> The Lone Cypress, Monterey Peninsulaae wm Pae . ACU elu OS etek AUCs Sa EEE Ce OCT E PEC BC CCRC OSS BET DSTO UNC ROT CB mR Cad Oe ts eee ec een ernie ee PrarnTete PN Rea rt Oe N eN eca ce BOTT Ce SR ece RCH Coas cern! APO Me Racca Tegra tnY Zo Bs otros DSi Rete oe US eee TO eT eee TT] And felt the glaciers come and go. ree Sirsa tortie cesar nt! Mircea mike re mate feeder Feta nts (aces Bugera mrt trae aot The glaciers sculpted deep ravines eee And polished rocks to glossy sheens. ee mr eet pte CaenAt last this era, long and cold, Began to lose its frigid hold When, matched against a warming sun, Its final glacier, ton by ton, Retreated, melting, making way For what I have become today: A place of strength and lofty height; Of shadow shot with shafts of light; Where meadows nestle in between The arms of forests, cool and green; Where, out of clefted granite walls, Spill silver, snow-fed waterfalls. Here stand the pines, so straight and tall, Whose needles, drying and dying, fall Upon my sides to slowly form A natural blanket, soft and warm; frigid very cold retreated turned back lefted cracked open Their graceful, swaying branches sing In gentle breezes, whispering, To junipers, all gnarled and low, That here, in stubborn splendor, grow. And on my western slope I hold My great sequoias, tall and old; They've watched three thousand years go by, And, in their endless quest for sky, This grove of giants slowly grew With songs of green on silent blue. Response Corner © Work with a partner to explain the meaning of each stanza in “Sierra.” Then share your explanation with the class. © Why do you think the author had the mountains describe themselves?> your street 100! California your pen pal writes, “Where in the world is Rhode Island, the smallest, state, could fit inside California nearly 150 times.You can describe California’s loca- tion to your pen pal in different ways You could say that California is one of the 50 states that make up the United States of America. Because the United States is on the continent of North America, you could also say that California is in North America. You might decide to explain in which Rémispheré, or half of Earth, California is located. On a globe, Earth is divided into the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere by an imaginary line called the 6qUat6F. The equator lies halfway between the North and South Analyze Illustrations © Which covers a larger area, North America or the United States? Py DLE aul het Poles. The North Pole is ernmost point, and the South Pole is its southernmost point. California is north of the equator, so it is in the Northern Hemisphere Another line, the BRIM IMErHAIan, divides Earth into the Western Hemisphere and the Eastern Hemisphere. The continent of North America, including California, is in the Western Hemisphere. You can now give this answer to your pen pal—California is in the United States of America, a country in North America, in the Northern and Western Hemispheres. SMAIN IDEA AND DETAILS Where in the world is California located? Earth’s north-“Now find the country of Mexico ona map,” you write your pen pal “California is just north of it.” You go on to explain that California is south of the state of Oregon and west of both Nevada and Arizona. Then you write that the Colorado River forms. part of California’s eastern border. When you describe California’s location in these ways, you are giving its relative location. The Félative) [6€ati6H of a place is where it is in relation to one or more other places on Earth “In the West” is another way to describe California’s relative location. California is at the western edge of North America. It is one of 11 states that make up the region of the United States called the West. California is also one of five states that border the Pacific Ocean. This makes it a Pacific Coast state, too. From the California coast, the Pacific Ocean might look big and empty to you. Actually, though, ships carrying people and goods cross the Pacific all the time. Many of these ships sail to and from other states and countries that border the Pacific Ocean. All these places are part of a larger world region California is in the West. Mountain ranges stretch across much of California and other western states. Some of the states that make up the West have sim- ilar physical features, such as forests, mountains, and deserts. They also have some of the same natural resources, such as minerals and timber.(Crest | L pet a a (Q) where is California located, and what is important about its location? 2. How are the words equator and hemisphere related? 