Facts And Symbols

  • California is in the Western region

  • The bordering states are Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona

  • The bordering country is Mexico

  • The bordering water form is the Pacific Ocean

  • The area in square miles is 155,973

  • It ranks 3rd in area behinde Texas and Alaska

  • The state abbreviation is CA for postal and Calif. for traditional

  • California got its state nickname, The Golden State in 1968. It is appropriate since California's modern development can be traced back to the discovery of gold throughout the state in 1848 and fields of golden poppies can be seen each spring throughout the state

  • The state motto is Eureka: I have found it

  • The state song is I love you California


 

  • The California Redwood is California's state tree. It has a huge trunk and dark green leaves. The tallest Redwood is 379 feet tall.

  • The Golden Poppy is California's state flower it has a thin green stem and yellowish orangish petals 

  • The California Quail is California's state bird it is black and blue with a black and white head. It has a leaf like feather sticking out of his head

  • The california state flag has a red bottom and above that it says California Republic and above that there is a bear walking on green grass. In the top left hand there is a red star it represents the lone star of Texas. The star on this flag is the same red star that was flown in the revolt in California in 1836. Some believe this star to be showing solidarity with Texas since they were fighting for independence from Mexico around the same time period

Landforms and Water forms

Death Valley

  • The hotest tepiture was 134°F on July 10, 1913

  • The Badwater Basin is the point of the lowest elevation in North America at 282 feet below sea level

  • It is mostly located in Inyo County, California

  • Death Valley got it's English name during the California Gold Rush

 


Zabriskie Point in Death Valley

Yosemite National Park

  • It is located in Tuolumne, Mariposa, and Madera counties, California, U.S.A

  • It was designated in 1984 and was established October 1, 1890

  • It has 747,956 acres

  • In 2012 there were 3,853,404 visitors

National Park quarters of California are Yosemite National Park

Sacramento River

This is a map of where the Sacramento River starts and ends

Owens River

  • Owens River is 183 miles 

  • It flows South-Southeast through Owens Valley between the Sierra Nevada on the West and the White Inyo Mountains on the East, past Big Pine  

  • The mouth of Owens River is Owens Lake

  • The Owens River is a major source of water for Los Angeles

Owens River flowing through the Sierra Nevada Mountains

 Famous Cities

State Capital

Sacramento

  • Sacramento is located in the western part of California

  • The year it became the capital was 1854

  • Some nicknames are River City, Sac-Town, Sacto, Camellia, City of the World, and America's Most Diverse City

  • The Sacramento kings are a basketball team that play there 

This is a picture of Sacramento's flag

 This is a picture of Sacramento's seal

This is a picture of the Sacramento Kings logo

Important Cities

Los Angeles is my next city

  • Los Angeles is located in the South-western part of California

  • In 2012 it had 3.8 million people.

  • Some nicknames are L.A. City of Angels- based particularly on the literal translation of the city's full name from the Spanish Language, City of Flowers and Sunshine, La-La Land, Shaky Town, Tinseltown, New York is referred to as The Big Apple, so Los Angeles is sometimes called The Big Orange because of the fruit that grows in that city’s warm climate.

  • On September 4, 1781 Los Angeles was founded

  • Some sports teams are L.A. Galaxy for soccer, L.A. Lakers for basketball, L.A. Dodgers and Angels for baseball

  • It hosted the 1932 and 1984 Summer Olympic Games

This is a picture of the L.A. Galaxy logo

This is a picture of the L.A. Lakers logo

This is a picture of the L.A. Dodgers logo

This is a picture of the L.A. Angeles logo

This is a picture of Los Angeles seal

This is a picture of Los Angeles flag

My last city is San Francisco

  • It is in the Western part of California

  • Three-fourths of the city was destroyed by the 1906 earthquake and fire

  • San Francisco is Spanish for "Saint Francis"

  • San Francisco was founded on June 29, 1776

  • Some nicknames are The City by the Bay, Fog City San Fran, and Frisco

  • A sports team is the San Francisco Giants

  • A famous sports team is the San Francisco 49ers. It got its 49ers name for the 1949 Gold Rush

  • Some famous players that played on the 49ers are Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, and Steve Young  

