Vancouver is a city in British Columbia on the west coast of Canada, nestled between the Strait of Georgia and the Coast Mountains, about 45 kilometres northwest of the US border. The city is the third largest in the country after Toronto and Montreal. With a population of 662,248, Vancouver is a transport hub and an economic, scientific and cultural centre. The city was named after the British captain George Vancouver, who explored and surveyed the region at the end of the 18th century.