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California is
a land of contrasts. You can find the highest mountain (Mount Whitney -
4,418 metres) only some miles away from the lowest point on the western
hemisphere in Death Valley (-86 metres). The hottest recorded temperature
in the USA
(56,7°C) was there as well. But it's only hot in
the South of California. The North of this state is cool,
the middle has got a mild climate (San
Francisco). There are lots of National Parks in
this state like Yosemite or Redwood
Forest. The largest
living tree you can find in Sequoia
National Park
(General Sherman 86 m tall). The oldest living thing, a pine in Inyo National Forest, is over 4,600
years old.
In California
you can find the world's most fertile valley (cotton, sugar beets,
barley, wheat, rice, fruit, grapes, vegetables). The biggest problems of California are
water and the air pollution in the big cities. In 1906 there was a big
earthquake in San Francisco
in 1989 59 people died in a major disaster. Lots of people are afraid of
another big one today.
California
became a US
territory in 1847. On January 24th, 1848 gold was discovered at Sutter's
Mill, starting the Californian Gold Rush and bringing settlers to the
state in large numbers. In 1849, thousands of 49ers braved danger and
death, for riches. On 9th September 1850 California
became a member of the Union. California was
hard hit by the Great Depression. However, San Francisco's great bridges were
opened in 1936-1937. In 1845 the United Nations was founded at San Francisco. By
1963, California
could claim to be the nation's most populous state. Los Angeles hosted the Olympic Games of
1984. Today California is famous for its
computer and film industry (Silicon Valley, Hollywood)
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