California

The Greater Los Angeles and San Francisco Bay areas are the nation’s second- and fifth-most populous urban regions, with 19 million and 10 million residents respectively.

Los Angeles is the state’s most populous city and the nation’s second-most; California’s capital is Sacramento.

Part of the Californias region of North America, the state’s diverse geography ranges from the Pacific Coast and metropolitan areas in the west to the Sierra Nevada mountains in the east, and from the redwood and Douglas fir forests in the northwest to the Mojave Desert in the southeast.

Two-thirds of the nation’s earthquake risk lies in California.

The Central Valley, a fertile agricultural area, dominates the state’s center.

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.

Droughts and wildfires are an ongoing issue, while simultaneously, atmospheric rivers are turning increasingly prevalent and leading to intense flooding events—especially in the winter.

The economy of California is the largest of any U.S. state, with an estimated 2024 gross state product of $4.132 trillion as of Q3 2024.

It is the world’s largest sub-national economy; by most estimations, if it were a country on its own, it would be the fifth-largest economy in the world (putting it, as of 2025, behind Japan and ahead of India) when ranked by nominal GDP.

The state’s agricultural industry also leads the nation in agricultural output, led by its production of dairy, almonds, and grapes.

With the busiest port in the country (Los Angeles), California plays a pivotal role in the global supply chain, hauling in about 40% of goods imported to the US.

Notable contributions to popular culture, ranging from entertainment, sports, music, and fashion, have their origins in California.

California is the home of Hollywood, the oldest and one of the largest film industries in the world, profoundly influencing global entertainment.

The San Francisco Bay’s Silicon Valley and the Greater Los Angeles area are seen as the centers of the global technology and U.S. film industries, respectively.