Information California
California has the most inhabitants and, together with Alaska and Texas, is one of the largest states in America. California has three major cities, Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego, but the capital is Sacramento. See all cities in California. The majority of the more than 39 million inhabitants live in the large cities. California is fairly flat and is one of the most important agricultural states in America. California is home to many monuments and parks, including National Parks, National Monuments, and Yosemite National Park.
Geography
California has a very diverse landscape with mountains, deserts and rainforests. California borders the Mexican state of Baja California, the Pacific Ocean, Oregon, Nevada and Arizona. California is 1,300 miles from north to south and 587 miles from east to west. Also in this state is Death Valley, the lowest point of America. The California coast is still beautiful and fairly untouched. The south is a gigantic urban area, where the suburbs of San Diego and Los Angeles have grown together. More than half of California’s population lives in Los Angeles.
Golden Gate National Recreation Area
Perhaps the biggest landmark in the California city of San Francisco is the Golden Gate Bridge, which spans the Strait of the same name at the point where San Francisco Bay flows into the Pacific Ocean. The bridge from 1937 became the main tourist attraction and also a kind of symbol of the whole city.
The famous builder, engineer Joseph Baermann Strauss, was responsible for the creation of this unique building. However, he had to face not only people’s misunderstandings, but also unfavorable natural elements. During the construction, it was necessary to think about frequent earthquakes, weather changes, stormy tides and ebbs. The decision to build the bridge was made in 1930, and construction itself began on January 5, 1933 and cost $ 35 million. At the time of the American economic crisis, it was a really incredible amount.
At first, the construction did not succeed at all and numerous problems constantly arose. In addition, workers began to become exhausted and some even developed seasickness. There were also fears that strong wind gusts could cause the bridge to collapse. Strauss preferred to have a safety net stretched under the bridge. Shortly afterwards, 19 workers fell from the bridge, saving their lives. Despite strict safety measures, the construction work eventually claimed 11 lives.
The construction of the bridge was completed in 1937 and Strauss eventually created a bridge towering on 227 meter high pylons, on which a bridge with a length of 2,737 meters and a span of 1,280 meters is suspended with the help of strong steel ropes. The height of the bridge was set at 67 meters so that even the largest ocean-going ships could pass through. The structures hang together on 130 kilometers of steel ropes, some of which are up to a meter in diameter. The whole work eventually weighs 887,000 tons and both towers hold 600,000 rivets together.
The bridge was initially opened only for pedestrians, later also for cars. The celebrations of the opening of the bridge lasted for several days and thousands of curious people passed by. Today, the Golden Gate Bridge is one of the most famous and photographed suspension bridges in the world. Americans even rank it among the seven greatest wonders of the world created by human hands. At the time, it was the largest bridge in the world. It is an important transport road, over 120,000 cars pass along the six-lane road every day.
The most beautiful view of the bridge is from the opposite hills of the bay, from the environment of the Golden Gate Natural Park is one of the biggest tourist attractions of San Francisco. At the southern base of the bridge is even the historic Fort Point, dating from 1861.
Of course, the bridge is characterized by its orange color, which it has had since its inception. However, due to natural influences and corrosion, steel must be constantly painted. Unfortunately, the bridge is also infamous as a place that suicides are looking for. According to statistics, around 1,200 unfortunates ended their lives here.
History
From 1540 the first Spaniards from Mexico set foot on Californian soil. More than two centuries later, under the leadership of Fray Junipero Serra, the real colonization and missionary began. Fray Junipero Serra was even nicknamed the Apostle of California, because he and countless Franciscans tried to convert the population to Christianity.
After the revolution in 1842, California became part of Mexico. The revolution also ensured that Mexico became independent from Spain. During the Mexican-American War that lasted from 1846 to 1848, California gained independence from Mexico and continued under the Bear Flag Republic. On September 9, 1850, California became the 31st state to join the United States.
In 1848 the California Gold Rush arises after gold was first discovered in the American River near the town of Coloma. This news spread rapidly and is causing hundreds of thousands of prospectors to flock to Coloma. In the beginning, a lot of gold was indeed found, which led to murder and manslaughter.
Economy
California is a prosperous state where agriculture, fishing, tourism and the timber industry play an important role. In terms of agriculture, citrus fruits, oranges, grapes, rice and sugar beets are the largest exports. For fishing this is herring, swordfish, tuna and salmon. The parks in California are crowded all year round, which provides a lot of income. But Los Angeles also contributes to the economy, such as the film industry and Disney World, which deal in millions of dollars.
| Abbreviation: | CA |
| Nickname: | Golden State |
| Joined the US as the 38th state on: | 9 september 1850 |
| Capital city: | Sacramento |
| Census: | 39.557.045 |
| Surface: | 423.970 km² |
| Geography: | Bordering Oregon, Utah, New Mexico |
| Governor: | Gavin Newsom |
| state motto: | Eureka |
| Official California website: | ca.gov |
