- Portal:California
-
- Wikipedia portals:
- Culture
- Geography
- Health
- History
- Mathematics
- Natural sciences
- People
- Philosophy
- Religion
- Society
- Technology
The California Portal
California is the most populous state of the United States. Located on the Pacific coast of North America, it is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east and southeast in the United States, and Mexico's Baja California to the south. The state's four largest cities are Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose and San Francisco. California is known for its Mediterranean climate and ethnically diverse population. The state has 58 counties.
Inhabited by indigenous people for millennia, Alta California was first colonized by the Spanish Empire in 1769, and after Mexican independence in 1821, continued as part of Mexico. Following one brief week as the independent California Republic in 1846, and the conclusion of the Mexican-American war in 1848, California was annexed by the United States and was admitted to the Union as the thirty-first state on September 9, 1850.
California's diverse geography ranges from the sandy beaches of the Pacific coast to the rugged, snow-capped Sierra Nevada mountains in the northeast. The central portion of the state is dominated by the Central Valley, one of the most vital agricultural areas in the country. The Sierra Nevada contains Yosemite Valley, famous for its glacially-carved domes, and Sequoia National Park, home to the largest living organisms on Earth, the giant sequoia trees, and the highest point in the contiguous United States, Mount Whitney. The tallest living things on Earth, the ancient redwood trees, paste the northern coastline, mainly north of San Francisco. California is also home to the lowest and hottest place in the Western Hemisphere, Death Valley. Bristlecone pines located in the White Mountains are the oldest known trees in the world; one has an age of 4,700 years.
Show new selections Selected article
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in the city of Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The Raiders began play in 1960 as the eighth charter member of the American Football League (AFL), where they won one championship and three division titles. The team joined the NFL in 1970 as part of the AFL-NFL Merger. Since joining the NFL, the Raiders have won twelve division titles and three Super Bowls, and have appeared in two other Super Bowls. The team has thirteen enshrinees in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
During their first three seasons, the Raiders struggled both on and off the field. In 1963, Al Davis was brought to the team as head coach and general manager. Davis immediately turned the Raiders into winners, and from 1963 until 2002 the team had only seven losing seasons. He also initiated the use of team slogans such as "Pride and Poise," "Commitment to Excellence," and "Just Win, Baby"—all of which are registered trademarks. Except for a brief term as AFL Commissioner in 1966, Davis has been with the team continuously. Upon his return to Oakland in 1966, he became a managing partner of the franchise.
Selected picture
Black's Beach is a de facto clothing optional beach in La Jolla, California. It is perhaps the largest nude beach in the United States and is popular with many Southern Californian nudists and naturists. It is situated north of downtown La Jolla and south of Torrey Pines State Park.
Did you know?
- ...that, despite being added to California's state highway system in 1933, the portion of State Route 190 over the Sierra Nevada remains unconstructed?
- ...that the Great Rose Bowl Hoax was a 1961 prank by students at the California Institute of Technology that was broadcast by NBC to an estimated 30 million viewers in the United States?
- ...that Goat Rock Beach in Sonoma County, California has a number of sea stacks and offers viewing of marine natural arches? ...
Selected biography
Gwen Renée Stefani (born October 3, 1969) (
/ˈɡwɛn stɛˈfɑːni/), is an American singer, songwriter, fashion designer, and occasional actress. Stefani debuted in 1992 as the frontwoman of the rock band No Doubt, whose 1995 album Tragic Kingdom propelled them to stardom, selling 16 million copies worldwide. It spawned the singles "Just a Girl", "Spiderwebs", and "Don't Speak". The band's popularity went into decline with its fourth album, Return of Saturn (2000), but Rock Steady (2001) introduced dancehall and reggae production into its music, and generally received positive reviews.
Stefani recorded her first solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. in 2004. The album was primarily inspired by music of the 1980s, taking Stefani's work further into pop and dance music, and enjoyed international success with sales of over seven million. The album's third single "Hollaback Girl" became the first U.S. digital download to sell one million copies. Stefani's second solo album The Sweet Escape (2006) yielded "Wind It Up", a moderate worldwide success, and the United World Chart number one "The Sweet Escape". Including her work with No Doubt, Stefani has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide.
