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California (United States)

How is the land laid out?

This state lies entirely within the Western Cordillera, divided west-east between the Pacific Mountain System and the Basin and Range Province.1 The Pacific Mountain System consists of the Pacific Border Province, the Cascade-Sierra Mountains and--in the very southwest--the Lower California Province. The Cascades include subduction volcanoes like Mount Shasta, and the Sierras have Mount Whitney, which are over 4300 and 4400 meters respectively. Other important ranges are the San Bernardino and San Jacinto, which help to separate greater Los Angeles from the desert further east. The Colorado River has part of its lower course forming the state border with Arizona. Other notable rivers are the Klamath, part of whose course is in Oregon, and the Sacramento-San Joaquin system, which drains the Central Valley between the Cascade-Sierra Nevada and the coastal ranges. Notable lakes include Clear Lake, a leftover from Pleistocene times; Tahoe on the Nevada border; Mono whose shore hosts tufa formations; and the Salton Sea, an accidental creation of a failed canal-dig. The three most important bays, north to south, are Humboldt, San Francisco and Mission. The state includes a chain of islands off the southern coast. UNESCO honors two spots as natural World Heritage Sites: Redwood National and State parks along the northwest coast, and Yosemite National Park in the Sierra Nevada. Tourists visit those as well as the Big Sur coastline, and the General Sherman Tree within Sequoia National Park.2

There are oil or gas fields in or by three of the metropolitan areas (Los Angeles County, Fresno County and Solano County) and right next to the city of Bakersfield. Additionally oil and/ or natural gas is found in rural Kern County (South Belridge, Elk Hill and Midway-Sunset fields) and rural Kings County (Kettleman North Dome, which extends into Fresno County).

Map

map of California

Who lives there?

This state is in the part of North America in which English-speakers and Christians are the majority.

One city's metropolitan area exceeds ten million: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside. Its metropolitan area includes Long Beach, Anaheim, Riverside and Santa Ana.

Cities whose county-based metropolitan areas exceed one million are:

  • San Francisco, whose metropolitan area includes the larger city of San José, and the smaller one of Oakland.
  • San Diego, whose metropolitan area includes the U.S. city of Carlsbad and the Mexican one of Tijuana
  • Sacramento
  • Fresno

    • Additionally México's metropolitan area of Méxicali spills over the border to into California.

    Other cities of note are South Lake Tahoe and Bakersfield.

    Who was there before?

    Hupa, an Athapascan language, was spoken in northern California.

    The Penutian languages--in the narrower sense3--were spoken in California and far to its north. Its farthest reaches in the other direction were the Yokuts languages in southern California. Smallpox and measles in the early 19th century killed many. There are few or no current speakers.

    The two Yuki languages were also spoken in northern California. Two languages that are sometimes lumped together along with the Algonquian Group--Yorok and Wiyot--were also spoken in the top of the Pacific coast state.

    One northern California former religion included the Kuksu cult and god impersonation rites.

    The Hokan languages are spoken in California (among other groups) and elsewhere.

    Uto-Aztecan languages were spoken in arid California, north of Yuman land. Some Shoshone had migrated to the coast as well.

    The Spanish arrived in the 18th century, killing, enslaving and forcibly converting indiginous peoples living near their settlements. The English-speaking United States conquered California in the 19th century, but the Spanish heritage endures, partly due to the large number of immigrants from Mexico.

    cascading white water in a zig-zag with green bushes and gray rocks to its left and right
    Mountain brook in a high valley with the Sierra Nevada, near Mineral King, in Sequoia National Park, California, United States of America

    Around the Area

    north
    east of the northern and central state
    east of southern California
    south
    west

    Footnotes

    1. Part of the Intermontane Plateaus.
    2. http://www.touropia.com/tourist-attractions-in-california/#, accessed December 26, 2016. This site lists the Tunnel View within Yosemite National Park rather than the park as a whole.
    3. Excluding the Mayan, Mixe-Zaquean and Totonacan families, and excluding Zuni and Huave. It includes the Sahoptin-Nez Pierce Group.