Naila Aghazade

Individual Work
140 “B”
California
Geography
California is the third largest state in the U.S. located on the western coast of the North American
continent. Measuring 560 miles from west to east and 1040 miles from the northern border to the
southern at its widest and longest, it is estimated that it covers a total area of 163,696 sq
mi(423,970 km2). Bordering Oregon from the north, Arizona, and Nevada from the east, Mexico
from the south and the Pacific Ocean washing its western shore, California possibly has the most
diverse amount of landforms in the United States. Some of the major geographic trademarks of
California include The Sierra Nevada, the grand mountain range the Cascade Range, the Central
Valley, and the Mojave Desert. Additionally, to these, the state has an abundance of beautiful
beaches, rocky cliffs, volcanic lava beds, fertile river valleys, mountains, waterfalls, and deserts.
A lot of extraordinary trees find their home in California such as Coast Redwood, the world’s
tallest, Bristlecone Pine, the oldest, and the most massive Giant Sequoia. Surprisingly, California
is also home to the highest point in the 48 contagious states(besides Alaska) Mount Whitney and
the lowest one being Badwater Basin in the Death Valley. Those two extremes stand at just 85
miles apart.
California consists of 58 counties that Californians divide into the Northern and Southern
California. Although they don’t always agree on the exact location of the border, most consider
everything south of San Luis Obispo, Kern and San Bernardino counties to be the Southern
California, and the remaining part of the state to be the Northern part.
Earth scientists tend to part the state into eleven geomorphic counties and varying size and
boundaries. These states are, from north to south, the Klamath Mountains, the Cascade Range,
the Modoc Plateau, the Basin and Range, the Coast Ranges, the Central Valley, the Sierra
Nevada, the Transverse Ranges, the Mojave Desert, the Peninsular Ranges, and the Colorado
Desert.
The state is divided into 12 districts according to the physical geography of the region:
The Shasta Cascade- the second-highest peak in the Cascade Range is located in the far northeast
of the state. This region has a variety of lava beds and volcanic mountains alongside such
geographical features as the grand Shasta Lake, and the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. Although
Mount Shasta is known as a dormant volcano there is evidence that it erupted sometime in the
18th century.
North Coast- The coastal strip stretching from the Bay Area to the state border of Oregon. The
coast is made up of rocky beaches, rough cliffs, vast green hills and murky forests of famous
giant redwood trees, which also includes the Avenue of the Giants. Although this district isn’t