Introduction to California

California is located in the western United States and is the most economically developed and populous state in the United States. It borders Mexico to the south and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Also known as the Golden State. Area is 411,000 square kilometers.

California[1] (State of California, often referred to as California) is a state on the Pacific coast of the western United States. It is the third largest state in the United States in terms of area and the largest state in the United States in terms of population. . California is very diverse in terms of geography, landforms, products, and population composition. Due to the gold rush in the early years, California was nicknamed The Golden State, and its postal abbreviation was CA.

Area of ??423,000 square kilometers. The population is 33.87 million (2000), of which 91.3% is urban, mainly concentrated in the Pacific Coast, 50% of which live in Los Angeles and San Francisco (San Francisco). It has more than 50% of the country's Chinese and Mexican Americans (Chicanos). San Francisco, Sacramento, the state seat. Chinatown is the residential area with the highest concentration of Chinese. The capital is Sacramento (also known as Sacramento).

The coastline is 2030 kilometers long and relatively straight. It consists of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the east, the Central Valley and the Coast Mountains in the west. Geographical conditions vary greatly. The southern desert is short of rain, and the northern coast is prone to flooding due to rain and snow in winter. The precipitation in the northwest is as high as 4420 mm, while the Colorado Desert in the southeast has only 50 to 75 mm. Less than 140 kilometers apart, there are Mount Whitney with an altitude of 4,418 meters and Death Valley with an altitude of -86 meters, which are the highest and lowest points in the continental United States respectively. In summer, the temperature in the southeastern Colorado Desert is as high as 54°C, and in winter the top of the Sierra Nevada is as cold as the Arctic.

It was originally an Indian settlement. It was a Spanish colony in 1769. It belonged to Mexico in 1822. Belonged to the United States in 1848. Gold was discovered in the same year, and the seven-year gold rush led to a rapid increase in population and rapid urban development. It joined the Union in 1850 and became the 31st state of the United States. The transcontinental railroad opened in 1869, connecting the state with other states. At the end of the 19th century, the discovery and exploitation of oil in the Los Angeles area led to rapid industrial development. After the Second World War, new industries emerged, agriculture also developed due to the completion of the North-South Water Diversion Project, and the economic strength and population jumped to the forefront.

The state with the most developed agriculture. Agricultural land accounts for 30% of the state. Mainly irrigated agriculture. There are hundreds of kinds of agricultural and animal husbandry products. The output of sugar cane, vegetables, and fruits occupies a prominent position in the country, and the output of cotton ranks second; the output of rice ranks second; it is an important milk, egg, and meat production area in the country; the Central Valley is the richest agricultural area. The forestry industry is developed and it is one of the three largest timber-producing states in the country. The fishery output value ranks first in the country, and San Francisco, Santiago and San Pedro are important fishing ports.

The manufacturing industry is developed, with complete departments and a wide range of products. Its output value and number of employees rank first in the country. Mainly include emerging sectors such as aerospace and electronics, as well as oil refining, petrochemicals, arms, food processing, papermaking, and printing industries. In the mining industry, oil and natural gas extraction accounts for 2/3 of the total output value. The Los Angeles area is the largest manufacturing center in the West, focusing on the aerospace and oil mining industries; its output value accounts for about 50% of the state; San Francisco and San Diego are also important manufacturing centers. The Santa Clara Valley of Silicon Valley is known for its developed electronics industry, and the Central Valley is the center of the food processing industry. The expressway network is densely covered and ranks second in length in the country. It was the western terminus of three main transcontinental railroad lines. The Sacramento River Delta has a dense network of rivers and developed water transportation. Los Angeles and San Francisco are important international airports. Hollywood tourism is booming. Charming beaches, pleasant climate, excellent facilities and convenient transportation attract tourists. There are many art galleries, the internationally renowned San Francisco Opera and the Los Angeles Symphony, Hollywood and the University of California and other cultural and educational institutions.

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Origin of the name

California originally refers to the area composed of the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico and the current state of California in the United States. area. The name is believed to come from a legendary land called "Calafia" described in a 16th-century Spanish knightly romance novel "Amadís de Gaula". This novel is written by Martorell Garba (Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo). The "Calafia" in the book is isolated from the world, full of gold, and full of freedom-loving Amazons and eccentric people living in caves. beast.

