Interesting Facts About California

The golden state in the land of opportunities - California has a wide variety of tourist attractions, fresh agricultural products and of course is home to the famous Hollywood studios and the biggest corporate headquarters like Google and Yahoo in the Silicon Valley. Here are some more interesting facts about the state of California:

Interesting Facts About California

Owing to the sunny climate and discovery of gold in the state during early times, California is often referred to as the Golden State. With an area of 160,000 square miles California is the third largest state in the United States in terms of size. On the other hand, California is the most populated state in the US and hence ranks number one in terms of population.

It is commonly believed that the name ‘California’ has been derived from a legendary black Amazonian warrior queen called Queen Califia. However, there are some who believe the name has been derived from the Spanish language in which the word 'California' means 'wide bay'.

Sacramento is the capital of the state of California. The four largest cities in the state of California are Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, and San Francisco. The state of California is divided into 58 counties. It has 480 incorporated cities and towns. Another interesting fact about the state of California is its interchangeable use of the terms ‘city’ and ‘town’.

California, previously referred to as Alta California, was colonized by the Spanish during the late eighteenth century. Alta California and the rest of Mexico became an independent republic in 1821. However, in 1846, California separated from Mexico and after the Mexican-American War, Mexico conceded the state of California to the United States.

California became a U.S. territory in 1847 when Mexico surrendered it to John C. Frémont and it was included as the thirty-first state in the United States of America on September 9, 1850.

The California Central Valley, which is located at the center of the state, is the state’s agricultural capital, which produces one-third of the nation's food.

The Sequoia National Park located in California is home to the famous giant sequoia trees, which are considered to be the largest trees on the planet. The White Mountains, which are located in the east central part of California State, are home to some of the oldest trees in the world as well.

California climate varies from Mediterranean to subarctic. However, much of the state has a Mediterranean climate and the California Current offshore often creates summer fog near the coast. In the inland, one encounters colder winters and hotter summers.

The California State University system includes more than 400,000 students, which makes it the largest university system in the United States. In addition to the state university, California is also known for esteemed private universities like Stanford University, California Institute of Technology, the University of Southern California and hundreds of other private colleges and universities.

The State of California is prone to earthquakes due to the presence of large number of faults. It is also prone to tsunamis, droughts, floods, wildfires, landslides, Santa Ana winds and also has some inactive volcanoes.

The State of California has the highest point as well as the lowest point in the United States - the highest being Mount Whitney, which is at a height of 14,491 feet above sea level and the lowest being the Death Valley, which is which is 282 feet below sea level.

In the year 1960, California hosted the Winter Olympics at Squaw Valley Ski Resort and the 1932 and 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The state of California also hosted the 1994 FIFA World Cup.

The Alcatraz Island or popularly referred to as Alcatraz is an island located in the middle of the San Francisco Bay in California and is a popular historic site, which had previously been a military fortification as well as a military prison and a federal prison for some time.

The Golden Gate Bridge located in the State of California is a suspension bridge, which spans the Golden Gate, the opening of the San Francisco Bay onto the Pacific Ocean.

The City of Anaheim in the Orange County of California is home to one of the Disney Theme Parks, which is a major tourist attraction in California vacations.

San Diego is a city in southern California, which has several tourist attractions like the SeaWorld, Belmont Amusement Park, San Diego Zoo, San Diego Wild Animal Park, and the famous Legoland.