Montreal

Montreal is the <a href="/facts/List_of_towns_in_Quebec/R1khRkXj">largest city</a> in the <a href="/facts/Provinces_and_territories_of_Canada/k3o89TLx">province</a> of <a href="/facts/Quebec/4hhNvb4t">Quebec</a>, the <a href="/facts/List_of_the_largest_municipalities_in_Canada_by_population/hxxT2PPH">second-largest</a> in <a href="/facts/Canada/D5P9yqs6">Canada</a>, and the <a href="/facts/List_of_North_American_cities_by_population/4S1qlyvF">ninth-largest</a> in <a href="/facts/North_America/djNjCQIl">North America</a>. It was founded in 1642 as <a href="/facts/Fort_Ville-Marie/W6e88AW5">Ville-Marie</a>, or "City of Mary", and is now named after <a href="/facts/Mount_Royal/kzkXs8Uf">Mount Royal</a>, the triple-peaked mountain around which the early settlement was built. The city is centred on the <a href="/facts/Island_of_Montreal/Dt7tBIbI">Island of Montreal</a> and a few, much smaller, peripheral islands, the largest of which is <a href="/facts/%25C3%258Ele_Bizard/0bB9o7wt">Île Bizard</a>. The city is 196 km (122 mi) east of the national capital, <a href="/facts/Ottawa/x5FkqX7F">Ottawa</a>, and 258 km (160 mi) southwest of the provincial capital, <a href="/facts/Quebec_City/l8pftRQK">Quebec City</a>.
As of the <a href="/facts/2021_Canadian_census/eswC1hxC">2021 Canadian census</a> the city had a population of 1,762,949, and a <a href="/facts/Census_geographic_units_of_Canada/aWwNRbYG">metropolitan</a> population of 4,291,732, making it the <a href="/facts/List_of_census_metropolitan_areas_and_agglomerations_in_Canada/2WnG6eRe">second-largest</a> metropolitan area in Canada. <a href="/facts/French_language/qe1DnaQh">French</a> is the city's official language. In 2021, 85.7% of the population of the city of Montreal considered themselves fluent in French while 90.2% could speak it in the metropolitan area. Montreal is one of the most <a href="/facts/Bilingualism/WgzhSW6h">bilingual</a> cities in Quebec and Canada, with 58.5% of the population able to speak both French and English.
Historically the commercial capital of Canada, Montreal was surpassed in population and economic strength by <a href="/facts/Toronto/cnXH7881">Toronto</a> in the 1970s. It remains an important centre of art, <a href="/facts/Culture_of_Montreal/DK4u43za">culture</a>, literature, <a href="/facts/List_of_films_shot_in_Montreal/ujo9KqSH">film</a> and television, music, commerce, aerospace, <a href="/facts/Transportation_in_Montreal/TlVQEepy">transport</a>, finance, pharmaceuticals, technology, design, <a href="/facts/Education_in_Montreal/YnWgKLWD">education</a>, <a href="/facts/Tourism_in_Montreal/qbId51KY">tourism</a>, food, fashion, video game development, and world affairs. Montreal is the location of the headquarters of the <a href="/facts/International_Civil_Aviation_Organization/TzrL1mLr">International Civil Aviation Organization</a>, and was named a <a href="/facts/UNESCO/QSbkRv3o">UNESCO</a> <a href="/facts/Design_Cities_(UNESCO)/KSVfsgml">City of Design</a> in 2006. In 2017, Montreal was ranked the 12th-most livable city in the world by the <a href="/facts/Economist_Intelligence_Unit/c8ypqfFR">Economist Intelligence Unit</a> in its annual <a href="/facts/Global_Liveability_Ranking/oHJ4Nzhs">Global Liveability Ranking</a>, although its ranking slipped to 40th in the 2021 index, primarily due to stress on the healthcare system from the <a href="/facts/COVID-19_pandemic/0xTsh7Ut">COVID-19 pandemic</a>. It is regularly ranked as one of the ten best cities in the world to be a university student in the <a href="/facts/QS_World_University_Rankings/FC162Qmf">QS World University Rankings</a>. In 2018, Montreal was ranked as a <a href="/facts/Globalization_and_World_Cities_Research_Network/xdxbC98a">global city</a>.
Montreal has hosted numerous important international events, including the <a href="/facts/Expo_67/3Mjq5hEJ">1967 International and Universal Exposition</a>, and is the only Canadian city to have hosted the Summer Olympics, having done so <a href="/facts/1976_Summer_Olympics/rW7zYaeM">in 1976</a>. The city hosts the <a href="/facts/Canadian_Grand_Prix/n68KywAa">Canadian Grand Prix</a> of <a href="/facts/Formula_One/BwdePyWY">Formula One</a>; the <a href="/facts/Montreal_International_Jazz_Festival/evNkndcW">Montreal International Jazz Festival</a>, the largest jazz festival in the world; the <a href="/facts/Just_for_Laughs/VKyYzJo5">Just for Laughs</a> festival, the largest comedy festival in the world; and <a href="/facts/Les_Francos_de_Montr%25C3%25A9al/CsT1QjlA">Les Francos de Montréal</a>, the largest French-language music festival in the world. In <a href="/facts/Sports_in_Montreal/tBqJVlXG">sports</a>, it is home to multiple professional teams, most notably the <a href="/facts/Montreal_Canadiens/tK3Td6zc">Canadiens</a> of the <a href="/facts/National_Hockey_League/sLo4QAS8">National Hockey League</a>, who have won the <a href="/facts/Stanley_Cup/ud6WrXrI">Stanley Cup</a> a record 24 times.

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Montreal