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| Geography: |
California borders the Pacific Ocean, Oregon,
Nevada, Arizona, and the Mexican state of
Baja California. With an area of 160,000
square miles (411,000 km²) it is the
third largest state in the U.S and is larger
than Germany in size.
California's geography is rich, complex,
and varied. In the middle of the state
lies the California Central Valley, bounded
by the coastal mountain ranges in the
west, the Sierra Nevada to the east, the
Cascade Range in the north and the Tehachapi
Mountains in the south. The Central Valley
is California's agricultural heartland
and grows a large portion of the United
States's food. The northern half is known
as the "Sacramento Valley",
while the southern part of the valley
is known as the "San Joaquin Valley".
With dredging, the Sacramento and the
San Joaquin Rivers have remained sufficiently
deep that several inland cities are seaports.
The Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay Delta serves
as a critical water supply hub for the
state. Water is routed through an extensive
network of canals and pumps out of the
delta, that traverse nearly the length
of the state, including the Central Valley
Project, and the State Water Project.
Water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin
Bay Delta provides drinking water for
nearly 23 million people, almost 2/3 of
the state's population, and provides water
to farmers on the west side of the San
Joaquin Valley. The Channel Islands are
located off the southern coast.
The Sierra Nevada include the highest
peak in the contiguous forty-eight states,
Mount Whitney, at 14,505 ft (4421 m),
world-famous Yosemite National Park, and
a deep freshwater lake, Lake Tahoe, the
largest lake in the state by volume. To
the east of the Sierra Nevada are Owens
Valley and Mono Lake, an essential migratory
bird habitat. In the western part of the
state is Clear Lake, the largest freshwater
lake by area entirely in California The
Sierra Nevada reaches arctic temperatures
in the winter and has several dozen small
glaciers, including the southernmost glacier
in the U.S. About 35% of the state's total
surface area is covered by forests, and
California's diversity of pine species
is unmatched by any other state. California
contains more forestland than any other
state except Alaska. In the south is a
large inland salt lake, the Salton Sea.
Deserts in California make up about 25%
of the total surface area. The south-central
desert is called the Mojave; to the northeast
of the Mojave lies Death Valley, which
contains the lowest, hottest point in
North America, Badwater Flat. The lowest
point of Death Valley and the peak of
Mount Whitney are less than 200 miles
apart. Indeed, almost all of southeastern
California is arid, hot desert, with routine
extreme high temperatures during the summer.
Along the California coast are several
major metropolitan areas, including San
Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, Los Angeles-Long
Beach, Santa Ana-Irvine-Anaheim, and San
Diego. California is famous for earthquakes
due to a number of faults, in particular
the San Andreas Fault. It is vulnerable
to tsunamis, wildfires, and landslides
on steep terrain, and has several volcanoes.
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| Climate: |
California climate varies from subtropical to
subarctic. Most of the state has a Mediterranean
climate, with cool, rainy winters and dry summers.
The cool California Current offshore often creates
summer fog near the coast. Further inland, the
climate has colder winters and hotter summers.
Northern parts of the state average higher annual
rainfall than the south. California's mountain
ranges influence the climate as well: some of
the rainiest parts of the state are west-facing
mountain slopes. Northwestern California has a
temperate climate and the Central Valley has a
Mediterranean climate but with greater temperature
extremes than the coast. The high mountains, including
the Sierra Nevada, have a mountain climate with
snow in winter and mild to moderate heat in summer.
The east side of California's mountains has
a drier rain shadow. The low deserts east of
the southern California mountains have hot summers
and nearly frostless mild winters; the higher
elevation deserts of eastern California have
hot summers and cold winters. In Death Valley,
the highest temperature in the Western Hemisphere,
134 °F (56.6 °C), was recorded July
10, 1913.
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| Ecology: |
Ecologically, California is one of the richest
and most diverse parts of the world and includes
some of the most endangered ecological communities.
California is part of the Nearctic ecozone and
spans a number of terrestrial ecoregions. California's
large number of endemic species includes relic
species which have died out elsewhere, such as
the Catalina Ironwood. Many other endemics originated
through differentiation or adaptive radiation,
whereby multiple species develop from a common
ancestor to take advantage of diverse ecological
conditions (such as the California lilac. Many
California endemics have become endangered, as
urbanization, logging, overgrazing, and the introduction
of exotic species have encroached on their habitat.
California boasts several superlatives in its
collection of flora; the largest trees, the
tallest trees, and the oldest trees. California's
native grasses are perennials. After European
contact, these were generally replaced by invasive
species of European annual grasses; and, in
modern times, California's hills turn a characteristic
golden brown in summer.
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| Rivers: |
The two most important rivers within California
are the Sacramento River and the San Joaquin River,
which drain the Central Valley and flow to the
Pacific Ocean through San Francisco Bay. Two other
important rivers are the Klamath River, in the
north, and the Colorado River, on the southeast
border. For other rivers, see List of California
rivers
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