California State Facts

Covering up to 100 million acres of land surface, California State is the third largest, with only Texas and Alaska being larger, in terms of area. And because of this huge size, it has great geographical diversity, which range from the snow-capped mountains of Sierra Nevada in the east, to the forested areas of the northwest, to the desert regions of the southeast, to the rocky and sandy beaches hugging the Pacific coastline. So, here are some fascinating California State facts for you to mull over.

The common conjecture about the origins of the name 'California' is that it has been derived from a legendary black Amazonian warrior queen, known as Queen Califia, who was supposed to have ruled the mythical Island of California.

In fact, the Island of California pertains to a misconception held by the Europeans, which dates back to the 16th century, that California was a large island that was separated from the North American mainland by the Gulf of California, an idea that was a result of a cartographic error, which in itself is one of the most famous in history. The Island of California was depicted as a terrestrial paradise, akin to Atlantis or the Garden of Eden.

Originally, California comprised the entire area that is currently the state of California, and also parts of Wyoming, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, as well as the Mexican peninsula, which is known now as Baja California.

'Eureka' is the motto of California State, which is a Greek word for 'I have found it!' It was in 1849 that this motto was adopted, alluding to gold being discovered in the Sierra Nevada.

California is also known by various other names, such as: The Grape State; The Golden State; The El Dorado State; and The Land of Milk and Honey.

In fact, each year about 300,000 tons of grapes are produced in California. And, about 17 million gallons of wine are produced in the state annually.

The official tree of the state is the redwood, while the official state flower is the California poppy. And, the official state animal is the California grizzly bear, or the Ursus californicus, previously known as Ursus horribilus, which has been extinct since 1922.

The Central Valley is the predominating feature of the central part of California State. The agricultural areas that this region is made up of are some of the most productive in the world as well as being the largest amongst all the states in the US.

California State has the highest point in all of contiguous United States with Mount Whitney, which is at a height of 14,491 feet above sea level. It also has the lowest point in the country, which is Death Valley, situated in the southern part of the state, and which is 282 feet below sea level. Death Valley is also regarded as the driest and hottest of places in the US, known as Badwater Flat. The summer temperatures here can reach up to 115 degrees.

Some of the oldest trees in the world are located in the White Mountains, which are in the east central part of California State, a little to the north of Death Valley. In fact, there is a bristlecone pine, which is said to be 4,700 years old.

The Yosemite Valley is located in the mountains of Sierra Nevada, and is well-known for its glacial domes. The Sequoia National Park is also situated here, which contains the famous giant sequoia trees, which are considered to be the largest living things on the planet. In fact, the Sequoia National Park is home to the largest tree on Earth, the General Sherman Tree, weighing over 6,000 tons.

Fresno, California, regards itself as the Raisin Capital of the world. While San Diego and Los Angeles, which are two of the most populous cities in the United States, are located in California.

Also, Castroville is considered to be the Artichoke Capital of the world, and a young woman called Norma Jean won the first Artichoke Queen contest in 1947, who then went on to become the Hollywood star, Marilyn Monroe.

Forests cover around 35 percent of California's total area, and it has the greatest diversity of pine species compared to all other states. As a matter fact, apart from Alaska, California has the largest amount of forestland.

With about 500,000 seismic tremors that are detected yearly, California is notorious for its earthquakes. This is because the region has a number of geological faults, particularly the San Andreas Fault.

It was back in 1848 that saw the beginning of the famous California Gold Rush, which dramatically changed California, since the state had to accommodate a huge influx of people, which resulted in an economic boom for it, which continues to date.