State Facts

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Entered the Union: 1849 (31st State)

Nickname: The Golden State

Number of U.S. Senators: 2

Number of U.S. Representatives: 52

Number of State Senators: 40

Number of Assembly members: 80

Capital City: Sacramento

State Abbreviation: CA

Other Notable Cities: Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco

Area: 163,707 square miles (California is the 3rd biggest state in the USA - only Alaska and Texas are bigger)

Population: 33,871,648 (as of 2000) (California is the most populous state in the USA)

Major Industries: agriculture (many, many products), oil, mining, electronics, movie making/entertainment, and tourism

Presidential Birthplace: Richard Milhous Nixon was born in Yorba Linda on January 9, 1913 (he was the 37th US President, serving from 1969 to 1974).

Main Rivers: Sacramento River, Colorado River, San Joaquin River

Highest Point: - Mt. Whitney, 14,495 feet (4,418 m) above sea level

Lowest Point: Death Valley, 282 feet (86 m) below sea level (this is the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere)

Bordering States: Oregon, Nevada, Arizona

Bordering Country: Mexico

Bordering Body of Water: Pacific Ocean

Origin of the Name California: The California comes from a mythical Spanish island ruled by a queen called Califia that was featured in a Spanish romance ("Las Sergas de Esplandian") written by Garcia Ordonez de Montalvo in 1510 (the Spanish explorers originally thought that California was an island).

State Nickname: The Golden State

State Motto: Eureka (I have found it)

State Song: "I Love You, California"

State Flag:


State Bird: Quail


State Mammal: Grizzly Bear


State Marine Animal: Grey Whale


State Reptile: Desert Tortoise


State Flower: California Poppy


State Tree: Redwood and Giant Redwood
(The redwood is the tallest tree, growing up to 370 feet (113 m) tall and living for over a thousand years. One redwood in California is 2,200 years old. The roots of this giant conifer are shallow, but spread sideways up to 250 feet (75 meters) from the trunk. The bark is deeply-furrowed, fibrous, thick [up to about 1 foot (30.5 cm) thick] and lacks resin.)

State Fish: Golden Trout

State Marine Fish: Garibaldi

State Insect: California dog-face butterfly

Map:


State Seal: