Canada (in English [kænədə], in French [kana'da]). Now it’s the name of the second-largest country in the world. The name Canada, comes from a Huron-Iroquan word - Kanata, meaning "village" or "settlement". In 1535, inhabitants of the area near present-day Quebec City used the word to direct the French explorer Jacques Cartier towards the village of Stadacona, a settlement on the site of present-day Quebec City. Later, Cartier started to use this word not only as the name of the village, but as the name of whole area. 1 July 1867 - is the day, when all Canadians are celebrating enactment of the British North America Act, which united Canada as a single country, which was in turn composed of four provinces- Upper Canada, Lower Canada, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Canada Day observances take place throughout Canada as well as internationally. This day is also known as the Day of Dominion, until October 27, 1982 when an act of parliament established the name Canada Day. The new name symbolized a step away from Canada's colonial past. In province of Quebec this is a tradition, dating from the time when the province used to provide fixed terms for leases of rental properties. It is currently set to July 1 and named Moving Day or Fête du déménagement. Now Canada consists of ten provinces Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and Saskatchewan and three territories, which are Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Yukon. From sea to sea - this is the present motto of the country (D'un océan à l'autre).
Montreal
Background Montreal (in French [mɔ̃ʁeˈal], in English [mʌntriˈɑːl]) is the second-largest city in Canada after Toronto, and the largest city in the province of Quebec. Originally called Ville-Marie (City of Mary). The city takes its present name from Mont-Royal, the triple-peaked hill located in the heart of the city, whose name was also initially given to the island on which the city is located. There is a lot of archaeological evidences of various nomadic native people occupying the island of Montreal for at least 2,000 years before the arrival of Europeans. Later, in 1603 French explorer Samuel de Champlain arrived in 1603 and established the first permanent European settlements at Port Royal in 1605 and Quebec City. In 1611 he also established fur trading post on the island of Montreal, named La Place Royale. In 1639, Jérôme Le Royer de La Dauversière obtained the Seigneurial title to the Island of Montreal in the name of the Société de Notre-Dame de Montréal to establish a Roman Catholic mission for evangelizing natives. Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve was the governor of the colony. Montreal remained a French colony until 1760, when it was surrendered to Great Britain. Among French colonists of New France, Canadians extensively settled the Saint Lawrence River valley, Acadians settled the present-day Maritimes, while French fur traders and Catholic missionaries explored the Great Lakes, Hudson Bay, and the Mississippi watershed to Louisiana. The French and Iroquois Wars broke out over control of the fur trade. The name French and Indian War, also known as Seven Years’ War, refers to the two main enemies of the British: the royal French forces and the various Native American forces allied with them. The conflict, the fourth such colonial war between the nations of France and Great Britain, resulted in the British conquest of Canada. The outcome was one of the most significant developments in a century of Anglo-French conflict. To compensate its ally, Spain, for its loss of Florida to the British, France ceded its control of French Louisiana west of the Mississippi. France's colonial presence north of the Caribbean was reduced to the tiny islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, confirming Britain's position as the dominant colonial power in North America. By 1860 Montreal was the largest city in British North America. Montreal was the capital of the Province of Canada from 1844 to 1849, but lost its status when a Tory (British political party) mob burnt down the Parliament building to protest the passage of the Rebelion Losses Bill- An Act to provide for the Indemnification of Parties in Lower Canada whose Property was destroyed during the Rebellion in the years 1837 and 1838. After World War I, the Prohibition movement in the United States turned Montreal into a haven for Americans looking for alcohol. Unemployment remained high in the city, and was exacerbated by the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the Great Depression. During World War II, Mayor Camillien Houde protested against conscription and urged Montrealers to disobey the federal government's registry of all men and women. Ottawa was furious over Houde's insubordination and held him in a prison camp until 1944, when the government was forced to institute conscription. By 1951, Montreal's population had surpassed one million people. The Saint Lawrence Seaway opened in 1959, allowing vessels to bypass Montreal: a development that would in time help to spell the end of the city's economic dominance. However, the 1960s saw continued growth, including Expo 67, the construction of Canada's tallest skyscrapers - the first and tallest skyscraper in North America is Royal Bank Building in Montreal , new expressways and the Montreal Metro system . During the 1980s and early 1990s, Montreal experienced a slower rate of economic growth than many other major Canadian cities. By the late 1990s, however, Montreal's economic climate had improved, as new firms and institutions began to fill the traditional business and financial niches. Official language of Montreal is French - over 56% of the population speaks that language. Montreal is second-largest French-speaker city in the world after Paris.
Geography and climate
Montreal is located in the southwest of the province of Quebec, directly north of New York City. City is situated on the Island of Montreal and a few adjoining islands. Port of Montreal is the river gateway that divides Great Lakes from Atlantic Ocean. City is named after the most prominent geographical feature of Montreal island - three-head hill, called Mont Royal (Royal Mountain) . Most part of Anglophones live in Westmount, Montreal West, Notre-Dame-De-Grace, Cote Saint-Luc , Hampstead and downtown. Francophones occupy Eastern part of Montreal and downtown. Montreal lies at the confluence of several climatic regions. Usually, the climate is classified as humid continental or hemiboreal The coldest month of the year is January which has a daily maximum temperature -6 °C, minimum average daily temperature is -20°C. Due to wind chill, the perceived temperature can be much lower than the actual temperature, and wind chill factor is often included in Montreal weather forecasts. The warmest month is July which has an average daily high of 26.2 °C. Some snow in spring and autumn is normal. Similarly, late heat waves as well as ''Indian Summers" are a regular feature of the climate.
