California

California
State
State of California
Flag Seal
Nickname:  Golden State[1]
Motto:  "Eureka"[2]
Anthem: "I Love You, California"
Map of the United States with California highlighted
Country	United States
Before statehood	Mexican Cession unorganized territory
Admitted to the Union	September 9, 1850 (31st)
Capital	Sacramento[1]
Largest city	Los Angeles
Largest metro and urban areas	Greater Los Angeles
Government
• Governor	Gavin Newsom (D)
• Lieutenant Governor	Eleni Kounalakis (D)
Legislature	State Legislature
• Upper house	State Senate
• Lower house	State Assembly
Judiciary	Supreme Court of California
U.S. senators	Laphonza Butler (D) Alex Padilla (D)
U.S. House delegation	42 Democrats 11 Republicans (list)
Area
• Total	163,696 sq mi (423,970 km2)
• Land	155,959 sq mi (403,932 km2)
• Water	7,737 sq mi (20,047 km2)  4.7%
• Rank	3rd
Dimensions
• Length	770 mi (1,240 km)
• Width	250 mi (400 km)
Elevation	2,900 ft (880 m)
Highest elevation (Mount Whitney[3])	14,505 ft (4,421.0 m)
Lowest elevation (Badwater Basin[4])	−279 ft (−85.0 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	39,538,223[5]
• Rank	1st
• Density	253.6/sq mi (97.9/km2)
• Rank	11th
• Median household income	71,228
• Income rank	9
Demonym	Californian
Language
• Official language	English
• Spoken language	English: 58.1% Spanish: 28.8% Other: 13.1%[6]
Time zone	UTC−08:00 (PST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−07:00 (PDT)
USPS abbreviation	CA
ISO 3166 code	US-CA
Traditional abbreviation	Calif., Cal.
Latitude	32°32′ N to 42° N
Longitude	114°8′ W to 124°26′ W
Website	www.ca.gov

California state symbols
Flag of California
Living insignia
Amphibian	California red-legged frog
Bird	California quail
Fish	Fresh water: Golden trout Marine: Garibaldi
Flower	California poppy
Grass	Purple needlegrass
Insect	California dogface butterfly
Mammal	Land: California grizzly bear (State animal)[2] Marine: Gray whale
Reptile	Desert tortoise
Tree	Coast redwood & giant sequoia[7]
Inanimate insignia
Colors	Blue & gold[8]
Dance	West Coast Swing
Folk dance	Square dance
Fossil	Sabre-toothed cat
Gemstone	Benitoite
Mineral	Native gold
Rock	Serpentine
Soil	San Joaquin
Sport	Surfing
Tartan	California state tartan
State route marker
State quarter
Released in 2005
Lists of United States state symbols

California, officially the State of California, is a state in the western part of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean.

It is the third biggest US state by area (after Alaska and Texas) with 163,696 square mi (423,970 km²). It has more people than any other state with over 39 million people as of 2020. It also has more people than Canada. Its largest cities are Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, and San Francisco. The capital is Sacramento. The states around its borders are Arizona to the southeast, Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, and the Mexican state of Baja California to the south.

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} "California". www.americaslibrary.gov. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} "Chapter 2 of Division 2 of Title 1 of the California Government Code". California Office of Legislative Counsel. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
3. ↑ The summit of Mount Whitney is the highest point in the Contiguous United States.
4. ↑ "USGS National Elevation Dataset (NED) 1 meter Downloadable Data Collection from The National Map 3D Elevation Program (3DEP)—National Geospatial Data Asset (NGDA) National Elevation Data Set (NED)". United States Geological Survey. September 21, 2015. Archived from the original on March 25, 2019. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
5. ↑ "Population, Population Change, and Estimated Components of Population Change: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2020 (NST-EST2020-alldata)". census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on December 22, 2020. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
6. ↑ "Languages in California (State)". Statistical Atlas. Archived from the original on August 15, 2018. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
7. ↑ "California Government Code § 422". California Office of Legislative Counsel. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
8. ↑ "California Government Code § 424". California Office of Legislative Counsel. Retrieved February 23, 2019.