MONTREAL

History:

"Discovered" in 1535 by Jacques Cartier, and founded more than a century later, in 1642, by a handful of French settlers determined to convert the native American Indians to Christianity, Montreal, today, numbers 3.4 million people of virtually every single nationality and creed on the planet.

Throughout its colourful history, Montréal has been in turn a French settlement, a British stronghold and a bilingual city. Today it is officially bilingual and proud of its status as the largest French-speaking city in North America and second-largest French-speaking city in the world. In fact, this is a wonderful example of a truly international city where newcomers feel right at home and visitors will always find someone who speaks their language.

The founders settled along the banks of the St. Lawrence River, the majestic river that brought them here. Today as you tour the Old Port and Old Montréal, you'll find that much of what they and their ancestors built has been lovingly preserved: graceful stone buildings, stately churches, cobblestone streets... Elsewhere, historic neighbourhoods are being restored so more people can live downtown, but it is being done very carefully so as to preserve the special character of each area.

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