Encyclopedia
California is a
state spanning the southern half of the
west coast of the contiguous
United States. With a population of 37 million and an area of 158,402 square miles , California is the
largest U.S. state in population and the
third largest in area.
The region was inhabited by Native Americans before
European explorers started to make sporadic visitations during the 16th century. California had the highest density and greatest diversity of indigenous peoples in what is now the United States.
Spain colonized the coastal areas of the territory starting in 1769. As a result of the
Mexican War of Independence, California became a part of the
Mexican Republic in 1821. It was captured by the United States in the
Mexican-American War which was concluded with the
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The
California Gold Rush of 1848-1849 brought about 90,000 additional U.S. immigrants into the state, and California became the 31st state of the Union in 1850.
Although the state's sunny climate has given it a historic reputation for being laid back compared to the
East Coast, the $1.55 trillion California economy is larger than all but the top 7 national economies in the world and is responsible for 13% of the United States' $13 trillion
gross domestic product . The state's major predominant industries include
agriculture,
entertainment, light manufacturing, and
tourism. California is also the home of several significant economic regions such as
Hollywood , the
California Central Valley ,
Silicon Valley , and the Wine Country .
Name
California originally referred to the entire region composed of the Mexican peninsula now known as
Baja California and land in the current U.S. state of California. The states of
Nevada,
Utah,
Arizona, and
Wyoming, were claimed by Spain and Mexico but were almost totally undeveloped, with about 100 settlers in Arizona.
The name
California is most commonly believed derived from a storied paradise peopled by
black Amazons and ruled by 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 García Ordonez Rodriguez de Montalvo. The kingdom of Queen Califia, according to Montalvo, was said to be a remote land inhabited by griffons 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.
It is thought that the myth of Califia later helped fuel Spanish exploration in the
New World.
Others suggest the word
California may come from the early Spanish explorers who entered California via the hot southern regions and referred to California as being "hot as an oven" or a "lime oven" . It may be derived from
caliente fornalia, Spanish for
hot furnace, or it may come from
calida fornax, Latin for
hot climate.
Geography
California borders the
Pacific Ocean,
Oregon,
Nevada,
Arizona, and the
Mexican state of
Baja California. The state has many natural features, including an expansive central valley, tall mountains, arid deserts, and hundreds of miles of scenic coastline. With an area of 160,000 square miles it is the third largest state in the U.S and is larger than Germany in size. Most major cities are at or near the Pacific coastline, notably
Los Angeles,
San Francisco,
San Jose,
Long Beach,
Oakland, Santa Ana/
Orange County,
Riverside/
Moreno Valley,
San Bernardino and
San Diego. However, the
capital,
Sacramento, is in the
Central Valley. The geographic center of the state is located in
North Fork, California.
California's geography is rich, complex, and varied. In the middle of the state lies the
California Central Valley, a huge, fertile
valley bounded by the coastal mountain ranges in the
west, the granite Sierra Nevada to the
east, the volcanic
Cascade Range in the north and the
Tehachapi Mountains in the
south. Mountain-fed
rivers, dams, and canals provide water to irrigate the Central Valley. The water supply for much of the state is provided by the
State Water Project. The Central Valley Project supports some municipal water supplies, though it primarily provides water to irrigated agriculture. With dredging, several rivers have become sufficiently large and deep that several inland cities are
seaports. The hot, fertile Central Valley is California's agricultural heartland and grows a large portion of America's food, yet near freezing temperatures are not uncommon during winter which sometimes wipe out portions of crops. The southern part of the valley, which is part desert, is known as the San Joaquin Valley , while the northern half is known as the Sacramento Valley . The
Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay Delta is a major estuary that supports a brackish ecosystem while serving as the water supply hub for much of the state's population. The
Channel Islands are located in the
southern part of the state, stretching from Santa Barbara to Orange County. These islands have few inhabitants, but the northernmost islands are a national park. They and the largest island,
Santa Catalina Island are attractive to visitors.