In the news
- November 21: California campus pepper spray police suspended
- September 23: Camp Pendleton, California: helicopter crash kills two US marines
- July 23: Two shot outside Los Angeles nightclub
- July 13: American television producer Sherwood Schwartz dies aged 94
- June 29: US Supreme Court rules video games are protected speech
- June 26: Scientists discover 300 new species on island of Luzon in the Philippines
- June 26: US actor Peter Falk dies aged 83
- June 7: Apple announces Mac OS X Lion, iOS 5, and iCloud
Categories
Related WikiProjects
- Main Project
California
- Sub-projects
Southern California • Los Angeles • San Francisco Bay Area • Santa Barbara County • California State Highways • California County Routes • University of California • California State University
Selected quote
Selected panorama
Benicia Capitol State Historic Park is a state park in Benicia, California. The park is dedicated to California’s third capitol building, where the California State Legislature and bureaucracy convened from February 3, 1853 to February 24, 1854. It is the only pre-Sacramento capitol that survives.
Quality content
Featured articlesAliso Creek (Orange County) • Amador Valley High School • Amanita ocreata • Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy • California Condor • California Gold Rush • University of California, Riverside • California's 12th congressional district election, 1946 • California State Route 78 • Californium • Murray Chotiner • Cougar • Death Valley National Park • Donner Party • Kirsten Dunst • Henry Edwards (entomologist) • Geology of the Death Valley area • Geology of the Lassen volcanic area • Jake Gyllenhaal • Winfield Scott Hancock • History of the Yosemite area • Hurricane Linda (1997) • Hurricane Nora (1997) • Janet Jackson • Michael Jackson • Angelina Jolie • Diane Keaton • Sandy Koufax • Franklin Knight Lane • Mantra-Rock Dance • Manzanar • Harvey Milk • Mono–Inyo Craters • Madman Muntz • Pat Nixon • Richard Nixon • Emperor Norton • Odwalla • Brad Pitt • Port Chicago disaster • Nancy Reagan • Ronald Reagan • Redwood National and State Parks • Ridge Route • San Francisco • Temple Sinai (Oakland, California) • Stanford Memorial Church • Gwen Stefani • Joseph W. Tkach • Tool (band) • United States Senate election in California, 1950 • Jerry Voorhis • Jack Warner • Anna May Wong • Yosemite National Park
Featured lists1st Academy Awards • 82nd Academy Awards • List of Governors of California • Foo Fighters discography • List of Golden State Warriors head coaches • List of acquisitions by Juniper Networks • List of Bay Area Rapid Transit stations • List of birds of California • List of California hurricanes • List of Caltrain stations • List of Kraft Nabisco Championship champions • List of Los Angeles Clippers seasons • List of Los Angeles County Metro Rail stations • List of milestone home runs by Barry Bonds • List of Muni Metro stations • List of Oakland Athletics team records • List of Oakland Raiders head coaches • List of Sacramento Regional Transit light rail stations • List of San Diego Padres team records • List of San Francisco Giants first-round draft picks • List of San Francisco Giants managers • List of San Francisco Giants Opening Day starting pitchers • List of San Francisco Municipal Railway lines • List of San Francisco 49ers head coaches • List of San Jose Sharks players • List of Santa Clara VTA Light Rail stations • List of tallest buildings in Los Angeles • List of tallest buildings in Oakland, California • List of tallest buildings in San Diego • List of tallest buildings in San Francisco • List of 1960 Winter Olympics medal winners • List of Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim first-round draft picks • Mayor of San Francisco • List of San Diego Padres first-round draft picks
