Washington is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States that was named after George Washington, the first President of the United States. The population was approximately 6,549,224 in 2008, with nearly 60 percent living in the Seattle metropolitan area, which is the center of transportation, business, industry, and home to an internationally known arts community. Washington's climate varies greatly from west to east. There are deep rain forests in the west, mountain ranges in the center, northeast and far southeast, and eastern semi-deserts given over to intensive agriculture.