In the center and east of the state are the Sierra Nevada , which include the highest peak in the contiguous 48 states,
Mount Whitney, at 14,505 feet . Also located in the Sierra are the world-famous
Yosemite National Park and a deep freshwater lake,
Lake Tahoe, the largest lake in the state by volume. To the east of the Sierra are
Owens Valley and
Mono Lake, an essential
seabird habitat. To the west is
Clear Lake, California's largest freshwater lake by area. The Sierra Nevada reaches arctic temperatures in the winter and has several dozen small glaciers, including the most southern glacier in the US.
About 35% of the state's total surface area is covered by forests. California's diversity of pine species is unmatched by any other state. Though other states have a higher percentage of their land area covered by forests, in terms of total area, California contains more forestland than any other state except Alaska. Most of the forest is found in 2 areas: the northwestern part of the state and along the western slope of the Sierra Nevada. Smaller forests, mainly consisting of oaks, can be found along the coast ranges of California closer to the coast, and also in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. Smaller areas of pine forests can be found in the San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains of Southern California and also in the mountain areas of central San Diego County. Deserts in California make up about 25% of the total surface area. In the south lay the Transverse Ranges and a large salt lake, the
Salton Sea. The south-central desert is called the
Mojave. To the northeast of the Mojave lies
Death Valley, which contains the lowest, hottest point in
North America,
Badwater Flat. The lowest point of Death Valley and the peak of Mount Whitney are less than 200 miles apart. Indeed, almost all of southeastern California is arid, hot desert, with the
Coachella Valley and
Imperial Valley routinely experiencing extreme high temperatures during the summer. These large deserts kept travel between California and
Mexico to a bare minimum during the colonial period. The
Coachella Valley in
Riverside County is famous for its popular tourist destination
Palm Springs, California. Other Coachella Valley communities include Bermuda Dunes,
Desert Hot Springs, Indian Wells, Palm Desert,
La Quinta, Rancho Mirage, Indio, Coachella and Cathedral City.
Along the densely populated and long California coast are several major metropolitan areas, including
San Jose-
San Francisco-
Oakland,
Los Angeles-
Long Beach, Santa Ana-Irvine-Anaheim, Riverside-San Bernardino, California and
San Diego. Climates near the
Pacific Ocean are remarkably moderate compared with inland climates. Winter temperatures seldom reach freezing and summer temperatures rarely reach above the high 80's Fahrenheit .
California is famous for
earthquakes due to the presence of a number of faults, in particular the
San Andreas Fault. While powerful earthquakes in the United States have occurred in other states such as
Alaska,
Washington,
Oregon, and
Missouri , people are more aware of California's earthquakes due to their frequency and tendency to strike in highly populated areas.
California is also home to several
volcanoes, some active such as
Mammoth Mountain. Other volcanoes include
Lassen Peak, which erupted from 1914 and 1921, and
Mount Shasta.
Climate
Different regions of California have very different climates, depending on their latitude, elevation, and proximity to the coast. Most of the state has a
Mediterranean climate, with rainy
winters and dry summers. The influence of the
ocean generally moderates temperature extremes, creating warmer winters and substantially cooler summers. The cool California Current offshore, enhanced by upwelling of cold sub-surface waters, often creates summer
fog near the coast. Further inland, the climate becomes more continental with colder winters and markedly hotter summers. The temperature gradient between immediate coast and low-lying inland valleys in the north is about 7 °F in winter and in summer roughly 25 °F . In the south, the figures are approximately 4 °F and 23 °F , respectively; however 4 °F and 35 °F between
Santa Barbara and
Death Valley.
Westerly winds from the ocean also bring moisture, and the northern parts of the state generally receive higher annual rainfall amounts than the south. California's mountain ranges influence the climate as well: moisture-laden air from the west cools as it ascends the mountains, dropping moisture; some of the rainiest parts of the state are west-facing mountain slopes. Northwestern California has a temperate climate with rainfall of 15–50 inches per year. Some areas of
Coast Redwood forest receive over 100 inches of precipitation per year . The Central Valley has a Mediterranean climate but with greater temperature extremes than the coastal areas: parts of the valley are often filled with thick fog, similar to that found in the coastal valleys. The high mountains, including the Sierra Nevada, have a mountain climate with
snow in winter and mild to moderate heat in summer.
