California

Guide Note

California is located along the Pacific Ocean and borders Oregon, Nevada, Arizona and Mexico.

Fast Facts

1. Capital: Sacramento
2. Governor: Arnold Schwarzenegger
3. Population: 36,457,549 (2006)
4. Founded: September 9, 1850
5. Time zone: PST
6. Major cities: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento
7. Official state items: California Poppy (Flower), California Redwood (Tree), Golden Trout (Fish), Benitoite (Gem), Gray Whale (Marine Mammal)
8. Nickname: The Golden State
9. Hosted three Olympic Games

California is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest (after Alaska and Texas). Its gross domestic product (GPD) is larger than any other state. If it were an independent nation, it would be the 34th largest by population in the world, and have the seventh largest GDP.

Northern and central California are known for agriculture, the San Francisco Bay area for technology, and Los Angeles for the entertainment industry.

Even during the pre-Columbian era, California had an extremely diverse population, with at least 70 different Native American groups residing within its present-day borders. This diversity has continued over the centuries, as it was colonized first by Spain, later possessed by an independent Mexico, and experienced a brief period of independence before it was finally wrested into United States control in 1847. During this time, Canadian, Russian, and other traders all settled within the region. California was officially granted statehood on September 9, 1850. Population of the state still remained relatively low, however, until gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill in 1848. The ensuing "Gold Rush" exponentially increased the population of the state in a very short time; from 1850 to 1860 the population grew by 310%. The state was relatively unaffected by the Civil War due to the complexity of transport between California and the eastern United States. With the completion of the first cross-country railroad, however, this remoteness vanished, and California began to ship its bounty to the nation. With the irrigation of Central California farm land and the discovery of oil, California secured pride of place in the economic pantheon among United States. The diversity of landscapes within a limited radius led to the rise of Los Angeles as the center of movie-making.