Montreal is the most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec which is a predominantly Francophone part of Canada. Founded in the mid 17th century, it was originally named Ville-Marie, which means City of Mary. It’s current name, Montreal, however, is after the hill Mount Royal that stands in the city. The city itself is located on the Island of Montreal and a few other smaller islands, such as Île Bizard. French is the official language of Montreal and the one that is given primacy by most speakers. In fact it is the second largest French speaking city in the world after Paris.