Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your California shopping experience:

1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the California offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of California at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.

2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about

3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a California? Wrong! If the California is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.

4. Questions - Got a question about California then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....

5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling California? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about California and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.

6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your California wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.

7. Feedback - happy with your California then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.

8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the California site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site

9. Contact - got a question about California, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.

10. Payment - ready to pay for your California, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.

{{Infobox U.S. state| Name = California| Former = California Republic| Former_flag = 1stBearFlag.svg| Fullname = State of California| Flag = Flag of California.svg| Flaglink = Flag of California| Capital = [Sacramento, California| OfficialLang = English language| LargestCity = Los Angeles, California| LargestMetro = Greater Los Angeles Area| LargestCounty = San Bernardino, California, [San Diego, San Jose, Oakland, Long Beach (R)| Senators = [Dianne Feinstein (D)Barbara Boxer (D)], 1850: [Coordinated Universal Time-8/Daylight saving time| Latitude = 32° 32′ N to 42° N| Longitude = 114° 8′ W to 124° 26′ W| Width = 400| WidthUS = 250| Length = 1,240| LengthUS = 770| HighestPoint = Mount Whitney| LowestElev = -86| LowestElevUS = -282| ISOCode = US-CA| Website = www.ca.gov-->

The State of California () is the most populous [U.S. state of the United States. Located on the West Coast of the United States of North America, it is bordered by Oregon, Nevada and Arizona in the United States, and Baja California in Mexico. Its capital is Sacramento. The state's four largest cities are Los Angeles, California, San Diego, California, San Jose, California and San Francisco, California. California is known for its diverse climate and geography, and ethnically diverse population. The state has List of counties in California.

Alta California was first colonized by the Spanish Empire in 1769, and after Mexican independence in 1821, continued as part of Mexico. Following one brief week as the independent California Republic in 1846, and the conclusion of the Mexican-American war in 1848, California was annexed by the United States and was admitted to the Union as the thirty-first state on September 9, 1850.

California is the third largest state by area in the U.S. The state's size gives it a diverse geography, which ranges from sandy and rocky beaches of the Pacific coast, to the rugged snow-capped Sierra Nevada (U.S.) mountains in the east, to desert areas in the southeast and the forests of the northwest. The central portion of the state is dominated by the California Central Valley, one of the most productive agricultural areas in the world. The Sierra Nevada contains Yosemite Valley, famous for its glacially-carved domes, and Sequoia National Park, home to the largest living organisms on Earth, the giant sequoia trees, and the highest point in the contiguous United States, Mount Whitney. The tallest living things on Earth, the ancient Sequoia trees, dot the coastline, mainly north of San Francisco. California is also home to the second lowest and hottest place in the Western Hemisphere, Death Valley. Bristlecone pines located in the White Mountains (California) are the oldest known trees in the world; one has an age of 4,700 years.

The California Gold Rush, beginning in 1848, dramatically changed California with an influx of population and an economic boom, and San Francisco became a financial and cultural center. The early 20th century was marked by Los Angeles becoming the center of the entertainment industry, in addition to the growth of a large tourism sector in the state. The Central Valley is home to California's agricultural industry, the largest of any state. Other major industries include aerospace and petroleum, computer and information technology. California's ranks among the ten Comparison between U.S. states and countries nominal GDP#2005, and were it a separate country, it would be 34th amongst the most List of countries by population behind Poland.

Name {{US state insignia| Name = California| Flag = Flag of California.svg| Seal = California state seal.png| Nickname = The Golden State| Motto = Eureka (word) (I've found it!)| Slogan = Find Yourself Here| Capital = Sacramento, California| Animal = Brown Bear (Extinction) | MarineAnimal= Gray Whale| Bird = [California Quail| Colors = [Blue & Gold (color)| Dance = West Coast Swing| Flower = [California Poppy| Fossil = [Smilodon| Gemstone = Benitoite| Insect = [California dogface butterfly| Mineral = [Gold| Tree = [Sequoia| Wildflower = California Poppy| Song = "[I Love You, California"]| Tartan = California State Tartan-->The word California originally referred to the entire region composed of the current U.S. state of California, plus all or parts of Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and Wyoming, and the Mexican peninsula now known as Baja California (peninsula).

The name California is most commonly believed to have derived from a storied paradise peopled by Black people Amazons and ruled by Queen Califia. The myth of Califia is recorded in a 1510 work Las sergas de Esplandián, written as a sequel to Amadís de Gaula by Spanish adventure writer Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo. The kingdom of Queen Califia, according to Montalvo, was said to be a remote land inhabited by griffins and other strange beasts and rich in gold.

Geography and environment California borders the Pacific Ocean, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, and the Mexico state of Baja California. With an area of 160,000 mi² (411,000 square kilometre) it is the third List of U.S. states by area in size, after Alaska and Texas. If it were a country, California would be the 59th List of countries and outlying territories by total area, between Iraq and Paraguay.

California's geography is rich, complex, and varied. In the middle of the state lies the California Central Valley, bounded by the Pacific Coast Ranges in the west, the Sierra Nevada (U.S.) 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 approximately one-third of the nation's food. Divided in two by the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, the northern portion, the Sacramento Valley serves as the watershed of the Sacramento River, while the southern portion, the San Joaquin Valley is the watershed for the San Joaquin River; both areas derive its name from the rivers that transit them. With dredging, the Sacramento and the San Joaquin Rivers have remained sufficiently deep that several inland cities are seaports. The Sacramento River 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 River Delta provides drinking water for nearly 23 million people, almost two-thirds of the state's population, and provides water to farmers on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley. The Channel Islands of California are located off the Southern California coast.The Sierra Nevada (Spanish language for "snowy range") include the highest peak in the contiguous forty-eight states, Mount Whitney, at 14,505 ft (4,421 m), Yosemite National Park, and the 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 bird migration habitat. In the western part of the state is Clear Lake, the largest freshwater lake by area entirely in California. Though Lake Tahoe is larger, it is divided by the California, Nevada border. The Sierra Nevada falls to Arctic temperatures in winter and has several dozen small glaciers, including Palisade Glacier, the southernmost glacier in the United States.

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 Desert; to the northeast of the Mojave lies Death Valley, which contains the lowest, hottest point in North America, Badwater. The distance from the lowest point of Death Valley to the peak of Mount Whitney is less than 200 miles (322 km). 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 Greater Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, and San Diego, California.

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.

Climate California climate varies from Mediterranean Climate to subarctic. Much 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 (U.S.), 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.

