Pacific Ocean, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, and the Mexican State of Baja California del Norte. The state has striking natural features, including a huge fertile central valley, high mountains, and hot dry deserts. With an area of 410,000 km² it is the third largest state in the U.S. Most major cities cling to the cool, pleasant seacoast along the Pacific, notably San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego. However, the capital, Sacramento is in the Central Valley.

California has many types of geography. Down the center of the state lies the 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. With dredging, several of these rivers have become sufficiently large and deep that several inland cities, notably Stockton, California, are seaports.

In the center and east of the state are the Sierra Nevada, containing the highest peak in the continental U.S., Mount Whitney, at 14,505 feet (4421 m). Also in the Sierra is the world famous Yosemite National Park and a deep freshwater lake, Lake Tahoe. To the east of the Sierra is the Owens Valley and Mono Lake, an essential seabird habitat.

In the south lie 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.

California is famous for its earthquakes due partly to the presence of the San Andreas Fault. While more powerful earthquakes in the United States have occurred in Alaska and along the Mississippi River, California earthquakes are notable due to their frequency and location in highly populated areas. Popular legend has it that, eventually, a huge earthquake will result in the splitting of coastal California from the continent, either to sink into the ocean or form a new landmass. The fact that this scenario is completely implausible from a geologic standpoint does not lessen its acceptance in public conventional wisdom, or its exploitation by the producers of science fiction and fantasy media. Notable movies in which the possible destruction of much of California by an earthquake includes the titles Earthquake, A View to a Kill, Escape from L.A., and Superman.

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.

Geography of California
Antelope Valley | Central Valley | Central Coast | Channel Islands | Coast Ranges | Death Valley | Gold Country | Greater Los Angeles | Imperial Valley | Inland Empire | Mojave | Napa Valley | Northern California | Owens Valley | Pomona Valley | Redwood Empire | San Fernando Valley | San Francisco Bay Area | The Peninsula | San Gabriel Valley | Santa Clara Valley | Santa Clarita Valley | Shasta Cascade | Sierra Nevada | Silicon Valley | Southern California | Wine Country

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 cooler summers and warmer winters, and the cold oceanic California Current offshore often creates summer fog near the coast. As one moves away from the coast, the climate becomes more continental, with hotter summers and colder winters. Westerly winds from the ocean also bring moisture, and the northern parts of the state generally receive higher rainfall 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 15-40 inches (38-102 cm) 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 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.

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 high percentage of endemic species. California endemics include relict species that have died out elsewhere, including the redwoods and the Catalina Ironwood (Lyonothamnus floribundus). 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 (Ceanothus) 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.

Economy

California is responsible for 14% of American gross domestic product, which at nearly $1.4 trillion is greater than that of every other state, and every country in the world save for the United States, China, Japan, Italy, Germany, United Kingdom. This amount of GDP places Califonia at the 1^st in the nation.

The predominant industry, more than twice as large as the next largest, is agriculture, (including fruit, vegetables, dairy, and wine). This is followed by aerospace; television by dollar volume, although many movies are still made in California; and light manufacturing including computer hardware and software, and the mining of borax.

Per capita income varies widely by geographic region and profession. The Central Valley has the most extreme contrasts of income, with migrant farm workers making less than minimum wage, contrasted with farmers who frequently manage multimillion-dollar farms. Most farm managers are highly educated, most with at least master's degrees. While some coastal cities include some of the wealthiest per_capita areas in the U.S., notably San Francisco and Marin County, the non-agricultural central counties have some of the highest poverty rates in the U.S. The high-technology sectors in Northern California, specifically Silicon Valley, in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, are currently in a recession because of the dot.com bust, but biotechnology, video games and animation are taking up the slack.

See also: California unemployment statistics

Demographics

With a population of 35,484,453 as of 2003 (according to Census Bureau estimates), California is the most populous state in the U.S., and contains 12% of the total U.S. population.

According to the census, California lacks a majority ethnic group. Non_Hispanic Whites are still the largest group, but are no longer a majority of the population due to high levels of immigration in recent years. Hispanics make up almost one_third of the population; in order, other groups are Asian Americans, African Americans, and Native Americans.

Because of high levels of immigration from Latin America, especially Mexico, and higher birth rates among the Hispanic population, Hispanics are predicted to become a majority around 2040.

Racial breakdown of the population of California:

• 46.7% White non-Hispanic
• 32.4% Hispanic
• 10.9% Asian
• 6.7% Black
• 4.7% mixed race

Religion

The religious affiliations of the people of California are:

• Protestant – 44%
• Roman Catholic – 32%
• Other Christian – 4%
• Other Religions (Judaism, Buddhism, Islam)– 4%
• Non-Religious – 14%

The three largest Protestant denominations in California are: Baptist (10% of total state population), Methodist (4%), Lutheran (4%).

Important cities and towns

The state of California has many cities and the majority of these cities are within one of nine total major metropolitan areas. The four largest are coastal being Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, and San Francisco. The other five are inland and consist of the Inland Empire (Riverside_San Bernardino_Ontario), Sacramento, Fresno, Bakersfield, and the Antelope Valley (Palmdale_Lancaster).

