Caleche on the la Commune Street in Old Montréal - © Tourisme Montréal - Stéphan Poulin

Montreal is the most bilingual metropolis in North America and the second largest French-speaking city in the world after Paris. Located on an island in the middle of the St. Lawrence River, it was colonized by the French and later the British. Today, the population of Greater Montreal is approximately 3.6 million and 53% of its inhabitants are bilingual, speaking both French and English.

Montreal has an excellent harbor on the St. Lawrence Seaway, which connects the city to the great industrial centers of the Great Lakes. As Canada's most important port, it is a transshipment point for oil, grain, sugar, machinery and manufactured goods.