Editing Island of Montreal

{{Short description|Island in Quebec, Canada}}
{{Redirect|Montreal Island|the island in Nunavut|Montreal Island (Nunavut)}}
{{for|the city|Montreal}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox islands
 | name                     = {{nowrap|Island of Montreal}}<br />{{nobold|{{native name|fr|Île de Montréal}}}}
 | image_name               = Montréal Satellite mask.jpg
 | image_caption            = Satellite image of the Island of Montreal
 | image_size               = 
 | map                      = Quebec
 | map_caption              = 
 | pushpin_label_position   = top
 | nickname                 = 
 | location                 = [[Saint Lawrence River]]
 | coordinates              = {{Coord|45|30|01|N|73|38|47|W|source:CGNDB_scale:500000|display=inline,title}}
 | archipelago              = [[Hochelaga Archipelago]]
 | total_islands            = 
 | major_islands            = 
 | area_km2                 = 472.55
 | length_km                = 50
 | width_km                 = 16
 | highest_mount            = [[Mount Royal]]
 | elevation_m              = 233
 | country                  = Canada
 | country_admin_divisions_title = [[Provinces and territories of Canada|Province]]
 | country_admin_divisions  = [[Quebec]]
 | country_admin_divisions_title_1 = [[City]]
 | country_admin_divisions_1= [[Montreal]]
 | population               = 2,004,265{{citation needed|date=November 2024}}
 | population_as_of         = [[2021 Canadian census|2021]]
 | density_km2              = 4,022.3
 | ethnic_groups            = Multiracial (over 200 ethnic groups)
 | additional_info          = 
}}

The '''Island of Montreal''' ({{langx|fr|Île de Montréal}}, {{IPA|fr|il d(ə) mɔ̃ʁeal|}}) is an island in southwestern [[Quebec]], Canada,<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.elections.ca/res/cir/maps2/mapprov.asp?map=Montreal&prov=24&b=n&lang=e | title=Montréal Island}}</ref> which is the site of a number of municipalities, including most of the city of [[Montreal]], and is the most populous island in Canada. It is the main island of the [[Hochelaga Archipelago]] at the confluence of the [[Saint Lawrence River|Saint Lawrence]] and [[Ottawa River|Ottawa]] rivers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/map/google_map_Montreal.htm|title=Google Map of the City of Montréal – Nations Online Project|first=klaus kästle|last=nationsonline.org|website=Nationsonline.org|access-date=21 December 2017}}</ref><ref>[http://mtlmap.com/]  {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081021190710/http://mtlmap.com/|date=2008-10-21}}</ref>

== Name ==
[[File:Samuel de Champlain Carte geographique de la Nouvelle France.jpg|thumb|left|Map of [[New France]] (Champlain, 1612). "Montreal" is visible on the map next to a mountain in the approximate location. A more precise map was drawn by Champlain in 1632.]]
The first French name for the island was ''l'ille de Vilmenon'', noted by [[Samuel de Champlain]] in a 1616 map, and derived from the [[French nobility|sieur]] [[de Vilmenon]], a patron of the founders of Quebec at the court of [[Louis XIII of France|Louis{{nbs}}XIII]]. However, by 1632 Champlain referred to the ''Isle de Mont-real'' in another map. The island derived its name from Mount Royal ([[French language|French]] ''Mont Royal'', then pronounced {{IPA|fr|mɔ̃ ʁwajal|}}), and gradually spread its name to the town, which had originally been called Ville-Marie.

In [[Mohawk language|Kanien’kéha]], the island is called '''Tiohtià:ke tsi ionhwéntsare''' ('broken in two', referring to the [[Lachine Rapids]] to the island's southwest) or Otsirà:ke (meaning 'on the fire').<ref>{{cite web |author1=Office of the Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) |title=Learn about the Land and Peoples of Tiohtià:ke/ Montreal |url=https://www.mcgill.ca/indigenous/land-and-peoples/learn-about-land-and-peoples-tiohtiake-montreal |website=Indigenous Initiatives |publisher=McGill University |access-date=16 August 2021}}</ref> In [[Ojibwe language|Ojibwe]], the land is called '''Mooniyaang''', named for the [[Seven fires prophecy|first stop]] in the great [[Anishinaabe]] migration from [[Wabanaki Confederacy|Dawnland]] (the [[Maritimes]]) to the [[Great American Lakes|Great Lakes]].

==Physical geography==
The island is approximately {{convert|50|km|mi|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|16|km|mi|abbr=on}} wide at its widest point, and has a shoreline of {{convert|266|km|mi|abbr=on}}. It is the second largest island in the [[Saint Lawrence River]], after [[Anticosti Island]] in the [[Gulf of Saint Lawrence]]. The Island of Montreal is the largest island in the [[Hochelaga Archipelago]], which is formed by the confluence of the Ottawa and St. Lawrence rivers.