Good articles1st Filipino Infantry Regiment • 100 McAllister Street • 1939 California tropical storm • 1959 National League tie-breaker series • 1960 Winter Olympics • 2005 USC Trojans football team • 2007 Major League Baseball All-Star Game • 2008 Chino Hills earthquake • 2010 Auto Club 500 • 2010 Toyota/Save Mart 350 • Aboriginal title in California • Maya Angelou • Arroyo Seco Parkway • Auburn Dam • Auto Club Speedway • Azusa Street Revival • Drew Barrymore • Bay Area Rapid Transit • Bayshore Freeway • Berkelium • Black Cat Bar • Blown for Good • Barry Bonds • Kate Bosworth • Ryan Braun • California Southern Railroad • California State Polytechnic University, Pomona • California State Route 3 • California State Route 7 • California State Route 14 • California State Route 16 • California State Route 20 • California State Route 37 • California State Route 46 • California State Route 47 • California State Route 57 • California State Route 133 • California State Route 160 • California State Route 174 • California State Route 190 • California State Route 275 • David Carradine • Casa de Estudillo • Castle Lake (California) • J. R. Celski • Central Valley Project • Tory Christman • Russ Christopher • Chuck E. Cheese's • Columbia Park, Torrance, California • Ina Coolbrith • Misty Copeland • Iris Cummings • William F. Dean • Ygnacio del Valle • Diamond Valley Lake • Dougherty Valley High School • Drew Doughty • Dr. Dre • Jessica Dubroff • Dan Dworsky • Clint Eastwood • Eazy-E • Aaron Eckhart • Facebook • Ronald Fedkiw • Jessica Feshbach • Fire Station No. 23 (Los Angeles, California) • Doug Fister • James Franco • Milton Friedman • Ryan Garko • Ronald M. George • Larry Geraty • Getty Center • Getty Conservation Institute • Getty Foundation • Getty Research Institute • Getty Villa • Google • William S. Hamilton • Jon Hamm • Serranus Clinton Hastings • Houston Rockets • Hughes Airwest Flight 706 • Shane Hurlbut • Interstate 205 (California) • Interstate 680 (California) • Interstate 780 • Islais Creek • Bruce Jackson (audio engineer) • Ed Jew • J. Paul Getty Trust • Seth Kinman • Klamath River • Heather Knight (educator) • Shia LaBeouf • Laguna Canyon • Bill Lange • Taylor Lautner • Los Angeles Daily News (historic) • Los Angeles Lakers • Eric McCormack • Byron McLaughlin • Maritime Fur Trade • Jeff "Swampy" Marsh • Merced River • Metrolink (Southern California) • Dan Meyer (first baseman) • Beatriz Michelena • Michael A. Monsoor • Darius Morris • Jonas Mouton • Kendrick Moxon • Mussel Slough Tragedy • Gavin Newsom • Nickel Creek • Daniel O'Connell (journalist) • Ohlone people • Walter O'Malley • One Rincon Hill • Parents Television Council • Rob Pelinka • Pentachaeta bellidiflora • A Perfect Circle • Katy Perry • Michelle Pfeiffer • Timothy L. Pflueger • Pixar • Pony Express • Presidio of Santa Barbara • Project 86 • Rage Against the Machine • Rancho Camulos • Rancho San Francisco • Jeriome Robertson • Romeo Void • Ronald Reagan Presidential Library • Royal Rumble (1993) • R U Professional • Leo Ryan • Winona Ryder • San Diego • San Juan Creek • Santa Ana River • Santa Maria de Ovila • José Sarria • Michael Savage • Richard Henry Savage • Say Anything (band) • David Schwimmer • Self Made Man • Ravi Shankar • Harry Shearer • Sierra Highway • Skinner's Room • Solar power plants in the Mojave Desert • Hilda Solis • Spring Creek Dam • Ralph Stackpole • Sulphur Creek (California) • Sunol Water Temple • Taboo Tuesday (2005) • Mount Tehama • Tenacious D • The Terminator • TouchWave • Traffic (2000 film) • Chris Turner (American football) • United States v. Wong Kim Ark • University of California, Santa Cruz • U.S. Route 50 in California • U.S. Route 395 in California • Will Venable • Stafford L. Warren • Max Weinberg • White Night riots • Whitney High School (Rocklin, California) • SS Winfield Scott • Tiger Woods • Wyntoon • Chris Young (pitcher) • YouTube • Zinfandel • Zodiac Killer
Things you can do
- Requested articles: Hinduism in California • Mary Coulter • Ferdinand Burgdorf • Estevan Tapis Somehow someone deleted such page a while ago Californian independence
- Help assess articles supported by WikiProject California
- Help suggest content for usage in this portal by using the archive links to obtain instructions
- Write California-related topics if you see a redlink which is worthy of an article
- Cleanup and expand stub-class articles relating to California
Topics
Related portals
Associated Wikimedia
Purge server cache Categories:- United States portals by state or territory
- California portals
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
