Fun Easy English - Travel the United States of America

CAPITAL CITY: Sacramento

BACKGROUND

The name California was first used in 1542 to designate the region by the Spanish expedition led by Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo. It was probably derived from a popular Spanish novel published in 1510 in which a fictional island paradise named California was described. California is the third largest state in area after Alaska and Texas. The discovery of gold and the immigration in 1849 of thousands of "forty-niners" in search of the precious metal helped California's admission into the Union in 1850 as the 31st state. Today, California has the highest population of any state in the nation and is America's principal agricultural state. It is also the home of Hollywood, the center of America's movie and television industry.

Many visitors and new residents are attracted by California's outdoor way of life. The warm, dry climate permits outdoor recreation almost the whole year round. The High Sierra Nevada rises near the eastern border. Rocky cliffs and sandy beaches line the shore of the Pacific Ocean in the west. Thick redwood forests cover the Coast Ranges in the northwest. Dramatic deserts stretch across the southeast.

QUICK FACTS

The great seal of the state of California

Nickname: The Golden State

Motto: Eureka (I have found it)

Statehood: September 9, 1850 (31st)

Origin of State's Name: Named by the Spanish after Califia, a mythical paradise in a Spanish romance written by Montalvo in 1510.

Largest Cities: Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, Long Beach

Border States: Arizona, Nevada, Oregon

Land Area: 155,973 sq. mi.; 3rd largest

State Bird: California Valley Quail

State Flower: Golden Poppy (eschscholtzia californica)

State Tree: California redwood (sequoia sempervirens)

State Song: I Love You, California

USEFUL LINKS

Miscellaneous

Travel and tourism site for California - This state travel and territorial tourism site provides ideas for your vacations, meetings, and more.