[[File:Île de Montréal.png|thumb|350px|center|The Island of Montreal is a Croissant-shaped island, part of the [[Hochelaga Archipelago]].]]
Near the Ottawa shore at the western end of island, the Ottawa River widens into [[Lac des Deux-Montagnes]]. A natural watercourse there, between the island and [[Île Perrot]], has been improved by the island's [[Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue Canal]]. These waterways, connecting Lac des Deux-Montagnes with [[Lake Saint-Louis]], constitute one of the places where the Ottawa flows into the St. Lawrence.

North of the island's western end, Lac des Deux-Montagnes flows into [[Rivière des Prairies]], still part of the Ottawa. The Prairies separates the island from the other major part of the Hochelaga Archipelago including [[Île Bizard]] and [[Île Jésus]]. After coursing about {{convert|55|km|mi|abbr=on}}, the Prairie, at the northeastern tip of the island, joins the St. Lawrence.

The St. Lawrence coast of the island faces a variable waterway. In the southwest, the St. Lawrence River widens into Lake Saint-Louis as it approaches the island. Around a southern point near the center of the island, the St. Lawrence narrows into the [[Lachine Rapids]], then widens into the [[Bassin de La Prairie]] past that southern point, and narrows again at the Montreal neighborhood of Cite Du Havre before flowing towards [[Quebec City, Quebec|Quebec City]] and the [[Atlantic Ocean]]. The [[Lachine Canal]] on the island bypasses this complex part of the river. Neighboring islands in the St. Lawrence include [[Saint Helen's Island]], [[Notre Dame Island]], and [[Nuns' Island]].

[[File:Plan_de_partie_de_l_isle_de_Monreal.jpg|thumb|right|18th-century map of [[Lake St Pierre]]]]
The [[topography]] of the island has been significantly altered by human activity, as evidenced by historical maps that name a lake St. Pierre in the island.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://undermontreal.com/riviere-st-pierre-part-i-start-to-finish/ |title="Following Rivière St. Pierre". Author Andrew Emond. |access-date=2018-01-06 |archive-date=2018-01-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180107071147/http://undermontreal.com/riviere-st-pierre-part-i-start-to-finish/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>  This lake, and several other watercourses, have been drained or covered over as the city developed, while areas on the island's shores have been [[land reclamation|reclaimed]] and extended. The southwest of the island is separated by the [[Lachine Canal]] between [[Lachine, Quebec|Lachine]] and Montreal's [[Old Port of Montreal|Old Port]]; this portion of the island is partially divided further by the Canal de l'Aqueduc, running roughly parallel to the Lachine Canal, beginning in the borough of [[LaSalle (Montreal)|LaSalle]] and continuing between the boroughs of [[Le Sud-Ouest]] and [[Verdun (Montreal)|Verdun]].

Most of the bedrock of the island consists of [[Chazy limestone]], with some [[Utica shale]]. At the centre of the island stand the three peaks of [[Mount Royal]], a [[intrusion|volcanic intrusion]] (not an [[extinct volcano]], contrary to popular belief). This short mountain (elevation {{convert|233|m|ft|abbr=off}} is a member of, and gives its name to, the [[Monteregian Hills]].

==Human geography==
The island of Montreal is the major component of the territory of the city of [[Montreal]], along with Île Bizard, Saint Helen's Island, Notre Dame Island, Nuns' Island, and some 69 smaller islands. With a population of 2,014,221 inhabitants{{citation needed|date=November 2024}} (22% of the population of [[Québec]]), it is [[List of Canadian islands by population|by far the most populous island in Canada]]. It is also the [[List of islands by population|6th most populous island]] of the [[Americas]] and the 37th most populated island on Earth. In addition, it is the world's most populous island surrounded by fresh water. Montreal and the other municipalities on the island compose the [[Québec region|administrative region]] of [[Montréal (region)|Montréal]]. The area of the [[Urban agglomeration of Montreal]], which includes the Island of Montreal and several other smaller islands, is {{convert|499|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}.).<ref>[http://www.trailcanada.com/canada-guides/montreal-information.asp]  {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061122103409/http://www.trailcanada.com/canada-guides/montreal-information.asp|date=2006-11-22}}</ref>

