Advertise in this article

California was discovered by Spanish explorers in the 1500's and was named after an island filled with treasure that was in a popular story at the time.  Admitted to the Union on September 9, 1850 and was the 31st state to do so.  Its capital city is Sacramento and its nickname is The Golden State.  It covers an area of about 155,960 square miles and has an approximate population of about 36 million people - making it the most populous state in the US.

California is known for its long Pacific coastline that stretches for some 840 miles and is home to many different terrestrial (land) and marine (sea) animals.  California is also well known for its tourist spots - boasting famous for theme parks such as Disneyland, Sea World San Diego, the San Diego Zoo, Knott's Berry Farm, numerous national parks, and celebrity hot spots such as Hollywood and Beverly Hills.

California is also home to the lowest elevation in the country - in Death Valley that actually sits 282 feet below sea level. This point is only 76 miles east of Mount Whitney, the highest point in California and the lower 48 states with an elevation of 14,505 feet. Death Valley holds the record for the highest temperature in the Western hemisphere at 134 °F on July 10, 1913—just short of the world record of 136 °F in Al 'Aziziyah, Libya, on September 13, 1922.

A brief history of Arizona. Drag the time line to see more events and click on the titles to see a description.

Download the State of California Reference Map

california
Download the worksheets for this state here.   Must be logged in to access download!
06-15-2010  92.97 KB 23

If you live in California or have visited California, please leave a comment or upload a picture so other users can learn more about your state or experience!

We LOVE to hear from people!