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 (ecology) species includes relic species which have died out elsewhere, such as the Catalina Ironwood (Lyonothamnus floribundus). 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 (Ceanothus). 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 giant sequoia, the coast redwood, and the pinus longaeva. California's native grasses are perennial plants. 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.

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

Protected areas National Park System The U.S. National Park System controls a large and diverse group of California parks. The best known is Yosemite National Park. Half Dome, in Yosemite, figures prominently on the reverse side of the :Image:California quarter, reverse side, 2005.jpg. Other prominent parks are the Kings Canyon National Park-Sequoia National Park complex, Redwood National Park, Joshua Tree National Park and the largest, Death Valley National Park. The NPS also administers the Manzanar National Historic Site in Inyo County.

State parks The California Department of Parks and Recreation maintains over 270 protected areas, which include almost one-third of California's scenic coastline, including coastal wetlands, estuaries, beaches, and dune systems. The state parks system covers 1.3 million acres (5,300 km²), with over 280 miles (450 km) of coastline, 625 miles (1,006 km) of lake and river frontage, nearly 18,000 campsites; and 3,000 miles (5,000 km) of hiking, biking, and equestrian trails.

National Marine Sanctuaries California borders several U.S. National Marine Sancturaries:



California Marine Protected Areas The California Department of Fish and Game (DFG), through its seven regional divisions, manages 262 protected areas statewide. They are broadly categorized as:

National Landscape Conservation System National Landscape Convervation System sites in California include:

National monuments

National conservation areas

Wilderness areas

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National Forests California contains all or portions of several U.S. National Forests:



History Settled by successive waves of arrivals during the last 10,000 years, California was one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse areas in pre-Columbian North America; the area was inhabited by more than Classification of Native Americans#California of Native Americans in the United Statess. Large, settled populations lived on the coast and hunted sea mammals, fished for salmon, and gathered shellfish, while groups in the interior hunted terrestrial game and gathered nuts, acorns, and berries. California groups also were diverse in their political organization with bands, tribes, villages, and on the resource-rich coasts, large chiefdoms, such as the Chumash (tribe), Pomo people and Salinan. Trade, intermarriage, and military alliances fostered many social and economic relationships among the diverse groups.

The first European to explore the coast as far north as the Russian River (California) was the Portuguese Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, in 1542, sailing for the Spanish Empire. Some 37 years later, the England explorer Francis Drake also explored and claimed an undefined portion of the California coast in 1579. Spanish traders made unintended visits with the Manila Galleons on their return trips from the Philippines beginning in 1565. Sebastián Vizcaíno explored and mapped the coast of California in 1602 for New Spain.

Spanish missionaries began setting up twenty-three California Missions along the coast of what became known as Alta California (Upper California), together with small towns and presidios. The first Mission San Diego de Alcalá in Alta California was established at San Diego, California in 1769.The first successful Misión de Nuestra Señora de Loreto Conchó in Baja California had been established at Loreto, Baja California Sur in 1697. In 1821, the Mexican War of Independence gave Mexico (including California), independence from Spain; for the next twenty-five years, Alta California remained a remote northern province of the nation of Mexico. Cattle ranches, or ranchos, emerged as the dominant institutions of Mexican California. After Mexican independence from Spain, the Spanish Missions of California became the property of the Mexican government, and were secularized by 1832. The ranchos developed under ownership by Californios (Spanish-speaking Californians) who had received land grants and traded cowhides and tallow with Boston merchants.

Beginning in the 1820s, trappers and settlers from the United States and Canada began to arrive in Northern California, harbingers of the great changes that would later sweep the Mexican territory. These new arrivals used the Siskiyou Trail, California Trail,Oregon Trail and Old Spanish Trail to cross the rugged mountains and harsh deserts surrounding California. In this period, Imperial Russia explored the California coast, and established a trading post at Fort Ross.



In 1846, at the outset of the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), the California Republic was founded and the Bear Flag (featuring a bear, a star, a red stripe, and the words "California Republic") was flown in an attempt to control Northern California. The attempt to form this republic came to a sudden end, however, when Commodore John D. Sloat of the United States Navy sailed into San Francisco Bay and began the military occupation of California by the United States. Northern California capitulated in less than a month to the US forces.

Following a series of defensive battles in Southern California, including; The Siege of Los Angeles, the Battle of Dominguez Rancho, the Battle of San Pascual, the Battle of Rio San Gabriel and the Battle of La Mesa, the Treaty of Cahuenga was signed by the Californios on January 13, 1847, securing American control in California.

Following the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo that ended the war, the region was divided between Mexico and the United States; the western territory of Alta California, was to become the U.S. state of California, and the Arizona, Nevada, Colorado and Utah Territories, while the lower region of California, Baja California, remained in the possession of Mexico.

In 1848, the non-native population of California has been estimated to be no more than 15,000. But after gold was discovered, the population burgeoned with U.S. citizens, Europeans, and other immigrants during the great California Gold Rush. On September 9, 1850, as part of the Compromise of 1850, California was admitted to the United States as a Free state (USA) (one in which slavery was prohibited).

The seat of government for California under Mexican rule was located at Monterey, California from 1777 until 1835, when Mexican authorities abandoned California, leaving their missions and military forts behind. In 1849, the Constitutional Convention was first held there. Among the duties was the task of determining the location for the new State capital. The first legislative sessions were held in San Jose, California (1850-1851). Subsequent locations included Vallejo, California (1852-1853), and nearby Benicia, California (1853-1854), although these locations eventually proved to be inadequate as well. The capital has been located in Sacramento, California since 1854.

At first, travel between California and the central and eastern parts of the United States was time-consuming and dangerous. A more direct connection came in 1869 with the completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad. After this rail link was established, hundreds of thousands of U.S. citizens came west, where new Californians were discovering that land in the state, if irrigated during the dry summer months, was extremely well-suited to fruit cultivation and agriculture in general. Vast expanses of wheat and other cereal crops, vegetable crops, cotton, and nut and fruit trees were grown (including oranges in Southern California), and the foundation was laid for the state's prodigious agricultural production in the Central Valley and elsewhere.

During the early 20th century, migration to California accelerated with the completion of major transcontinental highways like the Lincoln Highway and U.S. Highway 66. In the period from 1900 to 1965, the population grew from fewer than one million to become the most populous state in the Union. From 1965 to the present, the population changed radically and became one of the most diverse in the world. The state is regarded as a world center of technology and engineering businesses, the entertainment and music industries, and of U.S. agricultural production.

