<P> Much of the Pacific Northwest is forested . The Georgia Strait--Puget Sound basin is shared between British Columbia and Washington, and the Pacific temperate rain forests ecoregion, which is the largest of the world's temperate rain forest ecozones in the system created by the World Wildlife Fund, stretches along the coast from Alaska to California . The dryland area inland from the Cascade Range and Coast Mountains is very different from the terrain and climate of the coastal area due to the rain shadow effect of the mountains, and comprises the Columbia, Fraser and Thompson Plateaus and mountain ranges contained within them . The interior regions' climates largely within eastern Washington, south central British Columbia, eastern Oregon, and southern Idaho are a northward extension of the Great Basin Desert, which spans the Great Basin farther south, although by their northern and eastern reaches, dryland and desert areas verge at the end of the Cascades' and Coast Mountains' rain shadows with the boreal forest and various alpine flora regimes characteristic of eastern British Columbia, northern Idaho and western Montana roughly along a longitudinal line defined by the Idaho border with Washington and Oregon . </P> <P> Most of the population of the Pacific Northwest is concentrated in the Portland--Seattle--Vancouver corridor . This area is sometimes seen as a megacity (also known as a conurbation, an agglomeration, or a megalopolis). This "megacity" stretches along Interstate 5 in the states of Oregon and Washington and Hwy 99 in the province of British Columbia . As of 2004, the combined populations of the Lower Mainland region (which includes Greater Vancouver), the Seattle metropolitan area and the Portland metropolitan area totaled around eight million people . However, beyond the megacity with few exceptions, the PNW region is characterized by a relatively low density population distribution . Some other regions of greater population density outside this corridor include the Okanagan Valley in the British Columbia interior (about 350,000 people centered around the city of Kelowna, which has close to 200,000 people) and the greater Spokane area (close to half a million). Large geographical areas may only have one mid-sized to small sized city as a regional center (often a county seat) with smaller cities and towns scattered around . Vast areas of the region may have little or no population at all, largely due to the presence of extensive mountains and forests, and plateaus containing both extensive farm and range lands, much of which is protected from development in large parks and preserves, or by zoning use regulation related to traditional land use . For example, all cities within the portion of California included in the Pacific Northwest have populations less than 100,000, with that portion of the state containing millions of acres of national forests and parks . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Th> City </Th> <Th> State / Province </Th> <Th> Population </Th> <Th> Metropolitan Area </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Seattle </Td> <Td> Washington </Td> <Td> 7005668342000000000 ♠ 668,342 </Td> <Td> 7006390502600000000 ♠ 3,905,026 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Portland </Td> <Td> Oregon </Td> <Td> 7005639863000000000 ♠ 639,863 </Td> <Td> 7006242495500000000 ♠ 2,424,955 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Vancouver </Td> <Td> British Columbia </Td> <Td> 7005631486000000000 ♠ 631,486 </Td> <Td> 7006246343100000000 ♠ 2,463,431 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Surrey </Td> <Td> British Columbia </Td> <Td> 7005517887000000000 ♠ 517,887 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Burnaby </Td> <Td> British Columbia </Td> <Td> 7005223218000000000 ♠ 223,218 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Boise </Td> <Td> Idaho </Td> <Td> 7005223154000000000 ♠ 223,154 </Td> <Td> 7005691423000000000 ♠ 691,423 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Spokane </Td> <Td> Washington </Td> <Td> 7005210721000000000 ♠ 210,721 </Td> <Td> 7005556634000000000 ♠ 556,634 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Tacoma </Td> <Td> Washington </Td> <Td> 7005198397000000000 ♠ 198,397 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Richmond </Td> <Td> British Columbia </Td> <Td> 7005190473000000000 ♠ 190,473 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Vancouver </Td> <Td> Washington </Td> <Td> 7005161791000000000 ♠ 161,791 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Eugene </Td> <Td> Oregon </Td> <Td> 7005156185000000000 ♠ 156,185 </Td> <Td> 7005351715000000000 ♠ 351,715 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Salem </Td> <Td> Oregon </Td> <Td> 7005154637000000000 ♠ 154,637 </Td> <Td> 7005390738000000000 ♠ 390,738 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Bellevue </Td> <Td> Washington </Td> <Td> 7005136420000000000 ♠ 136,420 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Abbotsford </Td> <Td> British Columbia </Td> <Td> 7005133497000000000 ♠ 133,497 </Td> <Td> 7005170191000000000 ♠ 170,191 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Coquitlam </Td> <Td> British Columbia </Td> <Td> 7005126456000000000 ♠ 126,456 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Kent </Td> <Td> Washington </Td> <Td> 7005125560000000000 ♠ 125,560 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Kelowna </Td> <Td> British Columbia </Td> <Td> 7005117312000000000 ♠ 117,312 </Td> <Td> 7005179839000000000 ♠ 179,839 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Saanich </Td> <Td> British Columbia </Td> <Td> 7005109752000000000 ♠ 109,752 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Gresham </Td> <Td> Oregon </Td> <Td> 7005105594000000000 ♠ 105,594 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Langley (Township) </Td> <Td> British Columbia </Td> <Td> 7005104177000000000 ♠ 104,177 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Everett </Td> <Td> Washington </Td> <Td> 7005103019000000000 ♠ 103,019 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Delta </Td> <Td> British Columbia </Td> <Td> 7004998630000000000 ♠ 99,863 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Renton </Td> <Td> Washington </Td> <Td> 7004954480000000000 ♠ 95,448 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Spokane Valley </Td> <Td> Washington </Td> <Td> 7004949190000000000 ♠ 94,919 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Hillsboro </Td> <Td> Oregon </Td> <Td> 7004916110000000000 ♠ 91,611 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Yakima </Td> <Td> Washington </Td> <Td> 7004910670000000000 ♠ 91,067 </Td> <Td> 7005243231000000000 ♠ 243,231 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Beaverton </Td> <Td> Oregon </Td> <Td> 7004898030000000000 ♠ 89,803 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Kamloops </Td> <Td> British Columbia </Td> <Td> 7004856780000000000 ♠ 85,678 </Td> <Td> 7004987540000000000 ♠ 98,754 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> North Vancouver (District) </Td> <Td> British Columbia </Td> <Td> 7004844120000000000 ♠ 84,412 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Nanaimo </Td> <Td> British Columbia </Td> <Td> 7004838100000000000 ♠ 83,810 </Td> <Td> 7004980210000000000 ♠ 98,021 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Nampa </Td> <Td> Idaho </Td> <Td> 7004815570000000000 ♠ 81,557 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Bellingham </Td> <Td> Washington </Td> <Td> 7004808850000000000 ♠ 80,885 </Td> <Td> 7005201140000000000 ♠ 201,140 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Victoria </Td> <Td> British Columbia </Td> <Td> 7004800170000000000 ♠ 80,017 </Td> <Td> 7005344615000000000 ♠ 344,615 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Chilliwack </Td> <Td> British Columbia </Td> <Td> 7004779360000000000 ♠ 77,936 </Td> <Td> 7004923080000000000 ♠ 92,308 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Bend </Td> <Td> Oregon </Td> <Td> 7004766390000000000 ♠ 76,639 </Td> <Td> 7005170705000000000 ♠ 170,705 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Maple Ridge </Td> <Td> British Columbia </Td> <Td> 7004760520000000000 ♠ 76,052 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Kennewick </Td> <Td> Washington </Td> <Td> 7004762440000000000 ♠ 76,244 </Td> <Td> 7005268200000000000 ♠ 268,200 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Meridian </Td> <Td> Idaho </Td> <Td> 7004750920000000000 ♠ 75,092 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Medford </Td> <Td> Oregon </Td> <Td> 7004749070000000000 ♠ 74,907 </Td> <Td> 7005207010000000000 ♠ 207,010 </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Th> City </Th> <Th> State / Province </Th> <Th> Population </Th> <Th> Metropolitan Area </Th> </Tr>

Is san francisco part of the pacific northwest