California is a state in the Pacific Region of the United States. With 39.

6 million
residents across a total area of about 163,696 square miles (423,970 km2), California
is the most populous U.S. state and the third-largest by area. The state capital is
Sacramento. The Greater Los Angeles Area and the San Francisco Bay Area are the
nation's second- and fifth-most populous urban regions, with 18.7 million and
9.7 million residents respectively.[12] Los Angeles is California's most populous city,
and the country's second-most populous, after New York City. California also has the
nation's most populous county, Los Angeles County, and its largest county by area,
San Bernardino County. The City and County of San Francisco is both the country's
second-most densely populated major city after New York City and the fifth-most
densely populated county, behind only four of the five New York City boroughs.

California's economy, with a gross state product of $3.0 trillion, is larger than that of
any other state and is the largest sub-national economy in the world.[13] If it were a
country, California would be the fifth-largest economy in the world (larger than the
United Kingdom, France, or India),[14] and the 36th-most populous as of 2017.[15] The
Greater Los Angeles Area and the San Francisco Bay Area are the nation's second-
and third-largest urban economies ($1.253 trillion and $907 billion respectively as of
2017), after the New York metropolitan area.[16] The San Francisco Bay Area PSA
had the nation's highest GDP per capita in 2017 (~$94,000) among large PSAs,[16] and
is home to three of the world's ten largest companies by market capitalization[17] and
four of the world's ten richest people.[18]

California culture is considered a global trendsetter in popular culture, innovation,

environmentalism, and politics. As a result of the state's diversity and migration,
California integrates foods, languages, and traditions from other areas across the
country and around the globe. It is considered the origin of the American film
industry, the hippie counterculture, fast food, beach and car culture, the Internet,[19]
and the personal computer,[20] among others.[21][22] The San Francisco Bay Area and
the Greater Los Angeles Area are widely seen as centers of the global technology and
entertainment industries, respectively. California has a very diverse economy: 58% of
the state's economy is centered on finance, government, real estate services,
technology, and professional, scientific, and technical business services.[23] Although
it accounts for only 1.5% of the state's economy,[23] California's agriculture industry
has the highest output of any U.S. state.[24][25][26][27]

California shares a border with Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east,
and the Mexican state of Baja California to the south. The state's diverse geography
ranges from the Pacific Coast in the west to the Sierra Nevada mountain range in the
east, and from the redwood–Douglas fir forests in the northwest to the Mojave Desert
in the southeast. The Central Valley, a major agricultural area, dominates the state's
center. Although California is well-known for its warm Mediterranean climate, the
large size of the state results in climates that vary from moist temperate rainforest in
the north to arid desert in the interior, as well as snowy alpine in the mountains. Over
time, drought and wildfires have become more pervasive features.[28][29]

What is now California was first settled by various Native Californian tribes before
being explored by a number of European expeditions during the 16th and 17th
centuries. The Spanish Empire then claimed and conquered it. In 1804 it was included
in Alta California province, within Spanish New Spain Viceroyalty. The area became
a part of Mexico in 1821 following its successful war for independence but was ceded
to the United States in 1848 after the Mexican–American War. The western portion of
Alta California was then organized and admitted as the 31st state on September 9,
1850. The California Gold Rush starting in 1848 led to dramatic social and
demographic changes, with large-scale emigration from the east and abroad with an
accompanying economic boom.