Central Valley (California)
The Central Valley is a broad, elongated, flat valley that dominates the interior of California. It is 40–60 mi (60–100 km) wide and runs approximately 450 mi (720 km) from north-northwest to south-southeast, inland from and parallel to the Pacific coast of the state. It covers approximately 18,000 sq mi (47,000 km2), about 11% of California's land area. The valley is bounded by the Coast Ranges to the west and the Sierra Nevada to the east.
Farmland of the Central Valley as seen from the air
The Central Valley from the air, looking south from near Rio Vista, CA.
The valley as seen from Interstate 5, looking south near Derrick Avenue in Fresno County
An example of the differences between the geology of the valley floor and that of the rugged hills of the Coast Ranges (Between Tracy and Patterson, CA:Interstate 5)
California is a state in the Western United States, lying on the American Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and the Mexican state of Baja California to the south. With over 38.9 million residents across a total area of approximately 163,696 square miles (423,970 km2), it is the most populous U.S. state, the third-largest U.S. state by area, and the most populated subnational entity in North America.
Junípero Serra conducting the first Mass in Monterey Bay in 1770
The Spanish founded Mission San Juan Capistrano in 1776, the third to be established of California's missions.
General Mariano G. Vallejo reviewing his troops in the Sonoma Plaza, 1846
The 1846 Bear Flag Revolt declared the California Republic and prefaced the American conquest of California.
