California has an area of 158,706 square miles (411,049 square kilometers), exceeded only by Alaska and Texas. The state is bounded on the north by Oregon, on the east by Nevada and Arizona, on the south by the Mexican state of Baja ("Lower") California, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean.

The California state climate is diverse. The moderate coastal climate has been a major factor in the concentration of settlement along the coast, where temperatures seldom exceed 90 F (32° C) or drop to freezing. The Colorado Desert of southeastern California has summer temperatures up to 130 F (54 C), with annual rainfall averaging 3 to 4 inches (75 to 100 mm). Redwood forests thrive in the northwestern coastal ranges, where annual rainfall exceeds 70 inches (1,778 mm) and annual temperatures average 55 F (13 C). Climate changes rapidly with altitude, and the coastal cities are only hours away from mountain skiing or desert sports.

California attracts some of the finest artists and performers, as well as a considerable number of those with aspirations to be such. Hollywood, with its movie and television industry, continues to be an international symbol of glamour. Lavish expenditures have been made to support theater, dance, symphony, opera, and art.

The California state higher-education system is oriented toward tax-supported, public institutions. Interactions with private industry in the areas of research and development have contributed heavily to its economic growth. Institutions of higher education include the outstanding University of California and California State University systems, numerous private universities, many of them of the highest quality, and a large number of community colleges.

In economic terms California is more aptly compared with nations than with other U.S. states. The total value of its goods and services is surpassed only by the United States as a whole and a few other industrialized nations. It is the United States' leading agricultural producer. More than four-fifths of its cropland is irrigated. In nearly 50 crop and livestock commodities, California production exceeds that of any other state, and, for some specialty crops, California is the sole domestic source. Important farm products in which it ranks high are almonds, broccoli, dates, figs, flowers and nursery products, grapes, lemons, lettuce, peaches, prunes, strawberries, sugar beets, tomatoes, walnuts, eggs, cotton, oranges, rice, milk, turkeys, and wool.

Petroleum and natural gas are the leading mineral resources. Boron, cement, and sand and gravel are also important. The largest manufacturing sector is aerospace-defense. Electric and electronic equipment, transportation equipment, machinery, and processed food are the most important manufactured products. An enormous economic impact is made by the spending each year of millions of tourists who travel from other states and countries.

Sadly, California has the greatest concentration of motor vehicles in the world and the most extensive system of multilane divided highways. The development of mass transit, however, with the exception of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) of the San Francisco area and the trolley systems of San Diego and Sacramento, has been neglected, leaving urban transit for the most part to buses and private cars; consequently, there are enormous problems arising from smog and air pollution. Air service, especially along the coastal corridor, is extensive. Transport of goods is primarily by trucks, although coastal shipping is becoming increasingly important.

Early California History

The earliest inhabitants of California were Indians who, unlike other North American Indian groupings, had no centralized governmental structures. Instead, each group had its own independent territorial and political units. At the time of initial European exploration the major language groupings in the area were the Na-Denz, Hokan, Penutian, and Aztec-Tanoan.

The region received scant attention from Europeans for more than three centuries after its first sighting in 1542 by the Spanish navigator Juan Cabrillo. The Franciscan friar Junípero Serra established the first mission at San Diego in 1769. The 21 missions established by Serra and his successors drew large Indian populations and were centres for farming and ranching. Mexico became independent from Spain in 1821, and the mission properties were parceled out to political favorites by the Mexican government in 1833-40. The first organized group of U.S. settlers arrived in 1841, having traveled by wagon train from Missouri. In 1846 American settlers at Sonoma seized control and proclaimed an independent California republic. The U.S. flag was raised at Monterey after the United States declared war on Mexico during the same year, and, following the end of the Mexican War in 1848, the territory was ceded to the United States. The discovery of gold in 1848 caused immediate, extensive population growth, and in 1850 California became the 31st state.

© 2001- 2008 Copyright
Image Marketing Service