California

CaliforniaCaliforniaOfficial language(s) EnglishDemonym CalifornianCapital SacramentoLargest city Los AngelesLargest metro area Greater Los AngelesArea 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′ WPopulation 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 vacantU.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein (D)Barbara Boxer (D)U.S. House delegation 34 Democrats, 19 Republicans (list)Time zone Pacific: UTC-8/-7Abbreviations CA Calif. US-CAWebsite http://ca.gov/

California was the 31st state in the USA; it was admitted on September 9, 1850.
State Abbreviation - CAState Capital - SacramentoOther Notable Cities - Los Angeles, San Diego, San FranciscoArea - 163,707 square miles [California is the 3rd biggest state in the USA - only Alaska and Texas are bigger]Population - 33,871,648 (as of 2000) [California is the most populous state in the USA]Name for Residents - CaliforniansMajor Industries - agriculture (many, many products), oil, mining, electronics, movie making/entertainment, and tourism
Presidential Birthplace - Richard Milhous Nixon was born in Yorba Linda on January 9, 1913 (he was the 37th US President, serving from 1969 to 1974).
Main Rivers - Sacramento River, Colorado River, San Joaquin RiverHighest Point - Mt. Whitney, 14,495 feet (4,418 m) above sea levelLowest Point - Death Valley, 282 feet (86 m) below sea level [this is the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere]Bordering States - Oregon, Nevada, ArizonaBordering Country - MexicoBordering Body of Water - Pacific Ocean
Origin of the Name California - The name California comes from a mythical Spanish island ruled by a queen called Califia that was featured in a Spanish romance ("Las Sergas de Esplandian") written by Garcia Ordonez de Montalvo in 1510. The Spanish explorers originally thought that California was an island. State Nickname - The Golden StateState Motto - Eureka (I have found it)State Song - "I Love You, California"

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 Etymology2 Geography and environment 2.1 Climate2.2 Ecology2.3 Rivers2.4 Regions3 History4 Demographics 4.1 Population 4.1.1 Cities4.2 Racial and ancestral makeup4.3 Armed forces4.4 Languages4.5 Culture4.6 Religion5 Economy6 Energy7 Transportation8 Government and politics 8.1 State government8.2 Federal politics9 Cities, towns and counties10 Education11 Sports12 Landmarks13 See also14 Notes15 References16 Further reading17 External linksEtymologyMain article: Origin of the name CaliforniaThe 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.