On the east side of the mountains is a drier
rain shadow. California's
desert climate regions lie east of the high Sierra Nevada and Southern California's Transverse Ranges and Peninsular Ranges. The low deserts east of the southern California mountains, including the Imperial and Coachella valleys and the lower
Colorado River, are part of the
Sonoran Desert, with hot summers and mild winters; the higher elevation deserts of eastern California, including the
Mojave Desert,
Owens Valley, and the
Modoc Plateau, are part of the
Great Basin region, with hot summers and cold winters. During the summer months, especially from July through early September, the region is affected by the
Mexican Monsoon , which drives moisture from the tropical Pacific,
Gulf of California, and/or
Gulf of Mexico into the deserts, setting off brief, but often torrential thunderstorms, particularly over mountainous terrain.
In the northern portion of the
Mojave Desert on the east side of the state is
Death Valley, which is the hottest spot on the
Western Hemisphere. It is common in the summer for temperatures in the valley to reach 120 °F . The highest temperature in the Western Hemisphere, 134 °F , was recorded in Death Valley on July 10, 1913. Temperatures of 130 °F or higher have been recorded as recently as 2005. The 24-hour average July temperature in Death Valley is 101 °F .
Ecology
Ecologically, California is one of the richest and most diverse parts of the world and includes some of the most endangered ecological communities. California's diverse geography, geology, soils and climate have generated a tremendous diversity of plant and animal life. The State of California is part of the
Nearctic ecozone, and spans a number of terrestrial ecoregions, and is perhaps the most ecologically diverse state in the United States.
California has a rather high percentage of endemic species. California endemics include relic species that have died out elsewhere, including the
redwoods and the Catalina Ironwood . Many other endemics originated through differentiation or
adaptive radiation, whereby multiple species develop from a common ancestor to take advantage of diverse ecological conditions. California's great abundance of species of California lilac is an example of adaptive radiation. Many California endemics have become endangered, as urbanization, logging, overgrazing, and the introduction of exotic species have encroached on their habitat. Furthermore, California is home to the largest trees in the world, the
Giant Sequoias.
California's native grasses were
perennials, which stayed green year-round in most of the state's subclimates. After European contact, these were generally replaced by
invasive species of European annual grasses; and, in modern times, California's hills turn a characteristic golden brown in summer. California's nickname
The Golden State is in reference to the golden brown summer hillsides and not to the
California Gold Rush,as is sometimes stated.
National Parks and Monuments
- Main articles: List of areas in the National Park System of the United States, List of United States national parks by state, and List of National Monuments of the United States.
To protect and preserve the state's biological diversity, natural beauty, and historic heritage, the U.S.
National Park System has acquired control over a huge number of places within California. Please see the lists above for more information.
Some of the oldest and most popular national parks in the United States are located in California. The most prominent by far is
Yosemite National Park , followed closely by the
Kings Canyon-
Sequoia National Park complex and
Redwood National Park .
Half Dome, in Yosemite, figures prominently on the reverse side of the California state quarter.
History
The area was inhabited by more than 70 distinct groups of
Native Americans before European contact. On September 28, 1542,
Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo landed in what is now San Diego Bay claiming it for Spain. Spanish traders made sporadic visits with the
Manila Galleons as early as 1565. The British explorer
Sir Francis Drake made contact in 1579.
Sebastián Vizcaíno explored and mapped the coast of California in 1602.
Spain colonized the territory with the 1769 expedition of Gaspar de Portolà in conjunction with the creation of the system of
Military Districts and
Spanish Missions in California between 1769 and 1823. California ceded from Spain and became part of Mexico resultant to the
Mexican War of Independence . During the outset of the
Mexican-American War , in the town of Sonoma forty U.S. settlers revolted and established the
California Republic, an independent republic, June 14, 1846. This short lived independent republic was annexed by the United States on July 9, 1846. The Mexican officials fled without a fight. The
California Gold Rush of 1849 brought a huge population of immigrants into the area, and California became the 31st state of the United States in 1850.
The entire region originally known as California was composed of t