Demographics Population {{USCensusPop|1850= 92597|1860= 379994|1870= 560247|1880= 864694|1890= 1213398|1900= 1485053|1910= 2377549|1920= 3426861|1930= 5677251|1940= 6907387|1950= 10586223|1960= 15717204|1970= 19953134|1980= 23667902|1990= 29760021|2000= 33871648|2006= 36457549-->By 2007, California's population has reached 37,700,000, making it the most populated state, and is the 13th fastest-growing state. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 1,909,368 people (that is 3,375,297 births minus 1,465,929 deaths) and an increase due to net migration of 774,198 people into the state. Immigration to the United States from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 1,724,790 people, and migration within the country produced a net decrease of 950,592. According to the Sacramento News & Review, California's population will increase to 50 million people by 2025. Despite long held claims of overpopulation of California, some people believe that this must be taken in relative terms. India, Pakistan and Bangladesh together add the equivalent of "a California" to their already massive populations every 15 months, or to put it another way, they add what California adds in a year in 5 days. (around 400,000 people, 2007, State Population Bureau)

California is the second most populous state in the Western Hemisphere, exceeded only by São Paulo (state) State, Brazil. More than 12 percent of U.S. citizens live in California and its population is greater than that of all but 34 countries of the world.

California has eight of the top 50 US cities in terms of population. Los Angeles is the nation's second-largest city with a population of 4,018,000 people, followed by San Diego (8th), San Jose, California (10th), San Francisco (14th), Long Beach, California (34th), Fresno (36th), Sacramento (37th) and Oakland (44th). Los Angeles County has held the title of most populous county for decades, and is more populous than 37 US states.

The center of population of California is at the town of Buttonwillow, California in Kern County, California.

Racial and ancestral makeup According to the 2000 U.S. Census, the largest ancestry groups in California are:



There are 65 other ethnicities from Albanian American to Somali American. There are substantial Chinese American communities in the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles County; there are large Korean American, Japanese American, Cambodian American, Vietnamese American, Thai American, Indian American, Pakistani American, Persian American, Armenian American, and Arab American communities in the Greater Los Angeles Area and in other areas of the state. There are also large concentrations of Russian-Americans in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sacramento. The state has the nation's largest Bulgarian American population.

According to the 2005 ACS Estimates, California's population is 60.9% White American, 6.1% Black or African American, 12.4% Asian American, 16.4% other races, 0.7% American Indian, 3.1% mixed race. 35.5% are Hispanics in the United States or Latino (of any race). 43.3% of the populationare European American.http://www.bayareacensus.ca.gov/california.htm

California has the fifth largest population of African Americans in the U.S., an estimated 2,163,530 residents. California's Asian population is estimated at 5 million, approximately one-third of the nation's 14.9 million Asian Americans. California's Native American population of 376,093 is the most of any state.

According to estimates from 2006, California has the largest Majority-minority state in the United States, making up 57% of the state population. Non-Hispanic whites slipped from 80% of the state's population in 1970 to 43% in 2006. The Best Story of Our Lives While the population of minorities accounts for 100.7 million of 300 million U.S. residents, 21% of the national total live in California.

Languages As of 2000, 60.52% of California residents age five and older spoke English language as a first language at home, while 25.80% spoke Spanish language. In addition to English and Spanish, 2.44% spoke Chinese language (which included Cantonese language and Mandarin language ), 1.99% spoke Filipino language (most are native speakers of Ilokano, Cebuano, Tagalog, Pangasinan and Kapampangan), 1.29% spoke Vietnamese language, and 0.94% spoke Korean language as their mother tongue. In total, 39.47% of the population spoke languages other than English. Over 200 languages are known to be spoken and read in California. Including :Category:Indigenous languages of California, California is viewed as one of the most linguistically diverse areas in the world (the indigenous languages were derived from 64 root languages in 6 language families). Native tribes, groups, language families and dialects of California in 1770 (map after Kroeber)(accessed 2006-12-30); Map of California showing areas of indigenous languages (accessed 2006-12-30) About half of the indigenous languages are no longer spoken, and all of California's living indigenous languages are endangered language, although there are now some efforts toward language revitalization.

The official language of California has been English language since the passage of List of California ballot propositions 1980-1989#November 4.2C 1986. However, many state, city, and local government agencies still continue to print official public documents in numerous languages.

Religion The state has the most Roman Catholics of any state, a large Protestant population, a large American Jewish community, and an American Muslim population.

With a Jewish population estimated at more than 550,000, Los Angeles is the second-largest Jewish community in North America.

As the twentieth century came to a close, forty percent of all Buddhists in America resided in Southern California. The Los Angeles Metropolitan Area has become unique in the Buddhist world as the single place where representative organizations of every major school of Buddhism can be found in a single urban center." The Hsi Lai Temple in Southern California is the largest Buddhist temple in the Western Hemisphere.

California also has more List of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints than any state except Utah.

Economy is the best-known symbol of California's huge entertainment industry. is the center of the world's computer industry, just south of San Francisco.s are popular in California as both status symbols and sources of fine wineAs of 2005, The gross state product (GSP) is about $1.62 1000000000000 (number), the largest in the United States. California is responsible for 13% of the United States gross domestic product (GDP).As of 2005, California's GDP is larger than all but seven countries in the world (and all but eight countries by Purchasing Power Parity).

California is also the home of several significant economic regions, such as Hollywood, Los Angeles, California (entertainment), the California Central Valley (agriculture), the Silicon Valley and Tech Coast (computers and high tech), and wine producing regions, such as the Napa Valley (wine), Sonoma Valley and Southern California's Santa Barbara and Paso Robles areas.

The predominant industry, more than twice as large as the next, is agriculture, (including fruit, vegetables, dairy, and wine). This is followed by aerospace; entertainment, primarily television by dollar volume, although many film are still made in California; music production and recording studios; light manufacturing, including computer hardware and software; and the mining of borax. Oil drilling has played a significant role in the development of the state.