Some people have also suggested that the word "California" may come from the hot areas in southern North America. Early Spanish explorers into California described the area as "hot as an oven" (cali → hot, "hot"; fornus → forno → "oven", adding ia to the end to indicate a place) or "a lime oven" ” (cal → lime, “lime”), Spanish often uses Latin roots to construct new words in this way.

Therefore, "California" may come from the Spanish "caliente fornalia", which means "hot stove"; or from "calida fornax", which means "hot climate" in Latin.

There are also other expressions from the local language such as "high mountains".

In addition, the nickname "Golden State" often makes people think that it originated from the gold rush in the mid-19th century. In fact, when the spring grass from the hills in the central part of the state withers in the fall, it looks like the ground is golden from a distance, so it gets its name.

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Geography

Geographical overview

California is located at latitude 32°30'N to 42°N and longitude 114° 8'W to 124°24'W. Among them, the land area of ??California is 404,298 square kilometers, the water area is 20,047 square kilometers, the highest altitude is 4421 meters, the average is 884 meters, and the lowest is -86 meters.

Forested

California borders the Pacific Ocean, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, and the Mexican state of Baja California. California is home to a diverse range of natural landscapes, including stunning canyons, mountains, and dry deserts. California covers an area of ??410,000 square kilometers and is the third largest state in the United States. Most large cities are located on the cooler coast of the Pacific Coast, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego. The Sierra Nevada Mountains are located in central and eastern California. Mount Whitney, with an altitude of 4,418 meters, is the highest point in the continental United States. The world-famous Yosemite National Park is also located in this area, as well as a deep freshwater lake, Lake Tahoe. To the east of the Sierra Nevada are important seabird habitats Owens Canyon and Lake Munro. In the south there are Hengling and a saltwater lake, the Salton Sea. A desert located in the south-central part of the country is called the Mojave Desert. To the southeast of the Mojave Desert lies Death Valley, the lowest point in North America. California is prone to earthquakes due to its location on the San Andreas Fault. Although most earthquakes in the United States occur in Alaska and the Mississippi River basin, earthquakes in California tend to cause greater damage because of the high population density. Southern California has a tropical desert climate with large temperature changes and an annual rainfall of 10 inches. The coastal areas have a Mediterranean climate, with wet winters and dry summers. The high altitudes in California, including the Sierra Nevada, have an alpine climate, with snowfall in winter and not very hot summers.

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Population

Basic information

In 2008, the population of California was 38.31 million, accounting for 12% of the United States. The most populous state in the United States. Census results show that there is no one racial majority in California. Caucasians are still the largest ethnic group, but they no longer constitute the majority. Hispanics account for almost one-third of the total population; other ethnic groups are Asians, African Americans and Indians. Due to the rapid growth of the Hispanic immigrant population and high fertility rate, Hispanics are expected to become the largest ethnic group in California around 2040. As of July 1, 2007, California's total population was close to 38 million. Among them, Los Angeles County has the largest population of all counties in California, reaching 10.3 million; the smallest population is mountainous Alpine County - only 1,261 people. The eastern interior of Southern California is experiencing the fastest population growth: Riverside County has the fastest growing population, followed by San Bernardino County.

Population proportion

The 2009 survey showed that California’s population proportion was 42.3% white (excluding Hispanics), 42.3% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% ??Asian, and black 6.7%, North American Indians 1.2%, and others 2.6%.

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Economy

California is the state with the largest economic aggregate in the United States. In 2008, California’s gross national product was US$1.9423 billion, accounting for the largest 14%. As an independent economy, its GDP ranks eighth in the world [2]. It is larger than any country except the United States, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, China, Russia, and France. The per capita GDP reached US$50,699.

The mainstay of California's economy is agriculture (including fruits, vegetables, dairy products and wine), and the scale of agriculture is more than twice the size of the second largest industry.

After agriculture, other important industries include aviation, entertainment (primarily television, although California also produces many movies), and light industry, including computer hardware and software, and borax mining.

Per capita income varies greatly by region and occupation. Per capita income disparities are greatest in the center, where immigrant farm workers earn less than the U.S. minimum wage and farmers often own multi-million dollar private farms. Most farm managers are well educated, most with at least a master's degree. Although some cities have the highest per capita income in the country, some non-agricultural counties have the highest proportion of poor people in the country.