The [[List of bridges in Montreal|crossings which connect the island to its surroundings]] are some of the busiest bridges in the country and the world. The [[Champlain Bridge (Montreal)|Champlain Bridge]] and the [[Jacques Cartier Bridge]] together accommodate 101 million vehicle crossings a year.<ref>[http://www.tc.gc.ca/programs/surface/bridges/jaquescartier.htm Jacques Cartier Bridge: 43 million] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060925025412/http://www.tc.gc.ca/programs/surface/bridges/jaquescartier.htm |date=2006-09-25 }} + [http://www.federalbridge.ca/Portals/0/annual_reports/fbcl_report_2006-07_eng.pdf Champlain Bridge: 58 million]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080625074337/http://www.federalbridge.ca/Portals/0/annual_reports/fbcl_report_2006-07_eng.pdf |date=2008-06-25 }}</ref>

==Municipalities==
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
*[[Baie-D'Urfé]]
*[[Beaconsfield, Quebec|Beaconsfield]]
*[[Côte-Saint-Luc]]
*[[Dollard-des-Ormeaux]]
*[[Dorval]]
*[[Dorval Island]]{{efn|Although technically an island itself, Dorval Island is one of the 16 municipalities that makes up the island of Montreal.}}
*[[Hampstead, Quebec|Hampstead]]
*[[Kirkland, Quebec|Kirkland]]
*[[Montreal]]
*[[Montréal-Est, Quebec|Montréal-Est]]
*[[Montreal West, Quebec|Montréal-Ouest]]
*[[Mount Royal, Quebec|Mount Royal]]
*[[Pointe-Claire]]
*[[Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec|Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue]]
*[[Senneville, Quebec|Senneville]]
*[[Westmount, Quebec|Westmount]]
{{div col end}}

==Demographics==
{{Main article|Demographics of Montreal}}
{| class="wikitable" style="float:center"
|+ {{nowrap|Island of Montreal: Population by year}}
|-
! 1876
! 1890
! 1931
! 1941
! 1951
! 1961
! 1971
! 1981
! 1991
! 1996
! 2001
! 2006
! 2011
|-
| est. 120,000<ref name="travel log">{{cite book|url=https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/14830|title=Aljaska en de Canada-spoorweg by Anonymous|language= nl}}</ref>
| est. 200,000<ref name="travel log"/>
| 1,003,868<ref name="U of T">{{cite web|url=http://prod.library.utoronto.ca:8090/datalib/data/cc51/1951%20census%20-%20table%202_area%20and%20density%20of%20population.xls|title=Vol. 1 – Table 2|work=1951 Canadian Census|publisher=University of Toronto|access-date=20 May 2008|format=XLS|archive-date=21 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120521050924/http://prod.library.utoronto.ca:8090/datalib/data/cc51/1951|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| 1,116,800<ref name="U of T"/>
| 1,320,232<ref name="U of T"/>
| 1,747,696<ref name="MELS">{{cite web|url=http://www.mels.gouv.qc.ca/REFORME/religion/html-ang/ang/text/app6.htm|title=Statistical Tables – Religion|work=Statistics Canada Census|publisher=Gouvernement du Québec|access-date=20 May 2008|archive-date=28 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928233720/http://www.mels.gouv.qc.ca/REFORME/religion/html-ang/ang/text/app6.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| 1,959,180<ref name="MELS"/>
| 1,760,122<ref name="MELS"/>
| 1,775,871<ref name="MELS"/>
| 1,775,846<ref name="montreal_island_pop1">{{cite web| url=http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census01/products/standard/popdwell/Table-CD-P.cfm?T=1&PR=24&SR=1&S=4&O=D| title=Population and Dwelling Counts, for Canada, Provinces and Territories, and Census Divisions, 2001 and 1996 Censuses – 100% Data| work=[[Statistics Canada]], 2001 Census of Population| access-date=13 March 2007| archive-date=23 May 2008| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080523173355/http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census01/products/standard/popdwell/Table-CD-P.cfm?T=1&PR=24&SR=1&S=4&O=D| url-status=dead}}</ref><br />
| 1,812,723<ref name="montreal_island_pop2">{{cite web| url=http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/data/popdwell/Table.cfm?T=702&PR=24&SR=1&S=3&O=D| title=Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census divisions, 2006 and 2001 censuses – 100% data| date=13 March 2007| work=[[Statistics Canada]], 2006 Census of Population| access-date=13 March 2007| archive-date=19 June 2009| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090619064634/http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/data/popdwell/Table.cfm?T=702&PR=24&SR=1&S=3&O=D| url-status=dead}}</ref><br />
| 1,854,442<ref name="montreal_island_pop2"/>
|1,886,481<ref name="SC2011">{{cite web|url=http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CD&Code1=2466&Geo2=PR&Code2=24&Data=Count&SearchText=montreal&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&Custom=&TABID=1|title=Census Profile – Census Division – Montreal (ET)|date=2012-07-30|work=[[Canada 2011 Census]]|publisher=[[Statistics Canada]]|access-date=16 September 2012}}</ref>
|}

