Approximately half its land is federally owned, with National parks and nature reserves scattered throughout the state. Both the highest (Mount Whitney in the Sierra Nevada range) and lowest (Death Valley) points in the 48 coterminous states are located here. The center of the state is dominated by Central Valley, one of the most productive agricultural areas in the world. The roughly 1,100-mile- (1,800-km-) long coastline of California is mountainous, most dramatically so in the Santa Lucia Range south of San Francisco, where towering cliffs rise about 800 feet (240 meters) above the ocean. Hills of lesser elevation flank entrances to the coast’s three major natural harbors, at San Diego, San Francisco, and Eureka. Coastal mountains, made up of many indistinct chains, are from about 20 to 40 miles (30 to 65 km) in width and from 2,000 to 8,000 feet (600 to 2,400 meters) in elevation.

State parks

• It’s a stellar place for hiking, admiring avant-garde art at nearby Galleta Meadows, or camping out under the stars in one of the park’s developed or primitive campgrounds.
• California’s large number of endemic species includes relict species that have died out elsewhere.
• Additionally, it extends southward to Mexico and is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the west.
• Take a drive up (or down) Highway 1, also known as the Pacific Coast Highway, to Big Sur.
• Visit Badwater Basin, the lowest point in North America, and check out the seemingly endless salt flats, home to a snail that can only be found here.

Apps and websites you use may receive your list of Facebook friends if you choose to share it with them. But apps and websites you use will not be able to receive any other information about your Facebook friends from you, or information about any of your Instagram followers (although your friends and followers may, of course, choose to share this information themselves). Information collected by these third-party services is subject to their own terms and policies, not this one. The Facebook–Cambridge Analytica data scandal in 2018 revealed misuse of user data to influence elections, sparking global outcry and leading to regulatory fines and hearings. Facebook’s role in global events, including its use in organizing movements like the Arab Spring and its impact on events like the Rohingya genocide in Myanmar, highlighted its dual nature as a tool for both empowerment and harm. In 2021, Facebook rebranded as Meta, reflecting its shift toward building the “metaverse” and focusing on virtual reality and augmented reality technologies.

The way these so called content creators neglect and even abuse their children on lives is insane. Because these people bring drama and drama pays them money, their allowed to say and do whatever they want. Nothing they do ever goes against community standards according to Facebook. Facebook will remove other peoples post for ridiculous reasons but allow the scammers to come on and cuss people out, use drugs on lives and even make threats to people. There’s a lot of good honest content creators on here but the scamming beggars need removed.

The central valley’s notable crops include tomatoes, cereals, citrus, tree fruits, nuts, and grapes. The largest lake of the Sierra Nevada is Lake Tahoe, astride the California-Nevada border at an elevation of 6,229 feet (1,899 meters). A mountain-ringed alpine lake about 193 square miles (500 square km) in area, it has among the world’s greatest average depth and a maximum depth of about 1,640 feet (500 meters). Elsewhere in the Sierra lie hundreds of smaller lakes, some above the timberline in regions of tumbled granite and smooth-walled canyons.

Central Valley Region

The Klamath and Trinity Rivers drain a large area in far northwestern California. The Eel River and Salinas River each drain portions of the California coast, north and south of San Francisco Bay, respectively. The Mojave River is the primary watercourse in the Mojave Desert, and the Santa Ana River drains much of the Transverse Ranges as it bisects Southern California. Prior to European colonization, California was one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse areas in pre-Columbian North America. European exploration in the 16th and 17th centuries led to the colonization by the Spanish Empire. The area became a part of Mexico in 1821, following its successful war for independence, but was ceded to the United States in 1848 after the Mexican–American War.

Local government

Lake Tahoe, the largest alpine lake in North America, is nestled in Northern Sierra Nevada. Sequoias and Bristlecone Pines are two prominent tree species found in this region, Bristlecone Pines sometimes living to be over 4,000 years old. The Central Valley stretches over 400 miles, ranging from Bakersfield to Redding, with mountains bordering it on either side. The Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers drain water from the low-lying areas, dumping it into the San Francisco Bay, which ultimately prevents the valley from developing swamp-like conditions. As a result, this land is extremely fertile and the climate mild, producing one-fourth of the country’s food.

By 2007, California’s population was estimated at 36,553,215, making it the most populated state and the 13th fastest-growing state. California is also home to such notable private universities as Stanford University, the University of Southern California, and the California Institute of Technology. California has hundreds of other private colleges and universities, including many religious and special-purpose institutions. California was the second state to legalize abortion and the second state to legalize marriage for gay couples.