The high-tech industry in Silicon Valley is currently at a trough, mainly affected by the burst of the dot-com bubble, but the medical industry, video game industry and animation industry in these areas are growing rapidly.

A big problem with California’s economy is the lack of manufacturing. The 7.25% sales tax makes it uneconomical to set up shop in the state. Major manufacturers such as the aerospace industry are also planning to move out of California. No new factories have been built in California in years, resulting in the loss of many high-paying manufacturing jobs. This means that the state's middle class is mostly small business owners and construction and transportation workers, as well as a small number of knowledge workers - almost mainly in the service industry.

Bankruptcy Crisis

In his speech on June 18, 2009, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger called for a bankruptcy crisis if timely action is not taken. And it entered a state of financial emergency, with residents collecting government bills in lieu of government checks.

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California Financial Group

California Financial Group, one of the top ten financial groups in the United States. Emerging conglomerates that emerged after World War II include Bank of America Group, San Francisco Group and Los Angeles Group. During World War II, the economic strength of these three groups increased dramatically with the rapid development of California's arms industry, especially the growth rate of financial capital. They formed a large consortium with Bank of America as its financial center. In 1974, it had assets of US$167.1 billion, ranking third among the top ten financial groups in the United States, and playing a major role in the political and economic life of the United States. It and the southern consortium formed an emerging arms industry group and became a force that competed with the old consortium in the northeast.

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History

During the Elizabethan period in England, the famous pirate Sir Francis Drake occupied all the land in New Spain and northern New Mexico. became a British colony. Although the British colonies were already "from sea to sea" as early as the 17th century, the British did not have much interest in the land on the west coast of North America.

By the end of the 18th century, Spanish missionaries gradually began to establish settlements on the vast land in northern Spanish California. When Mexico gained independence from Spain, these missionary settlements became the property of the Mexican government, but were soon abandoned. The territory of the Spanish Empire in northwestern North America was named "California".

After the Mexican-American War in 1847, this territory was divided between the United States and Mexico. The part of the territory obtained by Mexico later became Baja California, while the Upper California obtained by the United States officially joined the Union in 1850 and became today's California.

In 1848, the Hispanic population in Alta California was approximately 4,000. But when the news of the discovery of gold in California spread, countless Americans and Europeans flocked to California during the gold rush, and the Republic of California was also proclaimed. When U.S. Navy Admiral John D. Sloat entered California from San Francisco Bay, the young republic was declared a territory of the United States.

In 1850, California officially became the 31st state of the Union. During the American Civil War, Californians were divided over whether to join the Northern Army or the Southern Army. Although California ultimately supported the Northern Army, many Californians still joined the Southern Volunteer Army.

The opening of the first railroad across the United States in the 1870s connected people on the Pacific coast to the rest of the United States. California locals have also gradually discovered that California's climate is very suitable for the growth of crops, especially oranges. California's agricultural production remains abundant to this day.

Between 1900 and 1965, California's population grew from less than 1 million people to the most populous state in the United States. The composition of the population has changed dramatically since 1965. Today, California has the most diverse population in the world. California residents lean politically liberal. California is the center of science and technology and culture in the United States, the center of world film and television, and a major agricultural state in the United States.

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Law and Government

California Governor (Jerry Brown), Lieutenant Governor (Lieutenant Governor), and California Governor Schwarzenegger were sworn in Secretary of State, Attorney General, State Controller, State Treasurer, Insurance Commissioner, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, and Equity Member of the Board of Equalization is a directly elected state position with a four-year term and can only be reappointed once.

California’s legislative body consists of a 40-member California State Senate and an 80-member California State Assembly. Senators serve four-year terms, with half of the senators re-elected every two years.

Members of the Assembly serve a term of 2 years.

During the 2003-2004 session, there were 48 Democratic senators and 32 Democratic and Republican congressmen in the Assembly, and there were 25 Democratic senators and 15 Democratic and Republican senators in the Senate. Party Senator. The current state capital of California is located in Sacramento. Historically, the state capital has been located in Monterey (1775-1849), San Jose (1849-1851), Valejo (1853-1853), and Benicia (1854-1854). and San Francisco (1862). On February 25, 1894, the state capital was officially moved to Sacramento. Nationally, California has 2 senators and 53 representatives in the House of Representatives. Among U.S. electors, California has 55 electoral votes. California has the most electoral votes for House of Representatives and President.