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California was
subsequently captured by the United States in the Mexican-American
War (1846-1848), which was concluded with the Treaty of Guadalupe
Hidalgo, and the cession of vast lands from Mexico to the United
States. The war was fueled in part by feelings of Manifest Destiny,
a popular sentiment in the United States that viewed the expansion
of the nation as an inevitability.
The California
"Gold Rush" began on January 24, 1848, when James Wilson
Marshall found a glittering particle in the waters of the American
River, and a gold fever soon swept the nation and the world.
Following the
stories of gold nuggets, some as large as hens' eggs, hundreds of
thousands of newcomers rushed to California from everywhere. Gold
seekers flooded into San Francisco and hundreds other boom towns
which sprang to life in California during the "Gold Rush".
The California
"Gold Rush" of 1848-1849 brought about 90,000 additional
US immigrants into the state, and California became the 31st state
of the Union in 1850.
The completion
of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869 was a major event in California
history. The railroad linked California with the rest of the nation
and ushered in an era of economic consolidation and growth.
California was
hit hard by the economic collapse of the 1930s. Businesses failed,
workers lost their jobs, and families fell into poverty. In spite
of the general gloom of the decade, Californians continued to build
and celebrate their "Golden State".
Today California
is one of the largest agricultural, scientific and technological,
cultural and entertainment centers of the world. Moving into the
future with confidence, California is one of the leaders on issues
like preserving the environment, finding alternative energy sources,
and stem-sell research.
California
borders Oregon in the north, Nevada and Arizona in the east. The Mexican
state of Baja California in the south, and the Pacific Ocean in the
west. California state has beautiful natural features, including an
expansive central valley, tall mountains, deserts, forests and hundreds
of miles of scenic coastline.
California state
width is 250 miles (400 km) and length is 770 miles (1,240 km) -
Latitude 32°30'N to 42°N - Longitude 114°8'W to 124°24'W.
California's
geography is rich, complex, and varied. In the middle of the state
lies the California Central Valley, a huge, fertile valley bounded
by the mountain ranges. The
Central Valley is California's agricultural heartland and grows
a large portion of America's food.
The coastline
of California stretches for 1,264 miles, from the Oregon border
in the north, to Mexico in the south. Some of the most breathtaking
scenery in all of California lies along the Pacific coast. Standing
alone on this spectacular coast is scenic and rugged area of grandeur
proportions called Big
Sur.
The Central
Valley lies between the Coast Ranges and the Sierra Nevada. More
than 400 miles long and about 50 miles wide, the Central Valley
is the most productive agricultural area in California. It is really
two valleys in one: San Joaquin Valley the south, and the Sacramento
Valley in the north. Irrigated cropland today covers most of Central
Valley and produces more agricultural products than any comparable
region in the world.
In the center
and east of the state are the Sierra Nevada ("Snowy Range"
in Spanish), which include the highest peak in the contiguous 48
states, Mount Whitney, at 14,505 feet (4,421 m). Also located in
the Sierra are the world-famous Yosemite National Park and a deep
freshwater lake, Lake Tahoe, the largest lake in the state by volume.
To the east
of the Sierra Nevada are Owens Valley and Mono Lake, an essential
seabird habitat. To the west is Clear Lake, California's largest
freshwater lake by area. The
Sierra Nevada reaches Arctic temperatures in the winter and has
several dozen small glaciers, including the most southern glacier
in the United States (Palisade Glacier).
About 35% of
the California's total surface area is covered by forests. Among
them are Coastal
Redwood and Giant Sequoia, trees living for up to 2,000 years,
and commonly considered the tallest in the world, reaching up to
112 m (367 ft) in height. California's diversity of pine species
is unmatched by any other state. California contains more forest
land than any other state except Alaska.
Deserts in California
make up about 25% of the total surface area. The Colorado Desert
stretches over 4,000 square miles in southeastern California. The
Colorado Desert includes the Coachella and Imperial valleys with
manmade Salton Sea between.
