Vancouver is a city located in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. It is named after Captain George Vancouver, a British explorer. Vancouver has a population of 587,891 while Metro Vancouver, its metropolitan region, has a population of 2,180,737 (2006 estimate). Metro Vancouver is the largest metropolitan area in western Canada and the third largest in the country. It is also the largest city and second-largest metropolitan area in the Pacific Northwest. Vancouver is ethnically diverse, with more than half of its residents having a first language other than English. The population of the city is growing rapidly, and the Metro population is projected to reach 2.6 million by 2020. Population density is highest for a major city on the continent after New York City, San Francisco, and Mexico City, and on track to being second by 2021.