California

California
California
Official language(s) English
Demonym Californian
Capital Sacramento
Largest city Los Angeles
Largest metro area Greater Los Angeles
Area Ranked 3rd in the US
- Total 163,696 sq mi
(423,970 km2)
- Width 250 miles (400 km)
- Length 770 miles (1,240 km)
- % water 4.7
- Latitude 32° 32′ N to 42° N
- Longitude 114° 8′ W to 124° 26′ W
Population Ranked 1st in the US
- Total 36,961,664 (2009 est.)[2]
33,871,648 (2000)
- Density 234.4/sq mi (90.49/km2)
Ranked 11th in the US
- Median income US$54,385 (11th)
Elevation
- Highest point Mount Whitney[3]
14,494 ft (4,418 m)
- Mean 2,900[4] ft (884 m)
- Lowest point Death Valley[3]
-282 ft (-86-282 feet (−86.0 m) m)
Admission to Union September 9, 1850 (31st)
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R)
Lieutenant Governor vacant
U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein (D)
Barbara Boxer (D)
U.S. House delegation 34 Democrats, 19 Republicans (list)
Time zone Pacific: UTC-8/-7
Abbreviations CA Calif. US-CA
Website http://ca.gov
(pronounced /kælɨˈfɔrnjə/ ( listen)) is the most populous state in the United States,[2] and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil. It is located on the West Coast of the United States, and is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the northeast, Arizona to the southeast, the Mexican state of Baja California to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Its four largest cities are Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, and San Francisco.[5] The state is home to the nation's second and sixth largest census statistical areas as well as eight of the nation's fifty most populous cities. California has a varied climate and geography, and a diverse population.

California is the third-largest U.S. state by land area, after Alaska and Texas. Its geography ranges from the Pacific coast to the Sierra Nevada mountain range in the east, to Mojave desert areas in the southeast and the Redwood–Douglas fir forests of the northwest. The center of the state is dominated by the Central Valley, one of the most productive agricultural areas in the world. California is the most geographically diverse state in the nation, and contains the highest (Mount Whitney) and lowest (Death Valley) points in the contiguous United States. Almost 40% of California is forested,[6] a high amount for a relatively arid state.

Beginning in the late 18th century, the area known as Alta California was colonized by the Spanish Empire. In 1821, Mexico, including Alta California, became the First Mexican Empire, beginning as a monarchy, before shifting to a republic. In 1846 a group of American settlers in Sonoma declared the independence of a California Republic. As a result of the Mexican-American War, Mexico ceded California to the United States. It became the 31st state admitted to the union on September 9, 1850.

In the 19th century, the California Gold Rush brought about dramatic social, economic, and demographic change in California, with a large influx of people and an economic boom that caused San Francisco to grow from a hamlet of tents to a world-renowned boomtown. Key developments in the early 20th century included the emergence of Los Angeles as center of the American entertainment industry, and the growth of a large, state-wide tourism sector. In addition to California's prosperous agricultural industry, other important contributors to the economy include aerospace, petroleum, and information technology. If California were a country, it would rank among the ten largest economies in the world, with a GDP similar to that of Italy. It would be the 35th most populous country.Contents [hide]
1 Etymology
2 Geography and environment
2.1 Climate
2.2 Ecology
2.3 Rivers
2.4 Regions
3 History
4 Demographics
4.1 Population
4.1.1 Cities
4.2 Racial and ancestral makeup
4.3 Armed forces
4.4 Languages
4.5 Culture
4.6 Religion
5 Economy
6 Energy
7 Transportation
8 Government and politics
8.1 State government
8.2 Federal politics
9 Cities, towns and counties
10 Education
11 Sports
12 Landmarks
13 See also
14 Notes
15 References
16 Further reading
17 External links

Etymology
Main article: Origin of the name California

The word California originally referred to the entire region composed of what is today the state of California, plus all or parts of Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and Wyoming, and the Mexican peninsula of Baja California.

The name California is most commonly believed to have derived from a fictional paradise peopled by Black Amazons and ruled by a Queen Califia. The myth of Califia is recorded in a 1510 work The Exploits of Esplandian, written as a sequel to Amadís de Gaula by Spanish adventure writer Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo.[7][verification needed] The kingdom of Queen Califia or Calafia, according to Montalvo, was said to be a remote land inhabited by griffins and other strange beasts and rich in gold.

Know ye that at the right hand of the Indies there is an island named California, very close to that part of the terrestrial Paradise, which was inhabited by black women, without a single man among them, and that they lived in the manner of Amazons. They were robust of body, with strong and passionate hearts and great virtues. The island itself is one of the wildest in the world on account of the bold and craggy rocks. Their weapons were all made of gold. The island everywhere abounds with gold and precious stones, and upon it no other metal was found.[8][verification needed]

The name California is the fifth-oldest surviving European place-name in the U.S. and was applied to what is now the southern tip of Baja California as the island of California by a Spanish expedition led by Diego de Becerra and Fortun Ximenez, who landed there in 1533 at the behest of Hernando Cortes.[note 1]