California

Facts and figures

California population: 37.254.000
Capital: Sacramento
The state motto: Eureka (I found it)
Nickname: The Golden State
Size: 155.954 sq Mi = 403.934 sq km (10 times the size of The Netherlands)

Short impression

Since 1968 California is wearing the nickname: ‘The golden state’. Partually the state has got the golden rush to thank for it. In addition the state flower is a golden poppy.
California has got the highest population of all the US.

Both the highest and lowest point in the continental US can be found in California. Lowering down 282 feet below sea level in Death Valley and rise 14.494 foot up MT Whitney.

The coastline counts 840 miles( = 1351km), which is about 3 times longer then the coastline of The Netherlands.
California knows a lot of different climates, this is mainly because of the divers landscapes it owns. Temperature differences between the coldest and the hottest place can reach up to 30C.
The southeast part of the state exists of desert areas and mountains which can get very dry, as opposed to the Northwest where the measurements of rain fall can end up to be more then 3000 mm per year.
An average of 70% sun hours shine down on California.

With cities like Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose and San Francisco, California is a very divers and interesting state. These cities are in the top 15 of most populated cities in the continental US. On the other hand one can also find beautiful National parks such as Death Valley, Joshua Tree, Yosemite and the Redwoods. But let’s not forget some less known parks like Lassen Volcanos and Channel Islands.

America’s Tent Lodges in California

The tent lodges of America’s Tent Lodges in California are at the moment (2012) in Petaluma (north of San Francisco), Mariposa (near Yosemite), Visalia (near Sequoia), Lake Isabella (near Death Valley), Buellton (near Santa Barbara) and San Diego.