Almost all of
southeastern California is hot desert, with the Coachella
Valley and Imperial Valley routinely experiencing extreme high
temperatures during the summer. The Coachella Valley in Riverside
County is famous for its popular tourist destination Palm Springs
and Joshua
Tree National Park.
The south-central
desert is called the Mojave covering some 25,000 square miles.
To the northeast
of the Mojave lies Death Valley which is about 130 miles long, and
6 to 14 miles wide. In the center of the valley is Badwater, the
lowest point in the Western Hemisphere at 282 feet below sea level.
The lowest
point of Death Valley and the peak of Mount Whitney (the highest
point) are less than 200 miles apart.
California is
famous for earthquakes due to the presence of a number of faults,
in particular the San Andreas Fault. California's earthquakes are
frequent (one every eight minutes) and have tendency to strike in
highly populated areas. A
few are damaging, even deadly, but most are not even felt. California
is also home to several volcanoes, some active such as Mammoth Mountain.
Other volcanoes include Lassen Peak, and the magnificent Mount Shasta.
Climate:
Most
of the state of California has a Mediterranean climate, with rainy
winters and dry summers. Winds from the ocean bring moisture, and
the northern parts of the state generally receive higher annual rainfall
amounts than the south.
On the coast
the influence of the Pacific ocean generally moderates temperature
extremes, creating warmer winters and substantially cooler summers,
with often summer fog (called "June Gloom") near the
coast. Further inland, the climate becomes more continental
with colder winters and markedly hotter summers.
The Central
Valley has a Mediterranean climate but with greater temperature
extremes than the coastal areas: parts of the valley are often
filled with thick fog, similar to that found in the coastal
valleys.
The high
mountains, including the Sierra Nevada, have a mountain climate
with snow in winter and mild to moderate heat in summer.
California's
desert climate regions lie east of the high Sierra Nevada and
Southern California's Ranges. The low deserts east of the Southern
California mountains, including the Imperial and Coachella valleys
and the lower Colorado River, are part of the Sonoran Desert,
with hot summers and mild winters.
The higher
elevation deserts of Eastern California, including the Mojave
Desert and Owens Valley, are part of the Great Basin region,
with hot summers and cold winters.
The Santa
Ana winds are warm, dry winds that characteristically appear
in Southern California weather during autumn and early winter.
As the Santa Ana winds are channeled through the mountain passes
they can approach hurricane force. The combination of wind,
heat, and dryness turns the chaparral into explosive fuel for
the infamous wildfires that burn thousands of acres every year.
During the
summer months the region is affected by the Mexican Monsoon
which drives moisture from the tropical Pacific, Gulf of California
and Gulf of Mexico into the deserts, setting off often, brief
thunderstorms, particularly over mountainous terrain.
Major Cities:
Most
major cities are at or near the Pacific coastline, notably Los
Angeles, San
Francisco, San Jose, Long
Beach and San Diego. The capital, Sacramento, is in the Central
Valley. California is the home of several significant economic regions,
such as Hollywood
(entertainment), the California Central Valley (agriculture), Silicon
Valley (computers and high tech), and the Wine Country (wine).
Los
Angeles is the largest city in the state and 2nd largest in
the country. Considered an entertainment Mecca, Los Angeles encompasses
the city of Hollywood, home to the most powerful cinema industry
in the world.
Further down
the coast, San Diego, hi-tech center and one of the fastest growing
cities in the US
In the north, California
is dominated by San
Francisco bay area. The region between San Francisco and San Jose,
known as "Silicon Valley", is headquarters to some of the
largest software and computer companies in the world.
California
Image Gallery
( Click on a thumbnail below to see larger picture
)
California
Sunset Video:
California
Sunset
California
Photography Web Sites:
Search
this web site or the Internet:
California
Image online gallery features original photography by Vladi Sytnik and
shows a selection of scenic images from 2001-2007. All images and photography
copyright © 2001-2007 California Image and imageKandi Design.
E-mail:
info@californiaimage.com
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Info
links:
www.ca.gov
wikipedia.org/wiki/California
Interesting
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