California: Characteristics, Area & Population

The state of California, too Golden State or called the golden state, is one of the 50 states of the United States. California has them largest population in the USA and borders Oregon, Nevada, Arizona and Mexico. Sacramento is the capital of California

The California flag was first sighted among American settlers in 1846 and adopted in 1911. SFigure 1: The flag of California Source: countryflags.comIt has not changed since then and stands for freedom. The flag is also called the bear flag, or in English bear flag.

Like many flags, the colors and symbols of the bear flag A meaning:

• red bar: border with Mexico
• Bear: power and strength
• Star: State (allusion to Texas, which has a star on its flag and as The Lone Star Stateor «The State of the Lone Star», is known)
• white background: purity

California – Wanted Poster and Map

California measures around 425,000 Square kilometre Surface. So California is the third largest Country of the 50 United States.

California is located in the western United States, in the Pacific Division. The state borders the state of Oregon to the north and Mexico to the south and is in twelve regions divided up. Altogether, California has 58 counties with 482 municipalities. The most well-known counties include San Diego County, Orange County and Los Angeles County.

Figure 2: Map of the USA – California is colored blue Source: americanet.de

Figure 3: Death ValleySource: urlaubsguru.de

California has both that highest as well as the deepest Point of the contiguous United States, ie Hawaii and Alaska are excluded.

That’s the lowest point Death Valley and the highest point of the Mount Whitneythe 15,000-foot mountain named after state geologist Josiah Whitney.

regions of California

California is known for the breadth of its landscapes. The following table shows you which of the country’s 12 zones are known for which specific features, landscapes and sights.

California – border situation with Mexico

California borders Mexico to the south between San Diego and Tijuana. The border between the USA and Mexico is 3145 kilometers long, of which the California border is 227 kilometers long.

Origin of the border conflict

California was even a part of Mexico for a long time, namely from 1821 to 1846. Since under the Presidency of James Polk the United States one War against Mexico led and won, the border situation between Mexico and the USA is a conflict situation.

After the USA won the Mexican-American War in 1847, California was declared the 31st state of the USA on September 9, 1850. As a result, the border shifted again due to peaceful treaties between Mexico and the USA.

border conflict

Many American families have relatives in both the United States and Mexico. If you have a valid passport you can cross the border. This applies to Americans, Mexicans and also tourists. Because of this «familiarity» and economic ties, the California border is legally crossed more than 2 million times a year.

Yearly hike but also almost 500,000 people illegallyand the limit will be for drug and arms smuggling exploited. Both sides are therefore calling for better border security.

Promised during his 2016 election campaign donald trump its constituents to build one Wall on the California-Mexico border. These construction works were however by the succeeding President Joe Biden already stopped on the first day of his term of office, and so only about 650 kilometers of wall were built.

California sued Trump for not complying with environmental regulations because of the construction of the wall. In addition, the fortification of the border caused illegal immigrants to switch to the more dangerous canals, desert and mountain trails, causing countless deaths from the heat or drowning.

California population and residents

As you have already learned, California is the most populous state in the US. The most populated cities in California are Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Francisco and San Diego.

California has just under 38 million residents. The majority of them, around 18 million people, live in the Los Angeles region. The capital Sacramento has around 500,000 inhabitants.

living in california

Living in California doesn’t just include the perks of the beautiful state with its relaxing beaches, beautiful landmarks and warm climate. As a California resident, you must deal with the associated high real estate prices and also otherwise high cost of living get by

There is also incredible in California especially in the big cities much traffic and by the combination of drought and heat many forest fires. California is also an earthquake zone.

ancestry

More than one in three California residents is of Spanish-speaking descent. California has approximately 47% White residents, 7% Black residents, and a small percentage of Indigenous and Hawaiian residents.

So the population is made up of:

• 47% «whites»
• 38% Hispanic
• 7% African American
• 1.9% indigenous people
• 0.8% Hawaiians

Figure 4: Los Angeles Source: meiers-weltreisen.de

With approximately 3.9 million inhabitants Los Angeles is considered the second largest city in the United States and as Metropolis of California. The city is best known for Hollywood and is also often referred to as the «City of Angels». The Spanish los Angeles translated means «the angels».

Here you can see the most important sights:

• Griffith Park: largest city park in LA
• Drawing Hollywood in the Hollywood Hills
• walk of fame: Many stars have been immortalized with their handprints on this street. The Walk of Fame is so well known that it is even associated with the American Dream.
• Venice Beach: boardwalk, Abbot Kinney Blvd and idyllic canals
• Universal Studios Hollywood

Universal Studios Hollywood is a theme parkwho is also a film studio is. The park attracts more than nine million people annually, making it one of the most visited theme parks in North America. At Universal Studios Hollywood there is themed areas like «Harry Potter» or «The Walking Dead» and film sets from Z. B. «Jurassic Park» and «Spiderman», through which you can take a tour.

san francisco

Figure 5: Golden Gate Bridge Source: turkishairlines.com

The city of San Francisco is about 874,000 inhabitants the 17th most populated city in the USA. It has an area of ​​about 120 square kilometers and is mainly for the Golden Gate Bridge and the Silicon Valley known. The namesake of the city of San Francisco is the Saint FrancisFrancis of Assisi.

Silicon Valley is a region in the south of the San Francisco Bay Area that is known for its many technology companies is known. It is one of the most prosperous regions in the world.

The region has the reputation from innovation, and a wealthy lifestyle built through technology as over 100 technological companies are based there. These companies include Apple, Meta (Facebook), Visa and Alphabet’s Google. The name Silicon Valley comes from the material found in computer microprocessors: silicon.

Sacramento

The city of Sacramento is the capital city California’s. About 525,000 people live in the capital, so it’s the

6th largest city in California. The area of ​​Sacramento is approximately 260 square kilometers.

Major attractions in Sacramento include:

• Old Sacramento: oldest part of town, with buildings from the 1850s
• California State Capitol: a government building resembling the US Capitol in Washington DC
• Chinatown: Historically the home of most Chinese people in California
• Tower Bridge: Yellow Bridge built in 1934 over the Sacramento River with 150-foot (49-meter) towers

Figure 6: Tower Bridge in Sacramento Source: visitcalifornia.com