An Overview of Montréal

Called “Canada’s Cultural Capital”, Montréal is rated as one of the world’s most liveable cities. Montréal is an important center of commerce, aerospace, finance, pharamacuticals, technology, design, culture, tourism, film and world affairs. In 2009, Montréal was named North America’s number one host city for international association events. It’s many cultural communities have given the city a distinct local culture. 

Historically,  Montréal has been a center of Catholicism in North America with its numerous seminaries and churches. Approximately 85% of the population claims Christianity.  Islam is the largest non-Christian religious group with 100,185 members, the second-largest concentration of Muslims in Canada. The Jewish community in Montreal has a population of 105,765 members. 

An Overview of Bandung, Indonesia

Indonesia is the fourth most populated country in the world after China, India, and the United States of America. Largely a Muslim state, Indonesia is also home to 100 odd ethnic groups scattered around the different islands. The archipelago is so big and is so numerous that out of the 13,000 islands only 1500 have been named. The biggest and the most important of the islands is Java.

Bandung, Indonesia, is the capital of West Java province, and the country’s fourth largest city. Lying on a river basin, surrounded by volcanic mountains, Bandung is a center of industry and traditional Sundanese arts. A major tourist destination, Bandung is visited by people from all over the world. Host to the historic Asia Africa conference in 1955, Bandung, Indonesia, is at present a center of higher education, commerce and aircraft industry.

Religion in Indonesia

The majority (about 88%) of the Indonesian population follows Islam. In fact, Indonesia is the nation with the largest Muslim population. However, freedom of religion is provided by the Indonesian Constitution, which is defined in the First Principle of the State Philosophy “Pancasila”, which upholds a “Belief in One Supreme God”. Others religions followed in Indonesia are Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism.

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An Overview of Pune

Pune is the ninth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power in the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula and Mutha rivers. Pune city is the administrative capital of Pune district.

Pune is known to have existed as a town since 937 AD and was originally called Punawadi. In 1730, Pune became an important political center as the seat of the Peshwa, the prime minister of the Chhatrapati of Satara; it was during this era that Pune became the centre of Indian politics. After the town was annexed to British India in 1817, it served as a cantonment town and as the “monsoon capital” of the Bombay Presidency until the independence of India.

Today, Pune is known for its educational facilities and relative prosperity and is the cultural capital of Maharashtra. Pune has well-established manufacturing, glass, sugar, and forging industries since the 1950-60s. It has a growing industrial hinterland, with many information technology and automotive companies setting up factories in Pune district. The city is known for various cultural activities like classical music, spirituality, theater, sports, and literature. These activities and job opportunities attract migrants and students from all over India and abroad, which makes for a city of many communities and cultures.

Religion in Pune

A number of religions are followed in the city of Pune. As more and more people are shifting to Pune, either to study or to work, the religious identity of the city is undergoing a major change. People belonging to varied religious backgrounds are living in the city, making it an assortment of sorts. One of the major religions followed in Pune is Hinduism.

Pune city also serves as home to people belonging to other religions, like Sikhs, Christians and Muslims. Even though their number is not too large, they form a significant minority of the total population. The other religions practiced in Pune comprise of Buddhism, Jainism, and Zoroastrianism. A small number of people in the city practice these religions.

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An Overview of Katowice

At first glance, Katowice seems to be rather less than attractive, unless you want to learn more about post-communist transformations. However, deeper exploration of its industrial areas and unusual monuments reveals that Katowice is actually a very interesting city. It is the heart of the biggest agglomeration in central Eastern Europe, resembling the Ruhr in terms of the development of industry and urbanization. Presently, it is undergoing transformation into an energetic business and trade centre, with great economic potential.

Katowice is the capital of a historical region known as Upper Silesia and the main city of the current Silesian Province. Katowice itself has around 308,000 inhabitants, one part of a 3-million agglomeration of several towns and cities. The region is the most densely populated and urbanized area in Poland.

The city had its heyday in the 1950s when its numerous coalmines and steelworks flourished. Nowadays, the heavy industry has significantly decreased, and Katowice is moving towards small businesses and trade. There are still several dozen collieries, ironworks, and steel plants, and the city remains the centre of GOP (Upper Silesian Industrial Region). Each year Katowice plays host to trade fairs, including the second biggest event of such type in Poland. Travel to Katowice is convenient with the nearby Katowice-Pyrzowice international airport and an important railway hub.

Apart from being the principle science and educational centre of the region, this lively city with its tall buildings comparable to Warsaw in number, offers a wide range of entertainment that can compensate for the rarity of sights. Most buildings reflect the architecture of the communist period, though there are several remnants of its 19th century impressiveness and numerous examples of modern architecture from 1920s and 1930s. Many buildings’ design was influenced by Bauhaus and De Stijl, as well as Le Corbusier’s ideas. There are also two unique districts of Katowice, which are really worth a visit: a historical worker’s area Nikiszowiec and Giszowiec, designed as a garden-town. One characteristic landmark of the city is Spodek (literally “saucer”, since it resembles a UFO flying saucer), a great hall used for many purposes (source).

Religion in Poland

For over one thousand years Poland has been a bulwark of Catholicism, fighting against pagan invasions and looking to Catholicism for a sense of social and national unity. When Poland was partitioned in the 19th century, many turned to the church for solace, and during the communist era, underground resistance meetings were held in churches. The deceased Polish-born Pope John Paul II remains a genuine source of pride for all Poles and is loved in a way more profound than most in the West can understand. Many Poles genuinely believe that John Paul II single-handedly started the overthrow of Communism in Central and Eastern Europe. Small wonder then, that your average Pole takes Catholicism very seriously, particularly the solemn and opulent processions that occur from time to time and many that attend mass (source).

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An Overview of Casablanca

While Rabat is the capital of Morocco, Casablanca is its largest city. It covers an area of about 446, 550 square kilometers, a little larger than California. Casablanca is also Morocco’s chief port and the biggest city in the Maghreb. It is considered the economic and business center of Morocco.

Most Moroccans are Sunni Muslims of Arab, Berber, or a mixed descent. However the country has a cosmopolitan look with many French and Spanish people taking up residence there. The official Moroccan language is classical Arabic, but French is widely spoken and is still the preferred language of the financial world. Spanish and English are the other popular languages spoken in Morocco.

According to the Moroccan population percentage, 99.1% are Arab Berber, 0.2% are Jewish and 0.7% are others. 98.7% of Morocco population are Muslim, 1.1% are Christian and 0.2% are Jewish (source).

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