3. What are the North Pole and the South Pole? } A cargo ship passes under the Golden Gate Bridge, called the Pacific Basin. Because Japan also borders the Pacific Ocean, you could tell your pen pal that you both live in the Pacific Basin. California’s location in the western United States and on the edge of the Pacific Ocean has made it important in many ways. It is a place where people, goods, and ideas from all over the world have come together. (ESE SMAIN IDEA AND DETAILS What is California's location in relation to the Pacific Ocean? kk, California is in the United States, in North America, and in the Northern and Western Hemispheres. Its location on the Pacific coast makes it a place where people, goods, and ideas come together from around the world. CRITICAL THINKING 4. §889) How has California's location in the Pacific Basin affected the state? 5. Create a Chart Write these terms on index cards: the West, Earth, California, Western Hemisphere, North America, United States. Start with Earth and put the cards on a chart in order from the largest region to the smallest. Use the chart to explain California's global address. MAIN IDEA AND DETAILS On a separate sheet of paper, copy and complete the graphic organizer below. Crs Th are several ways to describe California’ re loc: Chapter 1 = 15Use Latitu > WHY IT MATTERS To describe the exact location, or ofa place, you can use lines of latitude and longitude. > WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ona map or globe run east and west. They are measured in degrees (°) north and south from the equator. They go from 0° at the equator to 90° at each of the poles, North of the equator, lines of latitude are marked N for north. South of the equator, they are marked S for south. Like the equator, some other lines of latitude have special names. The Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of 16 © Unit 1 Map and Globe Skills de and Longitude Capricorn mark the northern and southern boundaries of Earth's warmest region—the tFOpi€S. Places north of the Arctic Circle and south of the Antarctic Circle are Earth’s coldest regions. Maps and globes also have a set of lines that run north and south, from the North Pole to the South Pole. These lines are called li@S/6f) longitddé. They are measured in degrees (°) east and west from the prime meridian. They go from 0° at the prime meridian to 180°. West of the prime meridian, lines of longitude are marked W for west. East of it, they are marked E for east. teria c nn North Pole south PolePACIFIC OCEAN Lines of latitude and longitude on a map or globe cross each other to form a Coordinate grid/system. You can give the absolute location of a place by first naming the line of lati- tude and then the line of longitude closest to it. > PRACTICE THE SKILL Answer these questions. @ On which line of latitude is California's northern border? ET ECM Cu ais ait © Which line of latitude is closest to Poway? which line of longitude? © What city is near 37°N, 122°W? > APPLY WHAT YOU LEARNED Make It Relevant Use latitude and longitude to tell your community's location. Practice your map and lobe skils with the Geos CD-ROM. Chapter 1 = 17(:) DN = AND DETAILS CeCalifornia's Natural Wonders As you travel through California making your film, you learn that there are amazing sights in every part of the state. One reason California has so many different sights is because it covers such a large area. California is a very large state. In fact, only Texas and Alaska are larger. In the eastern part of California, you see some of the high- est waterfalls in North America. In the northwest, you find forests with some of the world’s tallest trees. Nearby are steaming-hot springs and geysers. In another part of California, you discover Mount Whitney, the » California has rocky coastlines, tall mountains, rich farmlan deserts. One type of flower you will find in many places in California is the golden poppy. It is the state flower of California, highest point in the 48 connected states. Only about 100 miles away is Death Valley, the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere. Because the land in California is not the same all over, geographers sometimes divide the state into four HatUFAI|FEGIONS. Each of these regions is made up of places that share the same kinds of physical, or natural, features. They have similar landforms, bodies of water, climates, and plants. California’s four natural regions are the Coastal Region, the Mountain Region, the Central Valley Region, and the Desert Region. SMAIN IDEA AND DETAILS What is one way that geographers divide the state of California? and dry Chapter 1 = 19The Coastal Region California’s Coastal Region stretches for more than 800 miles along the Pacific Ocean. Low PT i a ees jountains mountains, called the Coast [Bi central valley Ranges, follow much of the cag ous coastline. 