July 20, 2018

Toronto and Montreal

--GEO 102- Ruihan Sun K00751001

Toronto and Montreal are two famous cities in Canada. The geographical location of those two cities is close to each other, in the southern of Canada. Also, both of them are large and developed cities. But, on the other hand, the two cities have big difference in their culture, life style, resource, architecture, and even languages.

Introduction of Toronto (The city center is located in latitude 43°40′N, longitude 79°25′W)

Toronto, which is the capital of the province of Ontario, is the largest city in Canada. It is located in the South of Ontario and on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario, covering an area of 630 square kilometers. “In the 2011 measurements, the city had a population number of 2,615,060, making it the fifth greatest city in North America.” (Canada Population 2018)

As the economic center of Canada, Toronto is a world-class city and one of the largest financial centers in the world, with a leading position in finance, business services, telecommunications, aerospace, transportation, media, art, film, television production, publishing, software, pharmaceutical research, education, tourism and sports.

At the same time, Toronto is one of the safest, richest cities in the world with high living standards. Also, being known as the Golden Horseshoe, Toronto is one of the most multicultural and cosmopolitan cities. “Torontonians collectively speak over 140 languages. In fact, one in three speaks a third language (not English or French) at home.”(National Geographic) Toronto, as a developed area, its unique geographical conditions and history make it a significant position around the world.

Toronto has four distinct seasons. Spring is short; summer is hot and humid; autumn is mostly sunny with pleasant temperature; winter is cold, and is extended until mid-April.

Introduction of Montreal (The city center is located in latitude 35 ° 07 'N, longitude 94 ° 21 'W)

Located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the St. Lawrence River in Canada, Montreal is the second largest city in Canada, and the largest city in Quebec with 4.1 million residents. Also, Montreal is the cultural and economic center of the province of Quebec.

The St. Lawrence River Waterway is 3,769-kilometer long, reaching the Great Lakes from the Atlantic Ocean which lead to Montreal’s developed ocean shipping. Montreal is rich in land with plenty of forest resources. Maple is the major breed of trees in Montreal, due to the production of maple sugar; Maple becomes the logo of Montreal and Quebec Province. Montreal is at the junction of several climatic zones, so the weather is varied and the seasons are clear. The rainfall here is very rich in Montreal, with an average annual rainfall of 897mm.

Montreal used to be the largest city in Canada in 1970s. As a typical English-French bilingual city, it is Quebec's famous industrial, commercial, financial center and the chief port. Because the city's Gothic churches and majority French-speaking residents, it has unique French cultural heritage, and is considered to be the "romantic capital" of North America.

Montreal is a prosperous international metropolis. Its unique culture, beautiful city scenery and relaxed lifestyle have been rated as one of the most suitable cities for human habitation in the world. Montreal's traditional industry is crucial to the subsistence economy, with thousands of factory of enterprises, clothing, tobacco, food, and wood. Other industries, such as steel, rolling stock, machinery, chemistry, aircraft and electrical appliances, are also advanced and developed. Also, Montreal is known as a ‘city of designers’. “Montréal is definitely a “city of designers”: Over 25,000 professionals work in this lively field that is responsible for 34% of the overall economic impact of the cultural sector.”(UNESCO