Majority Of The Population Of California example essay topic

INTRODUCTION California is located far west of the United States. It is widely know for its natural beauty and its huge farms and factories. The state has an area larger than Germany. Its many cities include Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, and San Diego to name a few.

The state has lured many immigrants since the 19th century for its gold and mining. HISTORY When the first Europeans arrived in the 16th century, the region of California was all Native Americans. Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, a Portuguese navigator exploring for Spain, was probably the first European to see California. Sailing north from Mexico, he visited San Diego Bay in September 1542.

The next major voyage along the coast was made by the English navigator Sir Frances Drake in 1579. No European people made a home of California until Captain Gaspar de Portal, the Spanish governor of Baja, California, led an expedition north in 1769. During that journey, forts were established at Sand Diego and Monterey. In 1822, California was became a province of the new nation. LAND AND RESOURCES California is a state with very spectacular scenes and natural beauty. Its highest point is Mount Whitney, which is 4,418 m.

Its lowest point is in Death Valley. It is 86 m below sea level. This is also the lowest point in the whole Western Hemisphere. TOPOGRAPHY California has varied topography throughout the state. The main features are the large Central Valley and the mountain ranges inside of it. The Central Valley is about 805 km long and 80 km wide.

It includes two major drainage basins that both empty out into the Pacific Ocean. The valley is bounded by the Klamath Mountains, which is a very forested mountain range. The southern part of the Cascade Range borders the Centra Valley on the northeast. The highest peak of the Cascade Range in California is Mt. Shasta, which is 4,317 m. CLIMATE California has a varied climate because of its topography.

Most of the state has only two seasons, which are the sunny season and the rainy season. Precipitation is much higher in the north because it is closer to the Pacific Ocean. Temperatures are kind of mild on the coast with temperatures being 56 F in Los Angeles and 50 F in San Francisco at average in January. In July the average temperatures are 72 F in Los Angeles and 59 F in San Francisco. ECONOMY California has the richest economy of the United States. Today, service industries account for 80% of Californias state product.

In the 1990's the California economy had a big slump that came from downsized defense and aerospace industries into computers software and entertainment. Farming was also down because of a big drought that was the worst in 400 years. California has very important minerals. Among the most important are crude petroleum, natural gases, boron, tungsten, sand, gravel, asbestos, copper, feldspar, gold, iron ore, mercury, potash, soda ash, sulfur, and uranium. ETHNIC GROUPS AND POPULATION California is the nations most populous state. In the Census of 1990 the population of California was 29,760,021.

California has had a high rate of population growth ever since it became a state in 1850. The rate slowed down by a lot in the 1980's due to recession and out- migration. The majority of the population of California is white but there are many more minority groups. The states Asian population is 10% of Californias population. It is the fastest growing population in California. Hispanic people are the second fastest growing ethnic group in the state.

The black population is 7.4% of the California population. There are also 242,164 Native Americans which is about 1% of the population. The largest religious group is the Roman Catholic Church which includes Protestant, Baptist, Episcopalians, Methodist, and Presbyterians. There is also a big Jewish community.

SPORTS California has 19 big league baseball, hockey, basketball, football and soccer teams. The San Francisco Giants, Oakland Athletics, Los Angeles Dodgers, Anaheim Angels, and San Diego Padres are the states major league baseball teams. The San Francisco 49 ers, Oakland Raiders, and San Diego Chargers are Californias National Football League teams. The Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Lakers, and Los Angeles Clippers are members of the NBA.

The San Jose Sharks, Los Angeles Kings, and the Anaheim Mighty Ducks are the NHL teams of California. They have soccer teams too but who likes soccer MANUFACTURING California ranks number one in manufacturing. The leading categories of fabricated goods in the state are transportation equipment, processed food, and electronic stuff. The states food products include canned and frozen fruits and vegetables, processed meat, canned fish, and beverages. The Santa Clare Valley, Sacramento, and Los Angeles area have many firms that produce and develop electronic equipment. TOURISM California each year draws many tourists each year mainly because of there beautiful weather and endless things to do.

Popular sites of California are the television studios of Los Angeles, Disneyland, San Diego Zoo, Sea World, Fishermans Wharf, Chinatown, and other parts of San Francisco. The state has eight national parks with beautiful scenic views..