS, affiliated with the University of Quebec)
National school of public administration (ENAP, affiliated with UQAM)
National institute of the scientific research (INRS, affiliated with the University of Quebec)

Anglophone universities

Two anglophone universities attract a big number of students of the the United States of America, in particular. Those are mainly responsible for the strong population coed of the district of City-Marie and the district of Our-Lady-of-Grace.

The University Concordia, of reputation more modern and opened with all, is officially bilingual: the pupils can give their work and make their English or French examinations. Concordia is usually expanding, with the construction and the acquisition of new buildings, of which the modern house of data processing, electronic engineering and arts, as well as the historical building of the old convent of the gray Sisters.

The University McGill, of more traditional reputation, is one of the oldest universities to the Canada. She is regarded as one of the Canadian universities most prestigious in the world, cash among the best universities of the North America and those of the world of Anglo-Saxon tradition. According to the in [[Times Higher Education Supplement]] , McGill is best the Canadian university and one of 25 the best in the world.

traditional District studying: the Ghetto McGill
Association with Marianopolis College for the program of music
University hospitals: Royal Hospital Victoria on the campus, belonging to CUSM

Others

The Grande Bibliothèque of Quebec is located in Montreal, including/understanding the collection of the National library of Quebec. It is located at the downtown area (district City-Marie), in the north of the Latin Quarter. Opened since May 3rd, 2005, it replaces the old library of the Rue Sherbrooke. In particular, level 3 contains the Collection Saint-Sulpice , built as from the year 1844. With such old works, it is in patrimonial matter and must thus be consulted on the spot. It grew rich with the passing of years by private collections, such those of Louis-Joseph Papineau and Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine.

Montreal also comprises several CÉGEP S, of the establishments of collegial level also offering professional trainings. See the List of the cégeps of Montreal.

Media

Transport

Montreal is a city where public transport is rather developed. Indeed, in 2002, close to 33 % of the active population stated to go to work by using this means of transport, 52,4 % used the car as drivers (4,3 % as a passenger), 8,2 % went there to foot while of 2 % of Montréalais preferred the bicycle. In 2006, the share of the car is of 68 %, that of public transport, 22 % and that of active transport (walk, etc), 10 %, according to ASSSM. The utilization ratio of public transport is weak compared to the Sweden (41 %) and with the Denmark or the Netherlands (46 %), but higher than with the the United States of America (7 %).

In terms of quality of the air, measured by the index IQA, the highway networks are responsible for 73 % of the emissions of Carbon monoxide, compared to 4 % for the planes. This relatively low rate for air transport is however due partly to the application of rather recent standards of ICAO. Always according to the ASSSM, mortalities due to the intense Smog they reach: 1500 per year and, the shortly after episodes of smog, the visits with the urgencies of the hospitals increase 22 %.

Airports

The city is served by two Aéroport S international:

the airport Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau (formerly the Dorval airport) for the transport of the passengers;
the airport of Mirabel for freight and the goods.

Subway

Railway network

Networks of trains long distance

VIA Rail, whose head office is located at Montreal, gets a service of rail-bound transport for passengers towards many other Canadian cities, inter alia worms the Ville of Quebec and Toronto.

Amtrak, the national railway network of the the United States, daily connects Montreal to New York with the Adirondack .

Network of suburban trains

Montreal is served by a network of suburban trains currently comprising five lines:

Montreal/Dorion-Stone;
Montreal/Two-Mountains;
Montreal/Blainville-Saint-Jerome;
Montreal/Mount-Saint-Hilaire;
Montreal/Delson-Candiac.

Five stations carry out the correspondence with the network of subway, that is to say the stations Lucien-The Allier, Vendôme, Bonaventure, Parc and of the Harmony.

The tariffs are established according to specific zones, going from 1 to 8. To use the suburban train, the users must secure themselves against a chart TRAIN or a ticket-train (zones 4 to 8). The users can also get a chart TRAM (zones 1 to 8) or a ticket (zones 1 to 3), giving in more one access to the buses and the network of subway of the town of Montreal.

The line Montreal/Repentigny-Mascouche, planned by AMT and the government of Quebec, is at present in construction in order to serve the residents of the North-eastern suburbs of Montreal. This new line will be inaugurated in 2010.

Patrimonial railway stations:

the central station, on the Boulevard Rene-Lévesque, indicated in 1995;
the Station Windsor, on the Street of Gauchetière, indicated in 1990.

Goods transport

The Peaceful Canadian Railroad (CFCP) and the Compagnie of the national railroads of Canada (CN) operate both of the services of goods transport bound for several cities of Canada and the the United States.

Bus

The network of bus of the town of Montreal is very developed and counts 169 lines of bus of day and 20 ways of night. The November 22nd 1919 mark the installation of the first line of bus in Montreal, on the street Saint-Etienne, is the old principal access to the bridge Victoria.

A shuttle operated by a private group ( the airbus ) connects the Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau airport to the downtown area of Montreal, via the central Station Berri-UQAM located on the boulevard of Maisonneuve Is, which is also the principal center of the arrivals and departures of bus since the various areas of Quebec, the Canada and the the United States.

