
,Classical view on Montreal's skyline, shot from Redpath Silos, near Canal Lachine. 

Montreal, or Montréal in French, is the second-largest city in Canada and the largest city in the province of Quebec. 

Originally called Ville-Marie ('City of Mary'), some historians think the city takes its present name from the Mont Réal, the three-head hill at the heart of the city, whose name was also initially given to the island on which the city is located.

The official language of Montreal is French as defined by the city's charter. It is the second-largest French-speaking city in the Western world after Paris. 


In 2007, Montreal was ranked as the 10th cleanest city in the world.