Geography & Travel
California
state, United States
Category:
Geography & Travel
- Capital:
- Sacramento
- Population:
- (2020) 39,538,223; (2023 est.) 38,965,193
- Governor:
- Gavin Newsom (Democrat)
- Date Of Admission:
- September 9, 1850
- U.S. Senators:
- Dianne Feinstein (Democrat)
- Alex Padilla (Democrat)
Recent News
Jan. 28, 2024, 11:59 PM ET (AP)
Brock Purdy, 49ers rally from 17 points down, beat Lions 34-31 to advance to Super Bowl
Jan. 27, 2024, 2:44 PM ET (AP)
Avian flu is devastating farms in California's 'Egg Basket' as outbreaks roil poultry industry
Jan. 26, 2024, 10:07 PM ET (AP)
In-N-Out to close first location in its 75-year history due to a wave of car break-ins and robberies
Jan. 25, 2024, 6:22 PM ET (AP)
GM's Cruise robotaxi service targeted in Justice Department inquiry into San Francisco collision
Jan. 25, 2024, 6:19 AM ET (AP)
Deputies find six bodies at remote Mojave Desert crossroads
California, constituent state of the United States of America. It was admitted as the 31st state of the union on September 9, 1850, and by the early 1960s it was the most populous U.S. state. No version of the origin of California’s name has been fully accepted, but there is wide support for the contention that it derived from an early 16th-century Spanish novel, Las sergas de Esplandián (“The Adventures of Esplandián”), that described a paradisiacal island full of gold and precious stones called California. The influence of the Spanish settlers of the 18th and 19th centuries is evident in ...(100 of 10123 words)