California

Capital	Sacramento
Population	33,871,648 Source: U.S. Census Bureau GCT-PH1-R. Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density (geographies ranked by total population): 2000 Data Set: Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data
Governor	Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (R, to January 2011)
Entered the Union	September 9, 1850 as the 31st state
Motto	Eureka (I Have Found It)
Nicknames	The Golden state
Flower	Golden Poppy
Bird	California Valley Quail
Song	"I Love You, California"
Professional Sports Teams (sports listing policy)	Anaheim Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, and San Francisco Giants (Baseball); Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, and Sacramento Kings (Men's Basketball); San Jose Raiders (Women's Basketball); Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers, and San Francisco 49ers (Football); Anaheim Mighty Ducks, Los Angeles Kings, and San Jose Sharks (Hockey); L.A. Galaxy, San Jose Earthquakes (Soccer)
Origin of Name	From the name of a fictional earthly paradise in a book called Las Sergas de Esplanidian, written by Garcia Ordonez de Montalvo around 1500
Major Industries	Manufacturing, Agriculture, Biotechnology
Historical Sites	Sutter's Mill, where gold was first discovered in California in 1848
Points of Interest	Disneyland (Walt Disney's original theme park), the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco Bay, Hollywood, Sequoia National Park
Bordering States	California borders Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona. California also borders Mexico.
Flag

Follow these links to read articles about California from Encyclopedias and Almanacs:

• Encarta Concise Encyclopedia
• Columbia Encyclopedia
• Information Please Almanac

• Welcome to California: The Official State Site
  http://www.ca.gov/state/portal/myca_homepage.jsp/
  This is the official website for the State of California.
• California State Library
  http://www.library.ca.gov/
  Here is the homepage for the California State Library.
• California Historical Society
  http://www.californiahistoricalsociety.org/
  Here is the homepage for the California State Historical Society.
• California State History Museum
  http://www.goldenstatemuseum.org/
  Here is the homepage for the California State Museum.
• California Archives & Museum
  http://www.ss.ca.gov/archives/archives.htm
  Here is the homepage for the California State Archives.
• California State Parks
  http://www.parks.ca.gov/
  Here is the homepage for California State Parks.
• California: Find Yourself Here
  http://gocalif.ca.gov/state/tourism/tour_homepage.jsp
  Here is the official state travel and tourism website for California.
• California Kids Pages
  http://www.dre.ca.gov/kidlinks.htm
  Here's a list of kids sites dedicated to supporting the youth of California, gathered by the California state government.

• 50states.com: California
  http://www.50states.com/californ.htm
  The site provides a wealth of information about California. It includes everything from the highest point to county profile to climate.
• Things To Do in California
  http://www.thingstodo.com/states/CA/index.htm
  ThingsToDo.com is an online guide to information about California's entertainment, recreation, and travel, and includes the state's interesting facts, famous people, and special events.
• Roadside America: California Attractions
  http://www.roadsideamerica.com/map/ca.html
  Roadside America describes itself as an online guide to offbeat attractions. This site offers reviews of "weird sites along the highway" in California.
• California State Historical Landmarks
  http://donaldlaird.com/landmarks/
  There are over 1100 California State Historical Landmarks, and this resource attempts to describe each of them. The site has been named a Recommended Site by "The History Channel".
• FedStats: MapStat: United States: California
  http://www.fedstats.gov/qf/states/06000.html
  Fast access to statistics from more than 100 federal agencies on "economic and population trends, crime, education, health care, aviation safety, energy use, farm production and moreCalifornia.

• More people live in California than in any other state!
• More immigrants settle in California than in any other state. In 1990, they made up more than 30 percent of all immigrants to the U.S. Most immigrants settling in California come from Asian-Pacific countries such as Japan and China.
• Death Valley, in southern California, is the lowest point in the U.S. It's 282 feet below sea level. The highest point in the contiguous 48 states (which don't include Alaska and Hawaii) is also in California: Mt. Whitney, which is 14,491 feet above sea level.
• Other natural wonders in California include Lassen Peak, one of two active volcanoes in the U.S. outside of Alaska and Hawaii; the majestic sequoia trees of the Sequoia National Park, which can grow as tall as 300 feet and can live as long as 3,500 years; and California's widely varying climate, which ranges from desert heat in the south to the chill of snow-capped mountain peaks in the north.
• California became a major U.S. attraction long before Hollywood or Disneyland existed, when gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill in 1848. This began the Gold Rush, which brought many people from all over the U.S. hoping to find gold and make their fortunes in California.

• Shirley Temple Black, 1930s child actress and now U.S. ambassador to the United Nations
• Julia Child, chef
• Joe DiMaggio, baseball player
• Robert Frost, former poet laureate of the U.S.
• Jack London, author of many novels about the vast Western frontiers, such as Call of the Wild
• Marilyn Monroe, actress
• John Muir, naturalist and founder of the Sierra Club
• Presidents from California with links to the IPL's POTUS (Presidents of the United States) page:
  
  • Richard M. Nixon, 37th President of the U.S.
• Robert Redford, actor
• Sally K. Ride, astronaut and first American woman in space