Main articles: List of cities in California, List of cities in California (by population), List of urbanized areas in California (by population)

• Population greater than 10,000,000 (urbanized area)
  • Los Angeles
• Population greater than 1,000,000 (urbanized area)
  • Inland Empire
  • San Diego
  • San Francisco
  • San Jose
  • Sacramento
• Population greater than 500,000 (urbanized area)
  • Bakersfield
  • Fresno
  • McFarland
• Population greater than 100,000 (urbanized area)
  • Antelope Valley
  • Oakland
  • Redding
  • Stockton
• Important suburbs
  • Alameda
  • Anaheim
  • Berkeley
  • Glendale
  • Huntington Beach
  • Long Beach
  • Monterey
  • Ontario
  • Palo Alto
  • Santa Ana
  • Riverside
  • San Bernardino

25 Richest Places in California

Ranked by per capita income

1 Belvedere, California $113,595
2 Rancho Santa Fe, California $113,132
3 Atherton, California $112,408
4 Rolling Hills, California $111,031
5 Woodside, California $104,667
6 Portola Valley, California $99,621
7 Newport Coast, California $98,770
8 Hillsborough, California $98,643
9 Diablo, California $95,419
10 Fairbanks Ranch, California $94,150
11 Hidden Hills, California $94,096
12 Los Altos Hills, California $92,840
13 Tiburon, California $85,966
14 Sausalito, California $81,040
15 Monte Sereno, California $76,577
16 Indian Wells, California $76,187
17 Malibu, California $74,336
18 Del Monte Forest, California $70,609
19 Piedmont, California $70,539
20 Montecito, California $70,077
21 Palos Verdes Estates, California $69,040
22 Emerald Lake Hills, California $68,966
23 Loyola, California $68,730
24 Blackhawk-Camino Tassajara, California $66,972
25 Los Altos, California $66,776
See complete list of California places

Education

California's educational system is supported by a unique constitutional amendment that requires 40% of state revenues to be spent on education.

The preeminent state university is the 9_campus University of California, which employs more Nobel Prize winners than any other institution in the world. The eight general campuses are in Berkeley, Los Angeles, Davis, Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara, Irvine, Riverside, and San Diego. A ninth campus, in San Francisco, teaches only health-sciences students. A tenth campus, in Merced, is scheduled to open in 2005.[1] (http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/campuses/welcome.html) The UC system is intended to accept students from the top 12.5% of college-bound students, and provide most graduate studies and research. The University of California also administers federal laboratories for the Federal Department of Energy: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and Los Alamos National Laboratory.

The California State University system provides education for teachers, the trades, agriculture and industry. With over 400,000 students, the CSU system is the largest university system in the United States. It is intended to accept most college-bound high-school students, while carrying out some research, especially in applied sciences. Lower-division course credits are frequently transferable to the University of California.

The California community college system provides vocational education, remedial education, and continuing education programs. It awards certificates and associate degrees. It also provides lower division general-education courses, whose credit units are transferable to the CSU and UC systems. It is composed of 109 colleges organized into 72 districts. The system serves a student population of over 2.9 million.

Preeminent private institutions include Stanford University, the University of Southern California (USC), and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) (which administers the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA).

California has hundreds of private colleges and universities, including many religious and special_purpose institutions. This leads to many unique entertainment and educational opportunities for residents. For example, Southern California, with one of the highest densities of post_secondary institutions in the world, has a very large base of classically trained vocalists that compete in large choir festivals. Near Los Angeles, there are numerous art and film institutes, including the prestigious Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the CalArts Institute.

Secondary education consists of high schools that teach elective courses in trades, languages and liberal arts with tracks for gifted, college_bound and industrial arts students. They accept students from roughly age 14 to 18, with mandatory education ceasing at age 16. In many districts, junior high schools or middle schools teach electives with a strong skills_based curriculum, for ages from 11 to 13. Elementary schools teach pure skills, history and social studies, with optional half_day kindergartens beginning at age 5. Mandatory full_time instruction begins at age 6.

The primary schools are of varying effectiveness. The quality of the local schools depends strongly on the local tax base, and the size of the local administration. In some regions, administrative costs divert a significant amount of educational monies from instructional purposes. In poor regions, literacy rates may fall below 70%. One thing they all have in common is a state mandate to teach fourth grade students about the history of California, including the role of the early missions; most schools implement this by requiring students complete a multiple medium project.

Transportation

California's vast terrain is connected by an extensive system of freeways, expressways, and highways, all maintained by Caltrans and patrolled by the California Highway Patrol. Most Californians usually resort to the roads for their commutes, errands, and vacations, which is why California's cities have a reputation equalled in the U.S. only by New York City for severe traffic congestion.

As for air travel, San Francisco International Airport and airports and many more general aviation airports throughout the states.

California also has several excellent seaports. The giant seaport complex formed by the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach in Southern California is responsible for handling about a fourth of all container cargo traffic in the United States. The Port of Oakland handles most of the ocean containers passing through Northern California.