Seattle is a city in West central Washington, in the United States of America.

The seat of King County, Seattle is the hub of the sprawling metropolitan region of Greater Seattle and is the largest city in Washington state. There are 3.6 million people in Greater Seattle, one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the United States.

The area’s economic growth reflects the success of local high-technology industries such as aerospace, software, computer and electronic equipment, medical devices and biotechnology, and telecommunications products.

City residents look West to the mountains of Olympic National Park, East to the Cascade Range, and South to Mount Rainier (4,392 m/14,410 ft).

Lake Washington and Lake Union, which lies within the Seattle city limits, are connected to Puget Sound by the Lake Washington Ship Canal. The canal threads East and West through the city, and the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks enable seagoing vessels to traverse the different water levels from the higher freshwater lakes to the lower saltwater bay.

Seattle was named in honor of Chief Sealth, the leader of the Native American tribes who befriended the American settlers that founded the city in 1851.