California
hideCalifornia ( /kælɪˈfɔrnjə/ (help·info)) is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. It is located on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean, and is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and the Mexican state of Baja California to the south. Its four largest cities are Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, and San Francisco. The state is home to eight of the nation's fifty largest cities. It is known for its varied climate and geography, as well as its 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.
Beginning in the late 18th century, the area known as Alta California was colonized by the Spanish Empire. It and the rest of Mexico became an independent republic in 1821. In 1846, California broke away from Mexico, and, after 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 changes, 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.
For more information about California, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with california
Calif. requires TVs to be more energy-efficient (Update)
Nov 18, 2009 |
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(AP) -- California regulators adopted the nation's first energy-efficiency standards for televisions Wednesday in hopes of reducing electricity use at a time when millions of American households are switching ...
Cave study links climate change to California droughts
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Nov 10, 2009 |
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California experienced centuries-long droughts in the past 20,000 years that coincided with the thawing of ice caps in the Arctic, according to a new study by UC Davis doctoral student Jessica Oster and geology professor ...
Sea lions killed, but Columbia salmon toll rises
Nov 07, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Killing or removing 25 California sea lions over the past two years has not reduced the toll on salmon at the base of Bonneville Dam in the Columbia River.
Twitter user list favors Dems in Calif. gov race
Oct 27, 2009 |
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(AP) -- When people sign up for Twitter, the popular social-networking site presents a list of suggested users to follow, driving significant traffic to sports figures, celebrities, politicians and other prominent posters.
Baja California residents watching for Hurricane Rick
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Oct 16, 2009 |
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Based on computer forecast models, the residents of southern and central Baja California should prepare over the weekend for now Tropical Storm Rick. Rick formed late yesterday, October 15, and is expected ...
Calif. citrus farmers fear tree-killing disease
Oct 08, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Tom Mulholland is girding for battle against a tiny enemy that could devastate the orange grove he has spent his life cultivating. His adversary: the Asian citrus psyllid, a fruit-fly-sized insect ...
Half-million low-income elderly affected by sweeping cuts to state safety net
Oct 01, 2009 |
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An 81-year-old San Francisco woman with dementia, little money and an equally aged caregiver sister who is suffering from cancer.
Dutch help California's Bay Area plan for sea level rise
Sep 22, 2009 |
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How to plan for sea level rise, a still-abstract concept for many Californians, drew serious consideration from engineers, designers and urban planners from Holland and the U.S. at a symposium held on Monday.
Calif. advances tough flat-screen energy standards
Sep 19, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Energy regulators on Friday moved forward with a plan that could ban the sale of the most power-hungry televisions from California retail stores.
Pollution from California Wildfires Spreads Across the United States (w/ Video)
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Sep 04, 2009 |
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Beginning August 26, 2009, and continuing into September 2009, a large wildfire in the Angeles National Forest north of Los Angeles known as the Station Fire burned more than 140,000 acres through September ...
Changes in California's bird communities due to climate change
Sep 02, 2009 |
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As much as half of California could be occupied by new bird communities by 2070 according to a new study by PRBO Conservation Science (PRBO) and partners. The publication entitled "Reshuffling of species with climate disruption: ...
Deadly heat waves are becoming more frequent in California
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Aug 25, 2009 |
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From mid July to early August 2006, a heat wave swept through the southwestern United States. Temperature records were broken at many locations and unusually high humidity levels for this typically arid region ...
California lawmakers take aim at Alaska's aerial wolf hunts
Aug 10, 2009 |
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Alaska's predator-control program to kill wolves, which drew renewed national scrutiny last year during former Gov. Sarah Palin's bid for vice president, is under attack again in Congress.
Report: Calif. needs to think small to save water
Jul 24, 2009 |
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(AP) -- By investing in water-saving technology, California's drought-burdened farmers could save enough water annually to fill four times over a reservoir that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger supports building, according to ...
For horned lizard, horns alone do not make the species
Jul 21, 2009 |
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How do you recognize a new species? A thorough study of the million-year evolution of California's horned lizards, sometimes referred to as "horny toads," shows that when it comes to distinguishing such recently ...