Per capita personal income was $38,956 as of 2006, ranking 11th in the nation. State Personal Income 2006, Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of Commerce. Per capita income varies widely by geographic region and profession. The Central Valley is the most impoverished, with migrant worker making less than minimum wage. Recently, the San Joaquin Valley was characterized as one of the most economically depressed regions in the U.S., on par with the region of Appalachia. Report from Central Valley Business Times

Many coastal cities include some of the wealthiest per-capita areas in the U.S. The high-technology sectors in Northern California, specifically Silicon Valley, in Santa Clara County, California and San Mateo County, California, are currently emerging from economic downturn caused by the dot.com bust, which caused the loss of over 250,000 jobs in Northern California alone. As of spring 2005, economic growth has resumed in California at 4.3%.http://uclaforecast.com

California levies a 9.3% maximum variable rate income tax, with 6 tax brackets. It collects about $40 billion per year in income taxes. California's combined state, county and local sales tax rate is from 7.25 to 8.75%.http://www.boe.ca.gov/cgi-bin/rates.cgi The rate varies throughout the state at the local level. In all, it collects about $28 billion in sales taxes per year. All real property is taxable annually, the tax based on the property's fair market value at the time of purchase. This tax does not increase based on a rise in real property values (see California Proposition 13 (1978)). California collects $33 billion in property taxes per year.

Energy Resources and consumption California’s crude oil and natural gas deposits are located in six geological basins in the California Central Valley and along the coast. California has more than one dozen of the United State’s largest oil fields, including the Belridge South oil field, the second largest oil field in the contiguous United States. California’s hydroelectric power potential ranks second in the United States (behind Washington State), and substantial geothermal and wind power resources are found along the coastal mountain ranges and the eastern border with Nevada. High solar energy potential is found in southeastern California’s deserts.

California is the most populous State in the Nation but its total energy demand is second to the state of Texas. Although California is a leader in some energy-intensive industries, the state has one of the lowest per capita energy consumption rates in the country. This is in spite of the fact that more motor vehicles are registered in California than any other state, and worker commute times are among the longest in the country.

Petroleum California’s crude oil output accounts for more than one-tenth of total U.S. production. Drilling operations are concentrated primarily in Kern County and the Los Angeles basin. Although there is also substantial offshore oil and gas production, there is a permanent moratorium on new offshore oil and gas leasing in California waters and a deferral of leasing in Federal waters.

California ranks third in the United States in petroleum refining capacity and accounts for more than one-tenth of total U.S. capacity. In addition to oil from California, California’s refineries process crude oil from Alaska and foreign suppliers. The refineries are configured to produce cleaner fuels, including reformulated motor gasoline and low-sulfur diesel, to meet strict Federal and State United States environmental law.

Most California motorists are required to use a special motor gasoline blend called California Clean Burning Gasoline (CA CBG). By 2004, California completed a transition from methyl tertiary butyl-ether (MTBE) to ethanol as a gasoline oxygenate additive, making California the largest ethanol fuel market in the United States. There are four ethanol production plants in central and southern California, but most of California’s ethanol supply is transported from other states or abroad.

Natural gas California natural gas production typically is less than 2 percent of total annual U.S. production and satisfies less than one-fifth of state demand. California receives most of its natural gas by pipeline from production regions in the Rocky Mountains, the Southwest, and western Canada.

Electricity Natural gas-fired power plants typically account for more than one-half of State electricity generation. California is one of the largest hydroelectric power producers in the United States, and with adequate rainfall, hydroelectric power typically accounts for close to one-fifth of State electricity generation. Due to strict emission laws, only a few small coal-fired power plants operate in California. California’s two nuclear power plants account for almost one-fifth of total generation, these are: http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/nuclear/page/at_a_glance/states/statesca.htmlhttp://www.energy.ca.gov/nuclear/california.html

California leads the United States in electricity generation from nonhydroelectric renewable energy sources, such as wind, geothermal power, solar, fuel wood, and municipal solid waste/landfill gas resources. A facility known as “The Geysers,” located in the Mayacamas Mountains north of San Francisco, is the largest complex of geothermal power plants in the world, with more than 750 megawatts of installed capacity.Due to high electricity demand, California imports more electricity than any other state, primarily hydroelectric power from states in the Pacific Northwest and coal- and natural gas-fired production from the desert Southwest.

Transportation in San Francisco, One of California's most famous landmarks builds tall "stack" Interchange (road)s with soaring ramps that offer impressive viewsCalifornia's vast terrain is connected by an extensive system of freeways, expressways, and highways. California is known for its car culture, giving California's cities a reputation for severe traffic congestion. Construction and maintenance of state roads and statewide transportation planning are primarily the responsibility of the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans).

One of the state's more visible landmarks, the Golden Gate Bridge was completed in 1937. With its orange paint and panoramic views of the bay, this highway bridge is a popular tourist attraction and also accommodates pedestrians and bicyclists. It is simultaneously designated as U.S. Route 101 which is part of the El Camino Real (California) (Spanish for Royal Road or King's Highway), and California State Route 1 which is also known as the Pacific Coast Highway (United States). Another of the seven bridges in the San Francisco Bay Area is the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, completed in 1936. This bridge transports approximately 280,000 vehicles per day on two-decks, with its two sections meeting at Yerba Buena Island.

Los Angeles International Airport and San Francisco International Airport are major hubs for trans-Pacific and transcontinental traffic. There are about a dozen important commercial airports and many more general aviation airports throughout the state.

California also has several important seaports. The giant seaport complex formed by the Port of Los Angeles and the Long Beach, California#Shipping and transportation in Southern California is the largest in the country and responsible for handling about a fourth of all container cargo traffic in the United States. The Port of Oakland, fourth largest in the nation, handles trade from the Pacific Rim and delivers most of the ocean containers passing through Northern California to the entire USA.

Intercity rail travel is provided by Amtrak. Los Angeles and San Francisco both have Rapid transit networks, in addition to light rail. Metrolink (Southern California) commuter rail and Los Angeles County Metro Rail part of Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority serves much of Southern California, and Bay Area Rapid Transit and Caltrain commuter rail connect Bay Area suburbs to San Francisco. San Jose and Sacramento have light rail, and San Diego has San Diego Trolley light rail and San Diego Coaster commuter rail services. Nearly all counties operate bus lines, and many cities operate their own bus lines as well. Intercity bus travel is provided by Greyhound Lines and Amtrak bus services.

The rapidly growing population of the state is straining all of its transportation networks. A regularly recurring issue in California politics is whether the state should continue to aggressively expand its freeway network or concentrate on improving mass transit networks in urban areas.

The California High Speed Rail Authority was created in 1996 by the state to implement an extensive 700 mile (1127 km) rail system. Construction is pending approval of the voters during the November 2008 general election, in which a $9 billion state bond would have to be approved.