Architecture and sightseeing
For over a century and a half, Montreal was the industrial and financial centre of Canada. The variety of buildings included factories, elevators, warehouses, mills, and refineries which today provide a legacy of historic and architectural interest, especially in the downtown area and the Old Port area. Today there are also many historical buildings in Old Montreal still in their original form: Notre-Dame de Montreal Basilica, Ernest Cormier's Art Deco Universite de Montreal main building, the landmark Place Ville Marie office tower, the controversial Olympic Stadium and surrounding structures, are but a few notable examples of 20th century architecture. The Montreal Metro is filled with a profusion of public artwork by some of the biggest names in Quebec culture. The design and ornamentation of each station in the Metro System is unique. On the picture: Champ-De-Mars metro station. Old Montreal (Vieux-Montreal) -A little part of old Europe, which Quebecers could keep here, across the Ocean. It is a major componet in making Montreal, "the truly different North American city". A very diverse and tolerant-to-all world city (Montreal has one of the highest gay population of any city in the world, with full rights). It is safe, cultural, cosmopolitan and proud of its French legacy and French language. Read on, this is a fact and surprise to many visitors: To those who only feel comfortable around hearing or speaking English, then just ask since most sensible entrepreneurs will assist you. That said this is Quebec, and it is Francophone where some hold near and dear to their hearts a little too much. As in many other Canadian cities, multiple languages are spoken here but French is predominant. There is always someone around to help. Here all road signs, signals, public information, transportation, government and public advetising are in French. But don't worry, most of Montreal stores, taxis, hotels, restaurants and bars have English speaking staff (menus are often translated in tourist areas) and very often Spanish, Italian or Portuguese are spoken as well. Montrealers are welcoming and friendly people. Enjoy their diversity, that's what traveling to foreing cultures is about,. There is one major Montreal English language daily and TV and radio stations in English as well. -And keep an open mind, Montreal is a very secular and liberal place. This is not a puritan culture. Drinking age in Montreal is 18. And with its many universities, it is a funky and progressive town. Vous n'etes a Kansas plus!. (You‘re not in Kansas any more!) Enjoy a Caleche (horse-drawn) carriage ride in Vieux-Montreal. Visit the art galleries, museums, shops and do not be intimidated by the "otherness" of the French language or food. There are many nice French restaurants in the area. Also In Vieux-Montreal there is an Anglophone cultural icon, The Centaur Theater, Enjoy attending their English language plays during their theater season when you visit! Bonsecours Market(Marche Bonsecours) A famous market until 1963, It was the largest fur-trading market. Now, It’s the large complex of various boutiques, offices of the city government, cafes and restaurants.
Impressive 19th century headquarters of all major Canadian banks on St. James Street (French: Rue Saint Jacques) is the Royal Bank Building in Montreal. It was the tallest building in North America on the beginning of 20th century.
St. Joseph's Oratory. In 1904, Blessed André Bessette, began the construction of a small chapel on the side of the mountain near Notre Dame College. Soon the growing number of visitors made it too small. Even though it was enlarged, a larger church was needed and in 1917 one was completed - it is called the Crypt, and has a seating capacity of 1,000. In 1924, the construction of the basilica was inaugurated; it was finally completed in 1967. The Oratory's dome is the third-largest of its kind in the world after the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace of Yamoussoukro and Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome, and the church is the largest in Canada. The basilica is dedicated to Saint Joseph, to whom Brother André credited all his reported miracles. These were mostly related to some kind of healing power, and many pilgrims (handicapped, blind, ill, etc.) poured into his Basilica, including numerous Protestants. On display in the basilica is a wall covered with thousands of crutches from those who came to the basilica and were healed. Pope John Paul II deemed the miracles to be authentic and beatified Brother André in 1982. The Olympic Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district of Montreal, Quebec, Canada built as the main venue for the 1976 Summer Olympics. It subsequently became the home of Montreal's professional baseball and Canadian football teams. Since 2004, when the Montreal Expos relocated to Washington, D.C., the stadium has no main tenant, and with a history of financial and structural problems, is largely seen as a white elephant. It currently serves as a 56,040-seat multipurpose facility for special events (e.g. concerts, trade shows) during non-winter months, and continues to serve as a 66,308-seat venue for late-season, playoff and Grey Cup games hosted by the Montreal Alouettes. La tour de Montréal, the tower incorporated into the base of the stadium, is the tallest inclined tower in the world at 175 metres, and is a member of the World Federation of Great Towers. The stadium's nickname The Big O is a reference to both its name and to the doughnut-shape of the permanent component of the stadium's roof, though The Big Owe has been used to reference the astronomical cost of the stadium and the 1976 Olympics as a whole.
There are a lot of beautiful and well known places in Montreal. I’ll try to describe as much as I can, and of course, illustrate it.
