<P> Montreal was merged with the 27 surrounding municipalities on the Island of Montreal on January 1, 2002, creating a unified city covering the entire island . There was great resistance from the suburbs to the merger, with the perception being that it was forced on the mostly English suburbs by the Parti Québécois . As expected, this move proved unpopular and several mergers were later rescinded . Several former municipalities, totalling 13% of the population of the island, voted to leave the unified city in separate referendums in June 2004 . The demerger took place on January 1, 2006, leaving 15 municipalities on the island, including Montreal . De-merged municipalities remain affiliated with the city through an agglomeration council that collects taxes from them to pay for numerous shared services . The 2002 mergers were not the first in the city's history . Montreal annexed 27 other cities, towns, and villages beginning with Hochelaga in 1883 with the last prior to 2002 being Pointe - aux - Trembles in 1982 . </P> <P> The 21st century has brought with it a revival of the city's economic and cultural landscape . The construction of new residential skyscrapers, two super-hospitals (the Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal and McGill University Health Centre), the creation of the Quartier des Spectacles, reconstruction of the Turcot Interchange, reconfiguration of the Decarie and Dorval interchanges, construction of the new Réseau électrique métropolitain, gentrification of Griffintown, subway line extensions and the purchase of new subway cars, the complete revitalization and expansion of Trudeau International Airport, the completion of Quebec Autoroute 30, the reconstruction of the Champlain Bridge, and the construction of a new toll bridge to Laval are helping Montreal continue to grow . </P> <P> Montreal is in the southwest of the province of Quebec . The city covers most of the Island of Montreal at the confluence of the Saint Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers . The port of Montreal lies at one end of the Saint Lawrence Seaway, the river gateway that stretches from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic . Montreal is defined by its location between the Saint Lawrence river to its south and the Rivière des Prairies to its north . The city is named after the most prominent geographical feature on the island, a three - head hill called Mount Royal, topped at 232 metres (761 feet) above sea level . </P> <P> Montreal is at the centre of the Montreal Metropolitan Community, and is bordered by the city of Laval to the north; Longueuil, Saint - Lambert, Brossard, and other municipalities to the south; Repentigny to the east and the West Island municipalities to the west . The anglophone enclaves of Westmount, Montreal West, Hampstead, Côte Saint - Luc, the Town of Mount Royal and the francophone enclave Montreal East are all surrounded by Montreal . </P>

Montreal is situated on the bank of which river