In Depth

As the twin cities of the province of Québec, Montréal and Québec City have a stronger European flavor than Canada's other municipalities. Most residents' first language is French, and a strong affiliation with France continues to be a central facet of the region's personality.

The defining dialectic of Canadian life, in fact, is language, and it's a thorny issue that has long threatened to tear the country apart. Many Québécois have long believed that making Québec a separate, independent state is the only way to maintain their rich French culture in the face of the Anglophone (English-speaking) ocean that surrounds them. Québec's role within the Canadian federation has been the most debated and volatile topic of conversation in Canadian politics.

There were reasons for the festering intransigence, of course -- about 250 years' worth. After France lost power in Québec to the British in the 18th century, a kind of linguistic exclusionism developed, with wealthy Scottish and English bankers and merchants denying French-Canadians access to upper levels of business and government. This bias continued well into the 20th century.

Many in Québec, though, stayed committed to the French language after British rule was imposed. Even with later waves of other immigrant populations pouring in over the cities, there is still a kind of bedrock loyalty held by many to the province's Gallic roots. France may have relinquished control of Québec to Great Britain in 1763, but France's influence, after its 150 years of rule, remained powerful -- and still does. Many Québécois continue to look across the Atlantic for inspiration in fashion, food, and the arts. Culturally and linguistically, it is that tenacious French connection that gives the province its special character.

Two other cultural phenomena have emerged over the past 10 years. The first is an institutional acceptance of homosexuality: By changing the definition of "spouse" in 39 laws and regulations in 1999, Québec's government eliminated all legal distinctions between same-sex and heterosexual couples and became Canada's first province to recognize the legal status of same-sex civil unions. Gay marriage became legal in all of Canada's provinces and territories in 2005. Montréal, in particular, has transformed into one of North America's most welcoming cities for gay people.

The second phenomenon is an influx of even more immigrants into the province's melting pot. "Québec is at a turning point," declared an early 2008 report about the province's angst over the so-called reasonable accommodation of minority religious practices, particularly those of Muslims and Orthodox Jews. "The identity inherited from the French-Canadian past is perfectly legitimate and it must survive," the report continued, "but it can no longer occupy alone the Québec identity space."

Together with 70,000 aboriginal people from 11 First Nation tribes who live in the province, immigrants help make the region as vibrant and alive as any on the continent.

Geography 101: Telling Mountains from Molehills -- Montréal is on an island that's part of the Hochelaga Archipelago. The island is situated in the St. Lawrence River (in French, St-Laurent) near the confluence with the Ottawa River.

At Montréal's center is a 232m (761-ft.) hill which natives like to think of as a mountain. It's called Mont-Royal, and it's the geographic landmark from which the city takes its name.

Real mountains, though, rise nearby: The Laurentides, also called the Laurentians, comprise the world's oldest range and the playground of the Québécois. As well, the Appalachians' northern foothills separate Québec from the U.S.; they add to the beauty of the Cantons-de-l'Est, the bucolic region on the opposite side of the St. Lawrence once known as the Eastern Townships, where many Montréalers have country homes.