Los Angeles County, officially the 

County of Los Angeles,[7] and

sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the most populous county in
the United States and in the U.S. state of California,[8] with more than ten
million inhabitants as of the 2020 census.[9] It is the most populous non–
state-level government entity in the United States. Its population is greater
than that of 41 individual U.S. states. Compared with other metropolitan
areas, it has the 2nd largest economy in the world, with a nominal GDP of
more than $1.0 trillion. At 4,083 square miles (10,570 km2) and with 88
incorporated cities and many unincorporated areas, it is larger than the
combined areas of Delaware and Rhode Island. The county is home to
more than one-quarter of California residents and is one of the most
ethnically diverse counties in the United States. [10] Its county seat, Los
Angeles, is also California's most populous city and the second most
populous city in the United States, with about four million residents. Los
Angeles County is one of the original counties of California, created at the
time of statehood in 1850.[11] The county originally included parts of what
are now Kern, San Bernardino, Riverside, Inyo, Tulare, Ventura,
and Orange counties. In 1851 and 1852, Los Angeles County stretched
from the coast to the state line of Nevada.[12] As the population increased,
sections were split off to organize San Bernardino County in 1853, Kern
County in 1866, and Orange County in 1889.
Prior to the 1870s, Los Angeles County was divided into townships, many
of which were amalgamations of one or more old ranchos.[13] They were:

 Azusa (encompassed the foothill communities east of the San

Gabriel River, including present-day Covina and Duarte)
 El Monte (encompassed communities in the Whittier
Narrows area, including present-day El Monte, La
Puente and Monterey Park)
o Azusa and El Monte Townships were merged for the
1870 census.
 City of Los Angeles (then consisting solely of its four-league
Spanish land grant)
 Los Angeles Township (consisted of areas surrounding the City of
Los Angeles, including the San Fernando Valley and present-
day West Los Angeles and East Los Angeles. Most of this area
has now been annexed to the city of Los Angeles.)
  Los Nietos (consisted of areas south of the Whittier Narrows
and Puente Hills south to present-day Long Beach, centered on
the early settlement at Los Nietos. Some of this area is now in
Orange County.)
 San Jose (consisted of the eastern portions of the county drained
by San Jose Creek, including what is now the cities
of Pomona, Claremont and Walnut)
 San Gabriel (consisted of the western San Gabriel Valley and
foothill communities, including present-
day Alhambra and Pasadena. Centered on the Mission San
Gabriel)
 Santa Ana (consisted of what is now northern and central Orange
County, including what is now Fullerton, Huntington
Beach and City of Orange. Centered on Santa Ana).
o For the 1870 census, Anaheim district was enumerated
separately.[14][15]
 San Juan (consisted of what is now southern Orange County.
Centered on Mission San Juan Capistrano).
 San Pedro (consisted of the present-day South
Bay communities, Compton and western Long Beach. Centered
on the wharf of San Pedro. Renamed Wilmington Township by
1870).
 Tejon (consisted of all of northern Los Angeles County and what is
now southern Kern County. Centered on Fort Tejon)
o When Kern County was formed, the portion of the
township remaining in Los Angeles County
[16]
became Soledad Township
according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 4,751
square miles (12,310 km2), of which 4,058 square miles (10,510 km2) (85%)
is land and 693 square miles (1,790 km2) (15%) is water.[17] Los Angeles
County borders 70 miles (110 km) of coast on the Pacific Ocean and
encompasses mountain ranges, valleys, forests, islands, lakes, rivers, and
desert. The Los Angeles River, Rio Hondo, the San Gabriel River and
the Santa Clara River flow in Los Angeles County, while the primary
mountain ranges are the Santa Monica Mountains and the San Gabriel
Mountains. The western extent of the Mojave Desert begins in the Antelope
Valley, in the northeastern part of the county.
Most of the population of Los Angeles County is located in the south and
southwest, with major population centers in the Los Angeles Basin, San
Fernando Valley and San Gabriel Valley. Other population centers are
found in the Santa Clarita Valley, Pomona Valley, Crescenta
Valley and Antelope Valley.
The county is divided west-to-east by the San Gabriel Mountains, which are
part of the Transverse Ranges of southern California, and are contained
mostly within the Angeles National Forest. Most of the county's highest
peaks are in the San Gabriel Mountains, including Mount San
Antonio 10,068 feet (3,069 m)) at the Los Angeles-San Bernardino county
lines, Mount Baden-Powell 9,399 feet (2,865 m), Mount Burnham 8,997
feet (2,742 m) and Mount Wilson 5,710 feet (1,740 m). Several lower
mountains are in the northern, western, and southwestern parts of the
county, including the San Emigdio Mountains, the southernmost part
of Tehachapi Mountains and the Sierra Pelona Mountains.
The racial makeup of the county is 48.7% White, [42] 11.0% African
American, 0.8% Native American, 10.0% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander,
23.5% from other races, and 4.9% from two or more races. 44.6% of the
population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. The largest European-
American ancestry groups are German (6%), Irish (5%), English (4%) and
Italian (3%). 45.9% of the population reported speaking only English at
home; 37.9% spoke Spanish, 2.22% Tagalog, 2.0% Chinese, 1.9% Korean,
1.87% Armenian, 0.5% Arabic, and 0.2% Hindi.[43]
The county has the largest Native American population of any county in the
nation: according to the 2000 census, it has more than 153,550 people
of indigenous descent, and most are from Latin America.
As estimated by the Public Policy Institute of California in 2008, Los
Angeles County is home to more than one-third of
California's undocumented immigrants, who make up more than ten
percent of the population.[44]
Los Angeles County is home to the largest Armenian population outside of
Armenia.[45]
Los Angeles County contains the largest Iranian population outside of
Iran of any other county or county equivalent globally. [46]