Montreal, the capital of the province of Quebec, second-largest city in Canada. It is the second-largest French-speaking city in the world.

It is the metropolis of the province and was the most populous city in Canada for a century and a half. It is located in southwestern Quebec on Île de Montreal at the confluence of the St. Lawrence and Ottawa rivers. Montreal is a major industrial centre, commercial and financial metropolis, railway and maritime bridgehead, and one of the centres of francophone culture in North America. It is one of the world's great cities and enjoys international acclaim.

Montreal was a city of the interior, in contrast to Quebec City, which was the administrative capital and the main port where exchanges with France took place. Montreal soon became the great centre of the fur trade.

Education

Montreal, Quebec has the highest proportion of post-secondary students of all major cities in North America.

School boards are local democratic institutions that oversee preschool, elementary, secondary, adult academic and vocational training for both youth and adults on their assigned territory. Each school board in Quebec is governed by a council of commissioners all of whom are publicly elected through general elections which take place every four years.

Along with educating the population, their task also involves offering a variety of services to the community. They carry out a mission of prime importance, one which lies at the very heart of any community’s development.

There are a total of nine English public school boards in Quebec. Other boards in the greater Montreal area are

• Lester B. Pearson School Board (West Island)
• Riverside School Board (South Shore)
• The Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board (Laval)

Montreal is also have to some of the best universities in Canada.

Have a look at some of the list of universities in Montreal:

• McGill University
• University of Montreal
• Concordia University
• HEC Montréal
• Polytechnic School of Montreal
• School of Higher Technology - University of Quebec

Economy

Montreal's economy is the second largest in Canada. The city's port is the biggest inland port (a port that is not on the sea) in the world. Many large corporations have their main offices in Montreal. It also hosts many international organizations like ICAO, the World Anti-Doping Agency, and IATA. The city is home to four major Universities, welcoming students from all parts of Canada and from all over the world.

Montreal is also known for its cultural production sector. Because the city has many different buildings, movies are easy to film there. The circus troupe (group) Cirque du Soleil is from Montreal. The city is also known for its festivals, like the Montreal Jazz Festival and Just For Laughs.

Plcaes to visit in Montreal

• Mont-Royal
• Vieux-Montreal (Old Montreal)
• Jardin Botanique (Botanical Garden)
• Notre-Dame Basilica
• Oratoire Saint-Joseph (St. Joseph's Oratory)
• Parc Jean Drapeau
• Musée des Beaux Arts (Fine Arts Museum)
• Place des Arts
• Atwater and Jean Talon Markets
• St. Mary Queen of the World