State politics and government

California is governed as a republic, with three separation of powers: the executive branch consisting of the Governor of California and the other independently elected constitutional officers; the legislative branch consisting of the California Assembly and California State Senate; and the judicial branch consisting of the Supreme Court of California and {{Infobox U.S. state| Name = California| Former = California Republic| Former_flag = 1stBearFlag.svg| Fullname = State of California| Flag = Flag of California.svg| Flaglink = Flag of California| Capital = [Sacramento, California| OfficialLang = English language| LargestCity = Los Angeles, California| LargestMetro = Greater Los Angeles Area| LargestCounty = San Bernardino, California, [San Diego, San Jose, Oakland, Long Beach (R)| Senators = [Dianne Feinstein (D)Barbara Boxer (D)], 1850: [Coordinated Universal Time-8/Daylight saving time| Latitude = 32° 32′ N to 42° N| Longitude = 114° 8′ W to 124° 26′ W| Width = 400| WidthUS = 250| Length = 1,240| LengthUS = 770| HighestPoint = Mount Whitney| LowestElev = -86| LowestElevUS = -282| ISOCode = US-CA| Website = www.ca.gov-->

The State of California () is the most populous [U.S. state of the United States. Located on the West Coast of the United States of North America, it is bordered by Oregon, Nevada and Arizona in the United States, and Baja California in Mexico. Its capital is Sacramento. The state's four largest cities are Los Angeles, California, San Diego, California, San Jose, California and San Francisco, California. California is known for its diverse climate and geography, and ethnically diverse population. The state has List of counties in California.

Alta California was first colonized by the Spanish Empire in 1769, and after Mexican independence in 1821, continued as part of Mexico. Following one brief week as the independent California Republic in 1846, and the conclusion of the Mexican-American war in 1848, California was annexed by the United States and was admitted to the Union as the thirty-first state on September 9, 1850.

California is the third largest state by area in the U.S. The state's size gives it a diverse geography, which ranges from sandy and rocky beaches of the Pacific coast, to the rugged snow-capped Sierra Nevada (U.S.) mountains in the east, to desert areas in the southeast and the forests of the northwest. The central portion of the state is dominated by the California Central Valley, one of the most productive agricultural areas in the world. The Sierra Nevada contains Yosemite Valley, famous for its glacially-carved domes, and Sequoia National Park, home to the largest living organisms on Earth, the giant sequoia trees, and the highest point in the contiguous United States, Mount Whitney. The tallest living things on Earth, the ancient Sequoia trees, dot the coastline, mainly north of San Francisco. California is also home to the second lowest and hottest place in the Western Hemisphere, Death Valley. Bristlecone pines located in the White Mountains (California) are the oldest known trees in the world; one has an age of 4,700 years.

The California Gold Rush, beginning in 1848, dramatically changed California with an influx of population and an economic boom, and San Francisco became a financial and cultural center. The early 20th century was marked by Los Angeles becoming the center of the entertainment industry, in addition to the growth of a large tourism sector in the state. The Central Valley is home to California's agricultural industry, the largest of any state. Other major industries include aerospace and petroleum, computer and information technology. California's ranks among the ten Comparison between U.S. states and countries nominal GDP#2005, and were it a separate country, it would be 34th amongst the most List of countries by population behind Poland.

Name {{US state insignia| Name = California| Flag = Flag of California.svg| Seal = California state seal.png| Nickname = The Golden State| Motto = Eureka (word) (I've found it!)| Slogan = Find Yourself Here| Capital = Sacramento, California| Animal = Brown Bear (Extinction) | MarineAnimal= Gray Whale| Bird = [California Quail| Colors = [Blue & Gold (color)| Dance = West Coast Swing| Flower = [California Poppy| Fossil = [Smilodon| Gemstone = Benitoite| Insect = [California dogface butterfly| Mineral = [Gold| Tree = [Sequoia| Wildflower = California Poppy| Song = "[I Love You, California"]| Tartan = California State Tartan-->The word California originally referred to the entire region composed of the current U.S. state of California, plus all or parts of Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and Wyoming, and the Mexican peninsula now known as Baja California (peninsula).

The name California is most commonly believed to have derived from a storied paradise peopled by Black people Amazons and ruled by Queen Califia. The myth of Califia is recorded in a 1510 work Las sergas de Esplandián, written as a sequel to Amadís de Gaula by Spanish adventure writer Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo. The kingdom of Queen Califia, according to Montalvo, was said to be a remote land inhabited by griffins and other strange beasts and rich in gold.

Geography and environment California borders the Pacific Ocean, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, and the Mexico state of Baja California. With an area of 160,000 mi² (411,000 square kilometre) it is the third List of U.S. states by area in size, after Alaska and Texas. If it were a country, California would be the 59th List of countries and outlying territories by total area, between Iraq and Paraguay.

California's geography is rich, complex, and varied. In the middle of the state lies the California Central Valley, bounded by the Pacific Coast Ranges in the west, the Sierra Nevada (U.S.) 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 approximately one-third of the nation's food. Divided in two by the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, the northern portion, the Sacramento Valley serves as the watershed of the Sacramento River, while the southern portion, the San Joaquin Valley is the watershed for the San Joaquin River; both areas derive its name from the rivers that transit them. With dredging, the Sacramento and the San Joaquin Rivers have remained sufficiently deep that several inland cities are seaports. The Sacramento River 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 River Delta provides drinking water for nearly 23 million people, almost two-thirds of the state's population, and provides water to farmers on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley. The Channel Islands of California are located off the Southern California coast.The Sierra Nevada (Spanish language for "snowy range") include the highest peak in the contiguous forty-eight states, Mount Whitney, at 14,505 ft (4,421 m), Yosemite National Park, and the 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 bird migration habitat. In the western part of the state is Clear Lake, the largest freshwater lake by area entirely in California. Though Lake Tahoe is larger, it is divided by the California, Nevada border. The Sierra Nevada falls to Arctic temperatures in winter and has several dozen small glaciers, including Palisade Glacier, the southernmost glacier in the United States.

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 Desert; to the northeast of the Mojave lies Death Valley, which contains the lowest, hottest point in North America, Badwater. The distance from the lowest point of Death Valley to the peak of Mount Whitney is less than 200 miles (322 km). 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 Greater Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, and San Diego, California.

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.

Climate California climate varies from Mediterranean Climate to subarctic. Much 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 (U.S.), 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.

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 (ecology) species includes relic species which have died out elsewhere, such as the Catalina Ironwood (Lyonothamnus floribundus). 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 (Ceanothus). 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 giant sequoia, the coast redwood, and the pinus longaeva. California's native grasses are perennial plants. 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.