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The military and civil contingent of the expedition was led by Gaspar de Portolá, who traveled over land from Sonora into California, while the religious component was headed by Junípero Serra, who came by sea from Baja California. In 1769, Portolá and Serra established Mission San Diego de Alcalá and the Presidio of San Diego, the first religious and military settlements founded by the Spanish in California. By the end of the expedition in 1770, they would establish the Presidio of Monterey and Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo on Monterey Bay. Finally, we’ll remind you which apps you’ve given access to your information – so you can shut off the ones you don’t want anymore. While Laguna Beach is known mainly as a surf mecca, the area is also bursting with artistic talent. You can experience the city’s artsy side by visiting the many galleries or taking a self-guided tour of its impressive collection of sculptures and public art.

In Death Valley, the highest temperature in the Western Hemisphere, 134 °F (57 °C), was recorded July 10, 1913. 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. The Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay Delta serves as a critical water supply hub for the state. Water is routed through an extensive network of canals and pumps that traverse nearly the length of the state. Water from the 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.

Farming-related sales have more than quadrupled over the past three decades, from $7.3 billion in 1974 to nearly $31 billion in 2004. This increase has occurred despite a 15 percent decline in acreage devoted to farming during the period. Factors contributing to the growth in sales-per-acre include more intensive use of active farmlands and technological improvements in crop production. California has 479 incorporated cities and towns, of which 457 are cities and 22 are towns. The majority of these cities and towns are within one of five metropolitan areas.

California has a large Catholic population due to the large numbers of Mexicans and Central Americans living within its borders. California has twelve dioceses and two archdioceses, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and the Archdiocese of San Francisco, the former being the largest archdiocese in the U.S. California’s large number of endemic species includes relict species, which have died out elsewhere, such as the Catalina ironwood (Lyonothamnus floribundus). At the time of California’s admission into the Union, travel between California and the rest of the continental U.S. had been a time-consuming and dangerous feat. Nineteen years later, and seven years after it was greenlighted by President Lincoln, the first transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869.

• In 2012, it purchased Instagram, followed by WhatsApp and Oculus VR in 2014, extending its influence beyond social networking into messaging and virtual reality.
• Incorporated cities and towns in California are either charter or general-law municipalities.161 General-law municipalities owe their existence to state law and are consequently governed by it; charter municipalities are governed by their own city or town charters.
• The ranchos developed under ownership by Californios (Hispanics native of California) who traded cowhides and tallow with Boston merchants.
• California also has the largest Muslim community in the United States, an estimated 3.4 percent of the population, mostly residing in Southern California, which is also home to 40 percent of all Buddhists in America.

However, Democrats have won all of California’s electoral votes for the last eight elections, starting in 1992. The Democrats also hold a supermajority in both houses of the state legislature. There are 62 Democrats and 18 Republicans in the Assembly; and 32 Democrats and eight Republicans in the Senate. The administration of the state’s court system is controlled by the Judicial Council, composed of the chief justice of the California Supreme Court, 14 judicial officers, four representatives from the State Bar of California, and one member from each house of the state legislature. Nearly all counties operate bus lines, and many cities operate their own city bus lines as well.

In 2012, Facebook went public with one of the largest IPOs in tech history. In 2012, it purchased Instagram, followed by WhatsApp and Oculus VR in 2014, extending its influence beyond social networking into messaging and virtual reality. Mark Zuckerberg announces $60 billion investment in Meta AI according to Mashable.

Located in southwestern Riverside County, this beautiful part of the state is home to some of the best wineries in the region, with nearly 50 area vineyards growing more than 30 varietals of wine. Enjoy a boutique stay at The New Inn, which offers just five stunning villas for ultimate privacy. One of the first U.S. cities to issue anti-discrimination ordinances on the basis of sexual preference california business tax extension was San Francisco, which had become a haven for gay men and lesbians in the years following World War II. Other California cities, including Los Angeles, also have significant gay and lesbian populations that are politically and culturally active. In May 2008, California’s Supreme Court overturned a ban on same-sex marriage. Public secondary education consists of high schools that teach elective courses in trades, languages, and liberal arts with tracks for gifted, college-bound, and industrial arts students.

Along the coast north of the Tehachapi Mountains, the population becomes sparser, though the central coastal region has grown rapidly since the 1990s. The populous coastal area around San Francisco Bay gives way to the less-developed northern coast, where lumbering and fishing villages lie beside creeks and rivers flowing from the Coast Ranges. This is the area of coastal redwood forests and Redwood National Park, which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1980.

Water from the Delta provides drinking water for nearly 23 million people, almost two-thirds of the state’s population as well as water for farmers on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley. In 1846, a group of American settlers in and around Sonoma rebelled against Mexican rule during the Bear Flag Revolt. Afterward, rebels raised the Bear Flag (featuring a bear, a star, a red stripe and the words “California Republic”) at Sonoma. The Republic’s only president was William B. Ide,61 who played a pivotal role during the Bear Flag Revolt.