Montréal, located in southwestern Québec, is the metropolis of the province and was the most populous city in Canada for a century and a half.

It is situated on Île de Montréal, the largest in the Hochelaga Archipelago, at the confluence of the St-Lawrence and Ottawa rivers. The city occupies a strategic location on one of the world's greatest rivers, at the heart of a hydrographical system covering all of eastern North America.

A major industrial centre, commercial and financial metropolis, railway and maritime bridgehead, and home of francophone culture in North America, Montréal is one of the world's great cities and enjoys international acclaim. Since 1870 the urbanized area has been steadily overflowing the limits of the city proper, despite numerous annexations of suburban municipalities. In 1996 the census metropolitan area (pop 3 326 510) included approximately 103 different municipalities, the largest being Montréal (1 016 376); Montréal-Nord (81 581); La Salle (72 029); SAINT-LÉONARD (71 327) and Saint-Laurent (74 240) on Île de Montréal; Laval (330 393) and Repentigny (53 824) north of Île de Montréal; and LONGUEUIL (129 977), Saint-Hubert (77 042) and Brossard (65 927

) on the South Shore.

Economy and Labour
After having an economy based on the fur trade for 150 years, Montréal evolved into a diversified commercial metropolis, focusing on both international trade in basic products and on the distribution of manufactured goods. From the mid-19th century, industry played a growing role, and in the 20th century the services sector expanded with the rise of financial institutions, universities, engineering firms, etc.
Today, trade, manufacturing and services are the main economic activities. From the late 1960s, Montréal experienced much slower growth than in the previous decades. The rise of Toronto as the unchallenged metropolis of Canada triggered the moving of hundreds of corporate head offices, a process which gained momentum during the 1960s and 1970s and was fuelled in part by many anglophones' fears of the changing political and linguistic environment. This loss was only partly offset by the tremendous rise of major corporations owned or developed by francophone entrepreneurs (such as BOMBARDIER or QUEBECOR) or by the provincial government (HYDRO-QUÉBEC and CAISSE DE DÉPÔT ET PLACEMENT). At the same time, Montréal's economy was deeply shaken by the major industrial reshuffle which affected most of the

ancient manufacturing centres of North America and Europe. Its old, low-skilled manufacturing firms of consumer products geared to the domestic market were no match for the growing international competition. They closed their doors in droves and the survivors had to turn to highly automated production for niche markets.
The city was particularly hard hit by the depressions of the early 1980s and 1990s and unemployment rose dramatically. Again, this was only partly offset by the rise of modern enterprises linked to the new economy. Even if the social and economic scars are still obvious, the whole metropolitan area emerged from such a fundamental reshuffling with a modernized and competitive industrial structure. The city experienced bursts of activity during the second half of the 1980s, and again from the mid-1990s.

Montréal remains the second-largest metropolis in the country and hosts the headquarters of a number of Canada's major corporations. It is also a leading R&D centre, with its 4 universities and numerous research institutes and laboratories in areas such as telecommunications, pulp and paper, aerospace, software and pharmaceuticals. The largest share of Canada's aeronautics production occurs in metropolitan Montréal by CANADAIR, Pratt & Whitney Canada, CAE and numerous smaller firms. Other important manufacturing sectors include clothing, food and tobacco, electronics and metal products. The largest proportion of the labour force works in the various service industries.
With its stock exchange and the corporate headquarters of banks and other financial institutions, Montréal remains a significant financial centre, despite Toronto's dominant position. Its engineering firms are among the largest in the country. Although not a capital city, it has numerous federal and provincial government offices. Montréal's strategic position and local expertise in transportation and aeronautics have attracted international organizations such as the International Civil Aviation Organization; the world headquarters of the International Air Transport Association, which regulates air travel; and the International Society for Aeronautical Telecommunications, which has its North American head office here.

Cultural Life
The presence of a strong francophone population gives Montréal a distinctive character among large North American cities. It is the main centre of expression and diffusion of French Canadian culture, as well as the meeting place between the French and American cultures. The anglophone minority also has its particular cultural institutions here.
Montréal is an important university centre, with 2 French-speaking universities - UNIVERSITÉ DE MONTRÉAL and UNIVERSITÉ DU QUÉBEC À MONTRÉAL - and 2 English-speaking universities - MCGILL and CONCORDIA.
The Québec National Library, located here, has copies of all works published in the province. The municipal library has an important collection of Canadiana.
The MUSÉE DES BEAUX-ARTS, established over a century ago, contains a general collection; the MUSÉE D'ART CONTEMPORAIN collects the works of 20th-century artists. Other museums include the McCord Museum, specializing in ethnology and the history of Canada, Pointe-à-Callière in the archaeology and history of Montreal, and the world-class CANADIAN CENTRE FOR ARCHITECTURE.
The main centre for performing arts is PLACE DES ARTS (with 3 concert halls), where the ORCHESTRE SYMPHONIQUE DE MONTRÉAL performs. The city also enjoys the ORCHESTRE MÉTROPOLITAIN and the OPÉRA DE MONTRÉAL. LES GRANDS BALLETS CANADIENS and other dance companies are based in Montréal. Many French-language theatre companies perform there, including THÉÂTRE DU NOUVEAU MONDE, Carbone 14 and Théâtre Ubu.
The city houses the world-renowned CIRQUE DU SOLEIL and the École nationale du cirque.
Montréal Botanical Garden (founded 1931) is the second-largest of its kind in the world, with a collection that now exceeds 26 000 different plant species. The Montréal Biodome houses thousands of plants and animals living in environments representative of 4 distinct ecosystems of the Americas.