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

Protected areas National Park System The U.S. National Park System controls a large and diverse group of California parks. The best known is Yosemite National Park. Half Dome, in Yosemite, figures prominently on the reverse side of the :Image:California quarter, reverse side, 2005.jpg. Other prominent parks are the Kings Canyon National Park-Sequoia National Park complex, Redwood National Park, Joshua Tree National Park and the largest, Death Valley National Park. The NPS also administers the Manzanar National Historic Site in Inyo County.

State parks The California Department of Parks and Recreation maintains over 270 protected areas, which include almost one-third of California's scenic coastline, including coastal wetlands, estuaries, beaches, and dune systems. The state parks system covers 1.3 million acres (5,300 km²), with over 280 miles (450 km) of coastline, 625 miles (1,006 km) of lake and river frontage, nearly 18,000 campsites; and 3,000 miles (5,000 km) of hiking, biking, and equestrian trails.

National Marine Sanctuaries California borders several U.S. National Marine Sancturaries:



California Marine Protected Areas The California Department of Fish and Game (DFG), through its seven regional divisions, manages 262 protected areas statewide. They are broadly categorized as:

National Landscape Conservation System National Landscape Convervation System sites in California include:

National monuments

National conservation areas

Wilderness areas

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National Forests California contains all or portions of several U.S. National Forests:



History Settled by successive waves of arrivals during the last 10,000 years, California was one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse areas in pre-Columbian North America; the area was inhabited by more than Classification of Native Americans#California of Native Americans in the United Statess. Large, settled populations lived on the coast and hunted sea mammals, fished for salmon, and gathered shellfish, while groups in the interior hunted terrestrial game and gathered nuts, acorns, and berries. California groups also were diverse in their political organization with bands, tribes, villages, and on the resource-rich coasts, large chiefdoms, such as the Chumash (tribe), Pomo people and Salinan. Trade, intermarriage, and military alliances fostered many social and economic relationships among the diverse groups.

The first European to explore the coast as far north as the Russian River (California) was the Portuguese Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, in 1542, sailing for the Spanish Empire. Some 37 years later, the England explorer Francis Drake also explored and claimed an undefined portion of the California coast in 1579. Spanish traders made unintended visits with the Manila Galleons on their return trips from the Philippines beginning in 1565. Sebastián Vizcaíno explored and mapped the coast of California in 1602 for New Spain.

Spanish missionaries began setting up twenty-three California Missions along the coast of what became known as Alta California (Upper California), together with small towns and presidios. The first Mission San Diego de Alcalá in Alta California was established at San Diego, California in 1769.The first successful Misión de Nuestra Señora de Loreto Conchó in Baja California had been established at Loreto, Baja California Sur in 1697. In 1821, the Mexican War of Independence gave Mexico (including California), independence from Spain; for the next twenty-five years, Alta California remained a remote northern province of the nation of Mexico. Cattle ranches, or ranchos, emerged as the dominant institutions of Mexican California. After Mexican independence from Spain, the Spanish Missions of California became the property of the Mexican government, and were secularized by 1832. The ranchos developed under ownership by Californios (Spanish-speaking Californians) who had received land grants and traded cowhides and tallow with Boston merchants.

Beginning in the 1820s, trappers and settlers from the United States and Canada began to arrive in Northern California, harbingers of the great changes that would later sweep the Mexican territory. These new arrivals used the Siskiyou Trail, California Trail,Oregon Trail and Old Spanish Trail to cross the rugged mountains and harsh deserts surrounding California. In this period, Imperial Russia explored the California coast, and established a trading post at Fort Ross.



In 1846, at the outset of the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), the California Republic was founded and the Bear Flag (featuring a bear, a star, a red stripe, and the words "California Republic") was flown in an attempt to control Northern California. The attempt to form this republic came to a sudden end, however, when Commodore John D. Sloat of the United States Navy sailed into San Francisco Bay and began the military occupation of California by the United States. Northern California capitulated in less than a month to the US forces.

Following a series of defensive battles in Southern California, including; The Siege of Los Angeles, the Battle of Dominguez Rancho, the Battle of San Pascual, the Battle of Rio San Gabriel and the Battle of La Mesa, the Treaty of Cahuenga was signed by the Californios on January 13, 1847, securing American control in California.

Following the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo that ended the war, the region was divided between Mexico and the United States; the western territory of Alta California, was to become the U.S. state of California, and the Arizona, Nevada, Colorado and Utah Territories, while the lower region of California, Baja California, remained in the possession of Mexico.

In 1848, the non-native population of California has been estimated to be no more than 15,000. But after gold was discovered, the population burgeoned with U.S. citizens, Europeans, and other immigrants during the great California Gold Rush. On September 9, 1850, as part of the Compromise of 1850, California was admitted to the United States as a Free state (USA) (one in which slavery was prohibited).

The seat of government for California under Mexican rule was located at Monterey, California from 1777 until 1835, when Mexican authorities abandoned California, leaving their missions and military forts behind. In 1849, the Constitutional Convention was first held there. Among the duties was the task of determining the location for the new State capital. The first legislative sessions were held in San Jose, California (1850-1851). Subsequent locations included Vallejo, California (1852-1853), and nearby Benicia, California (1853-1854), although these locations eventually proved to be inadequate as well. The capital has been located in Sacramento, California since 1854.

At first, travel between California and the central and eastern parts of the United States was time-consuming and dangerous. A more direct connection came in 1869 with the completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad. After this rail link was established, hundreds of thousands of U.S. citizens came west, where new Californians were discovering that land in the state, if irrigated during the dry summer months, was extremely well-suited to fruit cultivation and agriculture in general. Vast expanses of wheat and other cereal crops, vegetable crops, cotton, and nut and fruit trees were grown (including oranges in Southern California), and the foundation was laid for the state's prodigious agricultural production in the Central Valley and elsewhere.

During the early 20th century, migration to California accelerated with the completion of major transcontinental highways like the Lincoln Highway and U.S. Highway 66. In the period from 1900 to 1965, the population grew from fewer than one million to become the most populous state in the Union. From 1965 to the present, the population changed radically and became one of the most diverse in the world. The state is regarded as a world center of technology and engineering businesses, the entertainment and music industries, and of U.S. agricultural production.