3 ’ 4 Mountain peak In northern California, the ree \ Z Mountain pass mountains drop sharply into the ; Pacific Ocean, forming steep cliffs. ay a Along California’s southern coast, ae! the mountains give way to a 66aStall on een plaifi. This area of low land has sandy ee 7 beaches along the shoreline. Much of California’s coast is rocky, but the state has two large natural HAFBOFS where ships can dock safely. One of these harbors is San Francisco Bay. The other is San Diego Bay. Smaller bays also dot the coast. Broad valleys lie between the moun- tains of the Coast Ranges. To the north of San Francisco are the Napa and Sonoma Valleys. To the south are the Santa Clara and Salinas Valleys. These valleys have rich soil and are impor- Analyze Maps tant farming areas. © Place What natural features surround the Central Valley Region? Two groups of islands are also part of California’s Coastal Region. West of San Francisco are the Farallon (FAIR-uhslahn) Islands. Eight other islands make up the Channel Islands, Analyze Diagrams off the coast of southern California. © How much taller is Mount McKinley than Mount (mn kok itey? The largest of these is Santa Catalina. ee ‘ete _ ont anc COMPARE AND CONTRAST Mount Whitney (Europe) How is California's northern coast different (California) 15,771 feet from its southern coast? 14,495 feet . 20 » Unit 1The Mountain Region Mountains cover more than half of California. The state’s largest moun- alias faeerer= tain range is the Sierra Nevada. It acGntaiis taller than stretches north and south across much 14,000 feet. There are 15 of the eastern part of the state. Unlike fourteeners in the state. the Coast Ranges, more than 100 peaks in the Sierra Nevada rise higher than 13,000 feet. Mount Whitney is the tallest, at 14,495 feet. Between the tall peaks of the Sierra Nevada are deep valleys. One of the most famous valleys is Yosemite (yoh*SEH+muhstee) Valley, part of Yosemite National Park. It has North America’s highest waterfall, Ribbon Falls, which drops 1,612 feet. Lake Tahoe lies high in the Sierra Nevada. It is California’s deepest nat- ural lake. In some places, Lake Tahoe is more than 1,600 feet deep. The Cascade Range in northern California extends into the states of Oregon and Washington. Two of its peaks—Mount Shasta and Lassen Peak—are volcanoes. (MED COMPARE AND CONTRAST How are the Sierra Nevada different from the } Some people enjoy rock climbing Coast Ranges? in California's Mountain Region. Some mountain climbers test their skills by climbing Mount Everest i Mount McKinley (Asia) Kilimanjaro (Alaska) 29,022 feet (Africa) 20,320 feet 19,340 feetBetween the Coast Ranges and the Sierra Nevada is a region of low land called the Central Valley. The San Joaquin (wah*KEEN) River flows through the southern part of the Central Valley, which is sometimes called the San Joaquin Valley. In the northern part, the Sacramento Valley is named for the Sacramento River. On their journeys through the Central Valley, the San Joaquin and Sacramento Rivers are joined by a number of smaller rivers, or tributaries (TRIH-byuhstair+eez) Where the San Joaquin and Sacramento Rivers meet, a broad delta has formed. A @@lfa is land that has been built up from soil carried by rivers. x California's Central Valley is one of the most productive farming regions in the world. Over time, fertile soil from the Sierra Nevada has washed down into the valley. Soil that is fEFti1é is good for growing crops. MAIN IDEA AND DETAILS What are some of the physical features of the Central Valley? (GEOGRAPHY Sacramento, California's state capi- tal, is located in the Central Valley, near where the Sacramento and American Rivers meet. In the 1850s, Sacramento was the perfect place from which to ship farm goods downriver to San Francisco. During the California gold rush, mining supplies came upriver from San Francisco to Sacramento and then to miners in the Sierra Nevada J on SacramentoThe Desert Region has a wide variety of wildlife. Prickly pear cactus Creosote bush Joshua Tree Bighorn sheep Yucca Mountain lion Coyote Rattlesnake Gambel's quail Tortoise Jackrabbit Scotts oriole © What are some of the plants that grow in the Desert Region? The Desert Region Deserts stretch across most of southeastern California. The Mojave (moh+HAH>vee) Desert covers a large area between the southern Sierra Nevada and the Colorado River. The Colorado Desert lies farther south, near the border with Mexico. Within California’s Desert Region are several large valleys. Near the Mexican border are the Imperial and Coachella (koh*CHEL*uh) Valleys People there have used irrigation to water their farmland. IfigatiOn is the use of canals, ditches, or pipes to carry water to dry place: The Salton Sea—which is really a large, salty lake—lies in the Desert Region. It was formed between 1905 and 1907, when the Colorado River flooded. Chapter 1 = 23 @Some parts of the Desert Region are too hot and dry for most people to live there. Death Valley, near the Nevada border, is one of the driest and hot- test places in the United States. It is also the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere. One place in Death Valley lies 282 feet below sea level. ‘SealleVel refers to land that is level with the surface of the ocean. (EMIS SMAIN IDEA AND DETAILS What are some physical features of the Desert Region? km California's four natural regions are the Coastal Region, the Mountain Region, the Central Valley, and the Desert Region. The Sierra Nevada, the Coast Ranges, and the Cascade Range are mountain ranges in the state. ia ana ) What are California's four natural * regions like? 2. Use the terms ittigation and fertile to tell about farming in Califor 3. In which region are California's two largest natural harbors? 