California | |
|---|---|
| Nickname: The Golden State[1] | |
| Motto: | |
| Anthem: "I Love You, California" | |
 Map of the United States with California highlighted | |
| Country | United States |
| Before statehood | Mexican Cession unorganized territory |
| Admitted to the Union | September 9, 1850 (31st) |
| Capital | Sacramento |
| Largest city | Los Angeles |
| Largest metro and urban areas | Greater Los Angeles |
| Government | |
| • Governor | Gavin Newsom (D) |
| • Lieutenant Governor | Eleni Kounalakis (D) |
| Legislature | State Legislature |
| • Upper house | State Senate |
| • Lower house | State Assembly |
| Judiciary | Supreme Court of California |
| U.S. senators | Alex Padilla (D) Laphonza Butler (D) |
| U.S. House delegation |
|
| Area | |
| • Total | 163,696 sq mi (423,970 km2) |
| • Land | 155,959 sq mi (403,932 km2) |
| • Water | 7,737 sq mi (20,047 km2) 4.7% |
| • Rank | 3rd |
| Dimensions | |
| • Length | 760 mi (1,220 km) |
| • Width | 250 mi (400 km) |
| Elevation | 2,900 ft (880 m) |
| Highest elevation | 14,505 ft (4,421.0 m) |
| Lowest elevation | −279 ft (−85.0 m) |
| Population (2023) | |
| • Total |  38,940,231[6] |
| • Rank | 1st |
| • Density | 251.3/sq mi (97/km2) |
| • Rank | 11th |
| • Median household income | $78,700[7] |
| • Income rank | 5th |
| Demonym(s) | Californian Californio (archaic Spanish) Californiano (Spanish) |
| Language | |
| • Official language | English |
| • Spoken language | |
| Time zone | UTC−08:00 (PST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−07:00 (PDT) |
| USPS abbreviation | CA |
| ISO 3166 code | US-CA |
| Traditional abbreviation | Calif., Cal., Cali. |
| Latitude | 32°32′ N to 42° N |
| Longitude | 114°8′ W to 124°26′ W |
| Website | ca |
California is a state in the Western United States, lying on the American Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and an international border with the Mexican state of Baja California to the south. With nearly 39 million residents across an area of 163,696 square miles (423,970 km2),[11] it is the most populous U.S. state, the third-largest by area, and most populated subnational entity in North America.
Prior to European colonization, California was one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse areas in pre-Columbian North America. European exploration in the 16th and 17th centuries led to the colonization by the Spanish Empire. The area became a part of Mexico in 1821, following its successful war for independence, but was ceded to the United States in 1848 after the Mexican–American War. The California gold rush started in 1848 and led to social and demographic changes, including depopulation of Indigenous peoples in the California genocide. The western portion of Alta California was then organized and admitted as the 31st state in 1850, as a free state, following the Compromise of 1850.
The Greater Los Angeles and San Francisco Bay areas are the nation's second- and fifth-most populous urban regions, with 19 million and 10 million residents respectively.[12] Los Angeles is the state's most populous city and the nation's second-most; California's capital is Sacramento. The state's diverse geography ranges from the Pacific Coast and metropolitan areas in the west to the Sierra Nevada mountains in the east, and from the redwood and Douglas fir forests in the northwest to the Mojave Desert in the southeast. Two-thirds of the nation's earthquake risk lies in California.[13] The Central Valley, a fertile agricultural area, dominates the state's center. The large size of the state results in climates that vary from moist temperate rainforest in the north to arid desert in the interior, as well as snowy alpine in the mountains. Droughts and wildfires are an ongoing issue.[14]
California's economy is the largest of any U.S. state, with a $4.0 trillion gross state product as of 2024[update].[15] It is the largest sub-national economy in the world. California's agricultural industry has the highest output of any U.S. state,[16][17][18] and is led by its dairy, almonds, and grapes.[19] With the busiest port in the country (Los Angeles), California plays a pivotal role in the global supply chain, hauling in about 40% of goods imported to the US.[20] Notable contributions to popular culture, ranging from entertainment, sports, music, and fashion, have their origins in California. California is the home of Hollywood, the oldest and one of the largest film industries in the world, profoundly influencing global entertainment. The San Francisco Bay and the Greater Los Angeles areas are seen as the centers of the global technology and U.S. film industries, respectively.[21]
- ^ "California". americaslibrary.gov. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
- ^ a b "Chapter 2 of Division 2 of Title 1 of the California Government Code". California Office of Legislative Counsel. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Mount_Whitneywas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
USGSwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "USGS National Elevation Dataset (NED) 1 meter Downloadable Data Collection from The National Map 3D Elevation Program (3DEP)—National Geospatial Data Asset (NGDA) National Elevation Data Set (NED)". United States Geological Survey. September 21, 2015. Archived from the original on March 25, 2019. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
CaliforniaDecline2023was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Median Annual Household Income". The US Census Bureau. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
- ^ "Languages Spoken at Home". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
- ^ "California Government Code § 424". California Office of Legislative Counsel. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
- ^ "California Government Code § 422". California Office of Legislative Counsel. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
- ^ "United States by Area". 2022 World Population by Country. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
- ^ "American FactFinder—Results". factfinder.census.gov. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on January 24, 2018. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
- ^ "What is the Earthquake Risk in California?". California Earthquake Authority. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
CALIFORNIA IS HOME TO TWO-THIRDS OF OUR NATION'S EARTHQUAKE RISK.
- ^ Elassar, Alaa (April 3, 2022). "California once prohibited Native American fire practices. Now, it's asking tribes to use them to help prevent wildfires". CNN. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
GDPByStatewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Palmer, Brian (July 10, 2013). "The C-Free Diet". Slate.
- ^ "CDFA—Statistics". California Department of Food and Agriculture.
- ^ "California farms produce a lot of food—but what and how much might surprise you". Orange County Register. July 27, 2017.
- ^ Vic Tolomeo; Kelly Krug; Doug Flohr; Jason Gibson (October 31, 2012). "California Agricultural Statistics: 2011 Crop Year" (PDF). National Agricultural Statistics Service. United States Department of Agriculture. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 24, 2013. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
- ^ Karlamangla, Soumya (November 4, 2021). "The Busiest Port in the U.S." The New York Times. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
But despite its glitzy image, L.A. is home to the busiest port in the Western Hemisphere. It plays a major role in the global supply chain
- ^ "California Gross domestic product (GDP) (millions of current dollars)". U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis. Archived from the original on August 6, 2016. Retrieved July 19, 2015.
Cite error: There are <ref group=note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=note}} template (see the help page).