Demographics Population {{USCensusPop|1850= 92597|1860= 379994|1870= 560247|1880= 864694|1890= 1213398|1900= 1485053|1910= 2377549|1920= 3426861|1930= 5677251|1940= 6907387|1950= 10586223|1960= 15717204|1970= 19953134|1980= 23667902|1990= 29760021|2000= 33871648|2006= 36457549-->By 2007, California's population has reached 37,700,000, making it the most populated state, and is the 13th fastest-growing state. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 1,909,368 people (that is 3,375,297 births minus 1,465,929 deaths) and an increase due to net migration of 774,198 people into the state. Immigration to the United States from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 1,724,790 people, and migration within the country produced a net decrease of 950,592. According to the Sacramento News & Review, California's population will increase to 50 million people by 2025. Despite long held claims of overpopulation of California, some people believe that this must be taken in relative terms. India, Pakistan and Bangladesh together add the equivalent of "a California" to their already massive populations every 15 months, or to put it another way, they add what California adds in a year in 5 days. (around 400,000 people, 2007, State Population Bureau)

California is the second most populous state in the Western Hemisphere, exceeded only by São Paulo (state) State, Brazil. More than 12 percent of U.S. citizens live in California and its population is greater than that of all but 34 countries of the world.

California has eight of the top 50 US cities in terms of population. Los Angeles is the nation's second-largest city with a population of 4,018,000 people, followed by San Diego (8th), San Jose, California (10th), San Francisco (14th), Long Beach, California (34th), Fresno (36th), Sacramento (37th) and Oakland (44th). Los Angeles County has held the title of most populous county for decades, and is more populous than 37 US states.

The center of population of California is at the town of Buttonwillow, California in Kern County, California.

Racial and ancestral makeup According to the 2000 U.S. Census, the largest ancestry groups in California are:



There are 65 other ethnicities from Albanian American to Somali American. There are substantial Chinese American communities in the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles County; there are large Korean American, Japanese American, Cambodian American, Vietnamese American, Thai American, Indian American, Pakistani American, Persian American, Armenian American, and Arab American communities in the Greater Los Angeles Area and in other areas of the state. There are also large concentrations of Russian-Americans in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sacramento. The state has the nation's largest Bulgarian American population.

According to the 2005 ACS Estimates, California's population is 60.9% White American, 6.1% Black or African American, 12.4% Asian American, 16.4% other races, 0.7% American Indian, 3.1% mixed race. 35.5% are Hispanics in the United States or Latino (of any race). 43.3% of the populationare European American.http://www.bayareacensus.ca.gov/california.htm

California has the fifth largest population of African Americans in the U.S., an estimated 2,163,530 residents. California's Asian population is estimated at 5 million, approximately one-third of the nation's 14.9 million Asian Americans. California's Native American population of 376,093 is the most of any state.

According to estimates from 2006, California has the largest Majority-minority state in the United States, making up 57% of the state population. Non-Hispanic whites slipped from 80% of the state's population in 1970 to 43% in 2006. The Best Story of Our Lives While the population of minorities accounts for 100.7 million of 300 million U.S. residents, 21% of the national total live in California.

Languages As of 2000, 60.52% of California residents age five and older spoke English language as a first language at home, while 25.80% spoke Spanish language. In addition to English and Spanish, 2.44% spoke Chinese language (which included Cantonese language and Mandarin language ), 1.99% spoke Filipino language (most are native speakers of Ilokano, Cebuano, Tagalog, Pangasinan and Kapampangan), 1.29% spoke Vietnamese language, and 0.94% spoke Korean language as their mother tongue. In total, 39.47% of the population spoke languages other than English. Over 200 languages are known to be spoken and read in California. Including :Category:Indigenous languages of California, California is viewed as one of the most linguistically diverse areas in the world (the indigenous languages were derived from 64 root languages in 6 language families). Native tribes, groups, language families and dialects of California in 1770 (map after Kroeber)(accessed 2006-12-30); Map of California showing areas of indigenous languages (accessed 2006-12-30) About half of the indigenous languages are no longer spoken, and all of California's living indigenous languages are endangered language, although there are now some efforts toward language revitalization.

The official language of California has been English language since the passage of List of California ballot propositions 1980-1989#November 4.2C 1986. However, many state, city, and local government agencies still continue to print official public documents in numerous languages.

Religion The state has the most Roman Catholics of any state, a large Protestant population, a large American Jewish community, and an American Muslim population.

With a Jewish population estimated at more than 550,000, Los Angeles is the second-largest Jewish community in North America.

As the twentieth century came to a close, forty percent of all Buddhists in America resided in Southern California. The Los Angeles Metropolitan Area has become unique in the Buddhist world as the single place where representative organizations of every major school of Buddhism can be found in a single urban center." The Hsi Lai Temple in Southern California is the largest Buddhist temple in the Western Hemisphere.

California also has more List of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints than any state except Utah.

Economy is the best-known symbol of California's huge entertainment industry. is the center of the world's computer industry, just south of San Francisco.s are popular in California as both status symbols and sources of fine wineAs of 2005, The gross state product (GSP) is about $1.62 1000000000000 (number), the largest in the United States. California is responsible for 13% of the United States gross domestic product (GDP).As of 2005, California's GDP is larger than all but seven countries in the world (and all but eight countries by Purchasing Power Parity).

California is also the home of several significant economic regions, such as Hollywood, Los Angeles, California (entertainment), the California Central Valley (agriculture), the Silicon Valley and Tech Coast (computers and high tech), and wine producing regions, such as the Napa Valley (wine), Sonoma Valley and Southern California's Santa Barbara and Paso Robles areas.

The predominant industry, more than twice as large as the next, is agriculture, (including fruit, vegetables, dairy, and wine). This is followed by aerospace; entertainment, primarily television by dollar volume, although many film are still made in California; music production and recording studios; light manufacturing, including computer hardware and software; and the mining of borax. Oil drilling has played a significant role in the development of the state.