4. Which two river valleys make up the Central Valley Region? CRITICAL THINKING 5. Make It Relevant Which region do you live in? What are some of the physical features near your home that are common to this region? How do you think irrigation affected the population of the Desert Region? 24 = Unit 1 The highest temperature ever recorded in the United States was 134°F It was recorded in Death Valley on July 10, 1913. > With an area of about 5,270 square miles, Death Valley is the largest national park in the United States outside of Alaska. ds uj Make a Map Draw a map of the natural regions of California. Use your map to tell about the physical features in each region 8. © MAIN IDEA AND DETAILS On a separate sheet of paper, copy and complete the graphic organizer below.Growing upJonn Muir (yur) loved the outdoors and respected nature. After college, he spent months hiking in the wilderness in Canada. Later, he went to work in a factory in Indiana One day in 1867, Muir injured his eyes at work. Muir decided he would ; rather spend the rest of his valeaseaane Meee oy life looking at nature than a ah at machines. When his eyes é show that he healed, he left his job. The next year he went to California, where he quickly fell in love with the land. “The whole State . . .,” he wrote, “is one block of beauty.’ In California, Muir became a conservationist, a person who respects nature and works to protect wild areas. He helped convince the United States government to set aside natural areas. Several of these areas, including Yosemite Valley, later became national parks. 9 Muir les. and his family —e 1867 Injures his in California, “leave Scotland eyes and quits tosettlein his factory job. Wisconsin Ai> I In some parts of California, the tops of mountains rise more than 2 miles above sea level. In other parts valleys lie below sea level. EI6VatiOn (eh*luhevayeshuhn), or the height of the land, is always measured from sea level. The elevation of land at sea level is zero. > NEF , The elevation map on page 27 uses color to show elevation. Each color stands for a range of elevations. That means each color stands for an area’s highest and lowest elevations and all of the elevations in between The map also shows FBli8f, or the differences in the heights of land in an area. Relief is shown by shading. Heavy shading shows steep rises and drops in elevation. Light shading shows gentle rises and drops. Ss > Use the elevation map of California to answer these questions. Most of the Central Valley is col- ored green on the map. What is the elevation of this area? What is the elevation of the land around Lake Tahoe? Which city has a higher elevation, Palm Springs or Fresno? > Y 9) Make It Relevant Imagine that you are planning to travel from Sacramento to Long Beach. On a sepa- rate sheet of paper, write the name and the approximate elevation of each city. What is the highest and lowest land you might cross along the way? Practice your map and globe skills with the GeoSkills CD-ROM.Cy ‘OREGON PACIFIC OCEAN ‘A Highest point ¥ Lowest point Feet Meters ARIZONA Chapter 1 27 a e~} n ° a) © o = e S 2 Gy =WHAT TO KNOW VOCABULARY lane vat precipitation rer i OTC C) WEIS AND) DETAILS: Penny Standards)BMC Cc LT) ___ OREGON ‘Average Temperatures Fahrenheit Celsius Above 52° lj Above 1 4g--52-|_| 9-1 44°—48° | 7-99 324° [il O-7° Below 32°|__| Below 0* E89 Analyze Maps © Place Which city, San Diego or Eureka, is generally warmer in January? Weather and Climate How would you describe the weather where you live? You could talk about the temperature. You could also talk about the wind and pre- cipitation (prih+sihe puh+TAY+shuhn). Precipitation is water that falls to Earth’s surface as rain, sleet, hail, or snow. The temperature, precipitation, and wind ina place on any given day make up the weather. The kind of weather a place has most often, year after year, is its lima. Because California is such BTC icy ene ‘OREGON nan Average Temperatures Fahrenheit Celsius Above 92° [ill Above 33° 84=-92° [ill 29--33° mexico Analyze Maps ® Place What is the average temperature in Redding in July? a large state, different regions of the state have very different climates. California, like the rest of the United States, is located between the equa- tor and the North Pole. This means that temperatures in California fall between the year-round heat of most places at the equator and the year- round cold of most places near the North Pole. In general, however, temperatures are cooler in northern California than in southern California. OMAIN IDEA AND DETAILS How does the location of a place affect its climate? Chapter 1 = 29The Coast and Central Valley The