California, USA

California is a state on the Pacific coast of the western United States, bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, Mexico to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Sacramento is the state capital, while Los Angeles is the largest city; other major population centers include San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, Fresno and Long Beach. California’s geography is exceptionally varied, encompassing the densely populated coastal regions, the Central Valley’s extensive agricultural lands, the Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountain ranges, the Mojave and Colorado deserts, and the forested northern interior. Major features include the San Francisco Bay, Lake Tahoe, the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers, Death Valley and Mount Whitney, the highest point in the contiguous United States. California contains 58 counties, covers about 155,858 square miles of land and had 39,538,223 residents in the 2020 census, making it the nation’s most populous state.