See the plan of the whole of the network of STM.

Taxis

Montreal has more 420 stations of waiting and close to: 4445 cars of taxi, managed by twenty-three associations of services. Each year, nearly thirty-seven million displacements are thus carried out. On November 14th 2005, tariffing is of 3,15 $ basic, to which 1,45 is added; $ for each kilometer of displacement. Expenses of 0,55 $ per minute of waiting are also applicable.

There exists also a special tariffing for the airport Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau in the agglomerations A-5, A-11 and A-12, which consists of a contractual tariffing of 35 $ the race in the zones applicable and identified by the label affixed for this purpose.

Highway network

The island of Montreal comprises many important road axes. The Autoroute 640 is indicated like highway of deviation, making it possible to avoid crossing the city. However, it is not supplemented, since it is not attached to the principal highway, the 40, that at an end.

The Highway 720, dug directly in lower part of the skyscrapers of the financial district and the international district, is as well known under the name of City-Marie highway-tunnel. Its construction marked a big step of the history of the development of the downtown area of Montreal. It begins starting from the highway Décarie (15) in the west from the downtown area, makes it possible to avoid many fires of circulation of the heart of the city and leads in the east to the street Notre-Dame which skirts the river and carries out towards the port.

The December 22nd 2005, the government announced its intention to complete highway 25 until Laval using a public-private partnership, with the construction of a new bridge spanning the Rivière of the Meadows. This discussed advertisement is criticized by several, of which ecologists groups and the Town of Montreal which would rather wish to see the government investing in public transport.

Contrary to the remainder of the province and a good part of the North America, the turn on the right with red light is interdict on the whole of the island of Montreal.

Maritime transport

The wearing of Montreal, located in margin of the River the St. Lawrence at the south-east of the island, is the second port in importance in Canada after Vancouver, all confused categories and the first in terms of traffic of containers. It accommodates the oceanic ships as well as the more modest boats, bound for the Big lakes. In 2005, more than 35.000 passengers forwarded in Montreal on board cruising ships whereas the goods traffic added up nearly 19 million metric tons of goods.

Cycle network

Montreal has a modest cycle network, except in the south-west of the island (districts of LaSalle, of Verdun, the South-western, City-Marie of the Plate-Mount-Royal of Villeray-Saint-Michel-Park-Extension). The network montréalais is attached to the green road Québécois, cycle route which should extend, with its completion, on close to: 4300 km, which will make of it the greatest cycle route of America.

Among the most attended cycle tracks, one finds the cycle track of the banks, which connects the Verdun district to the western limits of Lachine, going along over all his length the North-South Fleuve the St. Lawrence or route, passing by the streets Christophe-Colomb, Boyer and Berri, to finish in the Old port of Montreal. The cyclists wishing to go on southern bank of Montreal can borrow the Pont Jacques-Cartier or the footbridge from the north of the bridge Victoria connecting the island of Montreal to the islands Sainte-Hélène and Notre-Dame, themselves connected to the town of Longueuil.

For a complete chart of the cycle network montréalais, to see Internet site of Quebec Bicycle.

Environment

Climate

The annual variations of temperature in the area of Montreal are of approximately 40 °C. The very varied climate inevitably makes integral part of the culture montréalaise.

The month of January is, with an average temperature of -10,4 °C, the coldest month of the year in Montreal while in July the average is of 20,9 °C, which makes some the hottest month. The lowest temperature ever observed is of -37,8 °C, the January 15th 1957. Highest, that is to say 37,6 °C, was observed the 1975. According to a study published the December 5th 2005 by the government of Quebec, the areas of the south-west of the province would have been heated considerably between 1960 and 2003, boxing a rise of the average temperatures of 1 with 1,25 °C, compared to a planetary average of approximately 0,6 °C.

Precipitations are abundant and regular all the year. It falls on average 2,14 meters of Snow each winter. The Orage S are frequent the summer, which makes some the season with the most precipitations, but also sunniest.

Moreover smaller precipitations of snow are usual at the end of spring. In the same way the be Indian is frequent with the autumn. The principal difference between the snow drifts in north of the France and in the south of the Quebec is due to the fact that snow tends to accumulate more for long periods in Quebec. This implies high costs of snow clearance, but also a higher ambient luminosity, i.e. urban landscapes with more contrasts (caused by the white of snow) that tons of gray uniforms.

Some rarer weather phenomena, the such northern lights and the magnetic storms occasionally take place in the area of Montreal, although they are more observed outside the city.

Adaptation to the climate

The underground Montreal (RÉSO), or interior city , is a popular urban alternative to the climatic extremes of the cold winter and wet summer. Indeed, Montreal has close to 30 km of underground pedestrian crossings allowing to go to the principal attractions and buildings downtown area (of the Center Bell until the Place of Arts) without never exposing itself to the bad weather. It would constitute one of the wide-area networks underground in the world.

These last years, a small number of initiatives were put before in order to spreading the concept of green Toit, urban ecological alternative which allows, with a percentage relatively relatively low of green roofs, significantly to decrease the temperature and atmospheric pollution inside a city.