Pacific Ocean also affects the climate in California. The ocean helps warm the land near the coast in win- ter and cool it in summer. Winds in California generally blow from west to east. They often bring cool, wet air from the Pacific Ocean. This causes much of California’s northern coast to be rainy and foggy. In most years, more than 80 inches of rain fall on the northern coast. Because of all this rain, some of the world’s tallest trees grow along the northern coast. Some California red- woods, also known as coast redwoods, grow taller than 350 feet. That is as tall as a 30-story building! ‘The Central Valley (below) and falls during that time. precipitation each year? ECMO a most other regions of California have a wet season dur- ing the winter months. Most of the year's precipitation © Place Which city, Bakersfield or Chico, gets more Farther south, the climate becomes drier. While San Francisco gets about 22 inches of rain each year, San Diego —about 10 inches. Parts of gets far less the Central Valley have an even drier climate. Grasses, bushes, and small trees are the main Vegetation, or plant life, in these drier areas. CE How does the Pacific Ocean affect climate in California? ara Cy LCL} OREGON [average Yearly Precipitation a inches Centimeters x wre Mer chances il MSrri63 Fst Patina 32-64 |i] 81-163 16-32 (01) 4-81 8-16 [20-41 Vw seaman Less iy Less than’ Hl thn 20 sstoctton ‘Modesto NEVADA Bakers ‘santa Barbara™ bee Se ARIZONA mexicoMountains also affect climate in California. Temperatures usually drop about 3°F for every 1,000 feet of eleva- tion. Because of this, on a warm day along the coast, there might be freez- ing temperatures and snow in the mountains. In California, most precipitation falls on the western sides of mountains. As wet air blows in from the Pac Ocean, it is pushed up the moun- tains. The air cools as it is pushed up. Clouds form, and rain or snow falls. Large amounts of snow fall on the Sierra Nevada in most winters. John Muir once described winter there. He wrote, “Storm succeeds [follows] storm, heaping snow on snow, until thirty to fifty feet has fallen.”* It is not surprising, then, to learn that sierra nevada means “snowy mountain range” in Spanish Among the trees that grow in the Sierra Nevada are the giant sequoias (siheKWOYeuhz). They do not grow nearly as tall as the coast redwoods, but their trunks can reach more than 80 feet around. The General Sherman, a tree in Sequoia National Park, is Earth’s largest tree at 275 feet tall and 103 feet around. 9 SUMMARIZE How does elevation affect temperatures in California?Mountains affect California’s cli- mate in another way, too. They act like huge walls that block HUMIG, or moist, air from reaching the eastern side of the mountains. Places there lie on the drier side of the mountains, in the rain shadow. In the rain shadow’s driest areas, deserts form. Death Valley once went without rain for 760 days! Only plants that do not require a lot of water, such as cacti, can grow there. I SUMMARIZE How do mountains affect precipitation? Sometimes California has dry that last longer than the normal dry season. A long time with little or no rain is called a @FOUght (DROWT). Droughts can cause severe problems, especially for farmers. Crops can die, and soil can blow away. Droughts can also increase the threat of forest and brush fires. In 2003, a huge brush fire burned areas of San Bernardino and San Diego Counties. Many people lost their homes. Too much rain can also cause prob- lems. In most years, the Feather River Valley—in northern California—gets less than 32 inches of rainfall. But in January 1997, the area received 25 inches of rainfall in just a few days. In the floods that followed, eight people died, and many bridges and roads were washed away. CAUSE AND EFFECT What can happen when a place does not get enough rain? Analyze Diagrams Places in the rain shadow receive little precipitation. What happens after winds push clouds up the mountains? 2 oA plano sprays chemicals to put out a forest fire in southern California, Climate in California is affected by many things. Different parts of California have different temperatures and get different amounts of precipita- tion, depending on their location, ere na) Pee eoea ei Cee Ta Te) ——_, , What is California's climate like, and how does it affect our state's people? How are the terms humid and precipitation related? 3. How are weather and climate different? 4. What part of the state receives the most rain? Why? CRITICAL THINKING 5. How does the climate where you live affect the way you live? 6. EB How do you think climate has affected the location of cities in California? 7 uj Over a period of one week, chart the daily high temperatures and precipitation amount in your community. Do the same for a city in another part of the state. What conclusions can you draw about the climate in the two places? On a separate sheet of paper, copy and complete the graphic organizer below. Chapter 1