Per capita personal income was $38,956 as of 2006, ranking 11th in the nation. State Personal Income 2006, Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of Commerce. Per capita income varies widely by geographic region and profession. The Central Valley is the most impoverished, with migrant worker making less than minimum wage. Recently, the San Joaquin Valley was characterized as one of the most economically depressed regions in the U.S., on par with the region of Appalachia. Report from Central Valley Business Times

Many coastal cities include some of the wealthiest per-capita areas in the U.S. The high-technology sectors in Northern California, specifically Silicon Valley, in Santa Clara County, California and San Mateo County, California, are currently emerging from economic downturn caused by the dot.com bust, which caused the loss of over 250,000 jobs in Northern California alone. As of spring 2005, economic growth has resumed in California at 4.3%.http://uclaforecast.com

California levies a 9.3% maximum variable rate income tax, with 6 tax brackets. It collects about $40 billion per year in income taxes. California's combined state, county and local sales tax rate is from 7.25 to 8.75%.http://www.boe.ca.gov/cgi-bin/rates.cgi The rate varies throughout the state at the local level. In all, it collects about $28 billion in sales taxes per year. All real property is taxable annually, the tax based on the property's fair market value at the time of purchase. This tax does not increase based on a rise in real property values (see California Proposition 13 (1978)). California collects $33 billion in property taxes per year.

Energy Resources and consumption California’s crude oil and natural gas deposits are located in six geological basins in the California Central Valley and along the coast. California has more than one dozen of the United State’s largest oil fields, including the Belridge South oil field, the second largest oil field in the contiguous United States. California’s hydroelectric power potential ranks second in the United States (behind Washington State), and substantial geothermal and wind power resources are found along the coastal mountain ranges and the eastern border with Nevada. High solar energy potential is found in southeastern California’s deserts.

California is the most populous State in the Nation but its total energy demand is second to the state of Texas. Although California is a leader in some energy-intensive industries, the state has one of the lowest per capita energy consumption rates in the country. This is in spite of the fact that more motor vehicles are registered in California than any other state, and worker commute times are among the longest in the country.

Petroleum California’s crude oil output accounts for more than one-tenth of total U.S. production. Drilling operations are concentrated primarily in Kern County and the Los Angeles basin. Although there is also substantial offshore oil and gas production, there is a permanent moratorium on new offshore oil and gas leasing in California waters and a deferral of leasing in Federal waters.

California ranks third in the United States in petroleum refining capacity and accounts for more than one-tenth of total U.S. capacity. In addition to oil from California, California’s refineries process crude oil from Alaska and foreign suppliers. The refineries are configured to produce cleaner fuels, including reformulated motor gasoline and low-sulfur diesel, to meet strict Federal and State United States environmental law.

Most California motorists are required to use a special motor gasoline blend called California Clean Burning Gasoline (CA CBG). By 2004, California completed a transition from methyl tertiary butyl-ether (MTBE) to ethanol as a gasoline oxygenate additive, making California the largest ethanol fuel market in the United States. There are four ethanol production plants in central and southern California, but most of California’s ethanol supply is transported from other states or abroad.

Natural gas California natural gas production typically is less than 2 percent of total annual U.S. production and satisfies less than one-fifth of state demand. California receives most of its natural gas by pipeline from production regions in the Rocky Mountains, the Southwest, and western Canada.

Electricity Natural gas-fired power plants typically account for more than one-half of State electricity generation. California is one of the largest hydroelectric power producers in the United States, and with adequate rainfall, hydroelectric power typically accounts for close to one-fifth of State electricity generation. Due to strict emission laws, only a few small coal-fired power plants operate in California. California’s two nuclear power plants account for almost one-fifth of total generation, these are: http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/nuclear/page/at_a_glance/states/statesca.htmlhttp://www.energy.ca.gov/nuclear/california.html

California leads the United States in electricity generation from nonhydroelectric renewable energy sources, such as wind, geothermal power, solar, fuel wood, and municipal solid waste/landfill gas resources. A facility known as “The Geysers,” located in the Mayacamas Mountains north of San Francisco, is the largest complex of geothermal power plants in the world, with more than 750 megawatts of installed capacity.Due to high electricity demand, California imports more electricity than any other state, primarily hydroelectric power from states in the Pacific Northwest and coal- and natural gas-fired production from the desert Southwest.

Transportation in San Francisco, One of California's most famous landmarks builds tall "stack" Interchange (road)s with soaring ramps that offer impressive viewsCalifornia's vast terrain is connected by an extensive system of freeways, expressways, and highways. California is known for its car culture, giving California's cities a reputation for severe traffic congestion. Construction and maintenance of state roads and statewide transportation planning are primarily the responsibility of the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans).

One of the state's more visible landmarks, the Golden Gate Bridge was completed in 1937. With its orange paint and panoramic views of the bay, this highway bridge is a popular tourist attraction and also accommodates pedestrians and bicyclists. It is simultaneously designated as U.S. Route 101 which is part of the El Camino Real (California) (Spanish for Royal Road or King's Highway), and California State Route 1 which is also known as the Pacific Coast Highway (United States). Another of the seven bridges in the San Francisco Bay Area is the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, completed in 1936. This bridge transports approximately 280,000 vehicles per day on two-decks, with its two sections meeting at Yerba Buena Island.

Los Angeles International Airport and San Francisco International Airport are major hubs for trans-Pacific and transcontinental traffic. There are about a dozen important commercial airports and many more general aviation airports throughout the state.

California also has several important seaports. The giant seaport complex formed by the Port of Los Angeles and the Long Beach, California#Shipping and transportation in Southern California is the largest in the country and responsible for handling about a fourth of all container cargo traffic in the United States. The Port of Oakland, fourth largest in the nation, handles trade from the Pacific Rim and delivers most of the ocean containers passing through Northern California to the entire USA.

Intercity rail travel is provided by Amtrak. Los Angeles and San Francisco both have Rapid transit networks, in addition to light rail. Metrolink (Southern California) commuter rail and Los Angeles County Metro Rail part of Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority serves much of Southern California, and Bay Area Rapid Transit and Caltrain commuter rail connect Bay Area suburbs to San Francisco. San Jose and Sacramento have light rail, and San Diego has San Diego Trolley light rail and San Diego Coaster commuter rail services. Nearly all counties operate bus lines, and many cities operate their own bus lines as well. Intercity bus travel is provided by Greyhound Lines and Amtrak bus services.

The rapidly growing population of the state is straining all of its transportation networks. A regularly recurring issue in California politics is whether the state should continue to aggressively expand its freeway network or concentrate on improving mass transit networks in urban areas.

The California High Speed Rail Authority was created in 1996 by the state to implement an extensive 700 mile (1127 km) rail system. Construction is pending approval of the voters during the November 2008 general election, in which a $9 billion state bond would have to be approved.

State politics and government

California is governed as a republic, with three separation of powers: the executive branch consisting of the Governor of California and the other independently elected constitutional officers; the legislative branch consisting of the California Assembly and California State Senate; and the judicial branch consisting of the Supreme Court of California and

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