This is an images of the San Francisco Giants

This is a picture of the 49ers logo

These are images of Joe Montana

These are images of Jerry Rice

This is an image of Steve Young

This is a picture of the San Francisco flag

This is a image of the San Francisco seal

Famous Landmark

My first landmark is the Golden Gate Bridge

  • It is located in the Western part of California and it is in San Francisco

  • It has 6 lanes of US 101/ SR1, pedestrians, and bicycles

  • The total length is 8,981 ft long, the width is 90ft and the height is 746 ft

  • Construction began January 5, 1933

  • Construction ended April 19, 1937

This is a video of when the Golden Gate Bridge opened

This is a image of the Golden Gate Bridge

My second landmark is the Hollywood sign

  • It is located in the western part of California and is in Los Angeles

  • Construction stated in 1923

  • Construction ended in 1923

  • In August 1973 it was demolished

  • It was rebuilt in October 1978

  • The Hollywood sign is 45 ft tall and 350 ft long

  • Many people visit the Hollywood sign because it is a symbol of where famous movies and television shows are made.Many people visit the Hollywood sign because it is a symbol of where famous movies and television shows are made

Native Americans

  • The Pomo Indians are one Indian tribe that lived in California

  • They lived in round-topped houses made of reed and grasses

  • They ate fish, nuts, and berries

  • There are seven major Pomo groups, their languages are part of the Hokan Language family

  • Their clothes were made from plants, bark, fibers or threads. Men wore loincloths. Loincloths are a piece of clothing that passes between the legs. It is tied with a belt. Women wore skirts. Pomo Indians also wore a piece of cloth called a mantle. The mantle was tied around the neck and belted around the waist. It protected the person from rainy and cold weather.

This is a image of a Pomo Indians house

Early Settlers

Spain

  • They arrived in 1542

  • Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, a Portuguese explorer employed by Spain, sailed north from New Spain (now Mexico)

  • He found San Diego

  • The Spanish influence on California is so strong four main cities have Spanish names, they are Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and Sacramento

  • In 1986, California voters approved a referendum to make English the state’s official language

This is an image os the Cabrillo National Monument

  • The date of California's statehood was September 9, 1857

  • It is the 31st state to join the union

  • California got it’s state name from the title of a fictional earthly paradise in a book called Las Sergas de Esplanidian, written by Garcia Ordones de Motalvo around 1500

Climate, Farming, Natural Resources, and Industries

  • Usually there are two seasons, a long, dry summer with low humidity and cool evenings and also a mild, rainy winter. Except in the high mountains, where they have four seasons and snow lasts from November to April.

  • Almost all of the U.S.A’s almonds, apricots, kiwi fruit, olives, pistachios, and walnuts come from California. Some important vegetables are lettuce, tomatoes, broccoli, and other produce

This is an image of almonds from California

This is an image of apricots from California

These are images of Kiwifruit from California

These are images of olives from California

These are images of pistachios from California

These are images of walnuts from California

These are images of lettuce from California

These are images of tomatoes from California

This is an image of broccoli from California

Natural Resources

Water

  • Water is most important. It is one of California's greatest assets and its greatest problem

  • The majority of California water is used by the agricultural industry. About 80-85% of all developed water in California is used for agricultural purposes. This water irrigates almost 29 million acres, which grows 350 different crops. Urban users consume 10% of the water


Petroleum 

  • It was used by Indians to caulk canoes

  • Before 1903, 3000 wells were in California. It was the largest producer in the nation until 1936 with 12% production and 14% preserves


Industries

General Manufacturing

  • General Manufacturing in California ranks among the leaders in food production, electronics and other electronic equipment, apparel, and fabricated and industrial machinery


Tourism

  • Some cool places to visit in California are Yosemite National Park, Death Valley, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Hollywood sign, Sea World in San Diego, the San Diego Zoo, and the Hollywood Walk of Fame

 Yosemite National Park tourist attraction

 Death Valley tourist attraction

Golden Gate Bridge tourist attraction

Hollywood sign tourist attraction

Sea World in San Diego tourist attraction

San Diego Zoo tourist attraction

Hollywood Walk of Fame tourist attraction

Famous People Born in California            

Richard Nixon

Cole Hamels

Katy Perry

Aaron Boone

Barry Bonds