== Transportation ==
{{Main article|Transportation in Montreal}}
The island of Montreal is a hub for the [[Autoroutes of Quebec|Québec autoroute system]], and is served by Québec autoroutes [[Quebec Autoroute 10|A-10]] (known as the Bonaventure Expressway on the island of Montreal), [[Quebec Autoroute 15|A-15]] (aka the Decarie Expressway south of the A-40 and the Laurentian autoroute to the north of it), [[Quebec Autoroute 13|A-13]] (aka autoroute Chomedey), [[Quebec Autoroute 20|A-20]], [[Quebec Autoroute 25|A-25]], [[Quebec Autoroute 40|A-40]] (part of the [[Trans-Canada Highway]] system, and known as "The Metropolitan" or simply "The Met" in its elevated mid-town section), [[Quebec Autoroute 520|A-520]], and [[Quebec Route 136 (Montreal)|R-136]] (aka the Ville-Marie autoroute). Many of these autoroutes are frequently congested at [[rush hour]]. However, in recent years, the government has acknowledged this problem and is working on long-term solutions to alleviate the congestion. One such example is the extension of [[Quebec Autoroute 30]] on Montreal's [[South Shore (Montreal)|south shore]], which will serve as a [[Bypass (road)|bypass]]. Today's existing highways have been planned in the 1960s as part of a grid like transport system.

Notably, turning [[right on red]] on the island is prohibited, and [[Road signs in Canada#Quebec gallery|signage at entry points]] to the island indicates as such.<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 24, 2024 |title=Turning Right at a Red Light |url=https://www.quebec.ca/en/transports/traffic-road-safety/traffic-rules-tips-for-all-vehicles/traffic-rules-intersections/turning-right-red-light |access-date=January 24, 2024 |website=Gouvernement du Québec/Government of Quebec}}</ref>[[File:Montreal_Island_-_English_and_French-speaking-majority_Municipalities.png|right|thumb|Language demographics of the municipalities of the Island of Montreal. In blue, the municipalities where the main language is French; in pink, the municipalities where the most used language is English]]

==See also==
* [[List of islands of Quebec]]
* [[List of rivers and water bodies of Montreal Island]]

==Note==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{refbegin}}
* Adams, Frank D., and O. E. LeRoy. ''The Artesian and Other Deep Wells on the Island of Montreal''. Montreal: [s.n.], 1906. {{ISBN|0-665-72208-7}}
* Bosworth, Newton. ''Hochelaga Depicta The Early History and Present State of the City and Island of Montreal''. Toronto: Coles Pub. Co, 1974. <small>[http://worldcatlibraries.org/wcpa/oclc/1369611?page=frame&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.loc.gov%2Fcatdir%2Ftoc%2Ffy0612%2F75324506.html&title=&linktype=digitalObject&detail= (Table of Contents)]{{Dead link|date=September 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</small>
* Fisher, John. ''Memorial in Support of the Petition of the Inhabitants and Proprietors of the City and Island of Montreal Praying That the Ecclesiastics of St. Sulpice May Not Be Constituted a Body Corporate and Ecclesiastical, and Their Title Confirmed to Certain Valuable Seigniories and Estates''. Montreal?: s.n, 1840. {{ISBN|0-665-64087-0}}
* Mackay, Murdo. ''The Language Problem and School Board Reform on the Island of Montreal''. Ottawa: National Library of Canada, 1988. {{ISBN|0-315-38290-2}}
* Parks Canada. ''Montréal, a City Steeped in History Guide to Nationality Significant Places, Persons and Events on the Island of Montréal''. Québec: Parks Canada, 2004. {{ISBN|0-660-19274-8}}
* Russell, Ken. ''Metropolitan Government on the Island of Montreal''. Toronto: Osgoode Hall Law School, 1972.
* Sancton, Andrew. ''Governing the Island of Montreal Language Differences and Metropolitan Politics''. Lane studies in regional government. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1985. {{ISBN|0-520-04906-3}}
* Savoie, Josée. ''Neighbourhood Characteristics and the Distribution of Crime on the Island of Montréal''. Crime and justice research paper series, no. 007. Ottawa: Statistics Canada, 2006. {{ISBN|0-662-43395-5}}
* Stansfield, John. ''The Pleistocene and Recent Deposits of the Island of Montreal''. Ottawa: Government Printing Bureau, 1915.
{{refend}}

==External links==
* [http://montrealflags.tripod.com/index.html Flags and Coats of Arms]
*[http://ville.montreal.qc.ca/portal/page?_pageid=5798,85493596&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL Municipalities of Montreal Island – City of Montreal]

{{Montreal landmarks}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Montreal}}
[[Category:Hochelaga Archipelago]]
[[Category:River islands of Quebec]]
[[Category:Islands of the Saint Lawrence River]]
[[Category:Landforms of Montreal]]