Urban development

In 2004, the Town-planning of the town of Montreal was adopted by the municipal council. The document draws up the orientations of installation and development of the territory and presents the lawful parameters of the assignment of the ground and its load factor.

Fauna and flora

Montreal comprises a Flore and a diversified fauna of which, inter alia, the maple with sugar, persistent symbol of the city and the Quebec from the production of Maple syrup. The city has moreover an arboricolous rich person inheritance in his green areas, parks and in edge of its streets. It operates its own seedbed of production of trees adapted to its needs and the constraints of urban environment. The Municipal Seedbed of Montreal is located at the Assumption, a locality in the North-East of Montreal.

With several immense parks whose that of the Island Co.-Helene and Royal Mount (photo), several animals is put up with the urban life and resists the rigorous winter. Among most common, one finds squirrel S, Marmotte S, raccoons, Mouffette S, Coyote S, russet-red foxes, between 250 to 300 species of birds of which several of raptors and more than 80 fish species. Very little Montréalais knows it, but they also cohabit with more than one hundreds of stags of Virginia, beavers, Vison S, muskrats, bats, several Reptiles, etc urban fauna does not constitute a problem; it helps even the inhabitants to detect problems. When several birds died, much of people started to question itself on the toxicity of the pesticides on the lawns and on the Virus of the Western Nile transmitted by the Moustique S. As for the raptors, the coyotes, the foxes, they contribute to control the populations of small rodents.

Green areas

See also: List of the parks and green areas of Montreal

The city comprises hundreds of parks and other green areas. The park of the Mount-Royal is the most important green area of the Montreal and probably most known. Arranged in 1876 by Frederick Law Olmsted, which was in particular the landscape designer of the Central Park to New York, it has a surface of approximately 2 km ². The most important green areas of Montreal are:

important Parks:

Mount-Royal Park (1,90 km ²)
Park Jean-Flag (2,09 km ²)
Park Rene-Lévesque (0,14 km ²)
Complex environmental Saint-Michel (1,92 km ²)

important City parks:

Park of the Rapids (0,30 km ²)
Park Jarry (0,36 km ²)
Park of the Walk Bellerive (0,22 km ²)
Park Lafontaine (0,36 km ²)
Park Angrignon (0,97 km ²)
Park Maisonneuve (0,63 km ²)

Park-nature:

Cape Saint-Jacob (2,88 km ²)
Island-of-the-Visitation (0,34 km ²)
Point-with-Meadows (2,61 km ²)
Island Bizard (2,01 km ²)
Wood-of-Jubilation (1,59 km ²)
Handle-with-the Elm (0,88 km ²)

Notable events related to the environment

July 14th, 1987: the Flood of Montreal which submerges the metropolis with 100 mm of rain in 2 hours.
: signature of the Protocol of Montreal, which aims to regulate and possibly to eliminate the substances impoverishing the layer from ozone (SACO);
January 4th, 1998: beginning of the Storm of glaze of 1998, which partially will paralyze the city during a few weeks;
November 28th, 2005: 180 countries meet in Montreal to discuss the Climate change and in particular after Protocole Kyōto.

Sports

Sports events

Olympic Games:

the Olympic Games of summer of 1976.

Automobile race:

Grand Prix of Canada, the series Formula 1 (Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve);
Molson Indy of Montreal, the series Champcar (Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve);
Nascar Busch Series (Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve).

Cycling:

Swimming:

XI^e Championships of the world of swimming 2005 FINA of the 17 at July 31st, 2005.

Tennis:

Masters de Tennis of Canada.

Plays of Quebec:

Montreal accommodated the Jeux of Quebec during the winters 1972, 1977, 1983 and the summers 1997 and 2001.

Outgames world:

Montreal accommodated the world first Outgames merry of the July 29th at August 5th, 2006 under the name of Rendez-vous Montreal 2006 .

Professional sporting teams

Current professional franknesses:

Last professional franknesses:

Clubs last amateurs having gained a championship:

Sporting clubs

Club of Canoe-kayak of Montreal
Association of ultimate of Montreal
SHOCK: League hockey cosom friendly of Montreal

Tourism

Montreal received 7,3 million tourists in 2005. Those generated incomes of 2,5 billion dollars. Tourism industry employed 71.700 people, in 2005.

Heraldic

Of money to the cross of mouths confined:

with 1st of a flower of lily of azure;

with 2nd of a pink of mouths tigée, broken into leaf and pointed sinople;

with 3rd of a thistle of crimson stem and broken into leaf of sinople;

with 4th of a sinople clover.

Stamped of a beaver laid down on share with the naturalness.

the ecu surrounded by a rinceau of sinople maple sheets.

Description

Places and communes in France

Montreal is also the name of several places, including seven communes in France. Claude de Pontbryand, wire of the lord of Montreal (today in the Gers), accompanied Jacques Cartier in 1535. This curious coincidence does not show however a possible origin gersoise name of Montreal.

Municipalities bordering

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