California

California was the first state to reach a trillion dollar economy in gross state product and has the largest economy in the states of the union. The state is known as The Land of Milk and Honey, The El Dorado State, The Golden State, and The Grape State. More than 300,000 tons of grapes are grown annually producing more than 1 million gallons of wine each year. It is estimated that there are approximately 500,000 detectable seismic tremors each year. In 1849 the state motto was adopted Eureka! which means I have found it! The motto is in reference to the discovery of gold in the Sierra Nevada.

LOCATION :

North America, bordering Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. California lies on the southwest coast of the country.

LANGUAGE :

English and various other languages, mostly Spanish.

CURRENCY :

US dollar

TIPPING :

15% is customary in restaurants although you never tip in fast food or self-service establishments. Taxi drivers, bartenders and hairdressers depend on similar-sized gratuities.

ELECTRICITY :

110V, 60Hz

HIGHLIGHTS

• 700 wineries
• 20,000 gray whales that pass the shores every December - April
• Amusement and theme parks
• 45 snow resorts offering downhill and cross country skiing, snowboarding, ice-skating, and more.
• 2,425 feet of falling water at Yosemite Falls, the longest drop in the United States.
• Huntington Beach, 8.5 miles of uninterrupted strands of pristine beach.
• 20 million acres of National Forest and 50 significant wilderness areas

TOPOGRAPHY :

California's coast runs 840 miles with steep cliffs and terraces rising from most of its shores to the wide sandy beaches that take up most of Southern California's coastline. Eight main regions can be found within the state. The Klamath Mountains lie in the northwest corner of the state with the many small ranges being separated by deep canyons. The San Andreas Fault enters California from the Pacific Ocean and extends into the state. The Coastal Ranges are made up of small chains of mountain ranges and valleys, including Napa valley, Santa Clara, and Salinas Valleys. The Basin and Range Province extend into Nevada, Oregon and other states and hold the southeastern deserts of California. The Sierra Nevada mountain range forms a giant wall 430 miles long and 14,000 feet high. California is home to Mt. Whitney, the highest point in the 48 contiguous United States and the lowest point only 85 miles away at Death Valley.

CLIMATE :

The climate is varied through California with mild, cooler weather along the coast and hot and dry temperatures in the southeast. There are two distinct seasons, rainy and dry. Rainy season is from October to April in the north and November to March or April in the south. Monthly average temperatures range from 14º-92ºF.

HISTORY

In 1765, the Spanish king Jose de Glavez decided he wanted to settle California for Spain and bring the riches to the Spanish empire. As time went on, settlers from around Europe such as England and France began coming into California as well. What became known as New Spain continued to grow under the control of Spain causing the citizens to feel repressed thus they began a fight for their independence from Spain and succeeded, calling their new territory Mexico. Unlike when Spain ruled, the Mexican government encouraged trading and by the 1840's people from all over the world were coming in with new ideas and cultures. The desire to stretch the United States from coast to coast began to rise by this time resulting in war and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The treaty gave more than 252,000 square miles of land to the United States making California property of the U.S. More than a week before the signing of the treaty, a New Jersey born carpenter noticed some golden flakes of metal on the South Fork of the American River. This discovery had set off the greatest gold rush in U.S. history. California's population rose to more than 220,000 by 1852. After the gold rush ended nearly two years later, many went on to become farmers or merchants. The gold rush brought prosperity to California and in the turn of the twentieth century, farms, ranches, stores, restaurants and other businesses continued to take advantage of the state's rich agriculture and thriving industry and commerce.

WEBSITE :

www.gocalif.ca.gov

CAPITAL :

Sacramento

AREA SIZE :

163,707 square miles. It is the third largest of the 50 states.

TAXES :

Sales taxes vary from state to state but are typically 5-8%. Departure taxes are included in the price of a ticket, though the local airport departure tax may not have been included if your ticket was purchased outside the US

AREA CODE :

US callers must dial 011 for international calls and country code

TIME :

Eastern (GMT/UTC -5), Central (-6), Mountain (-7), and Pacific Standard (-8)

DOCUMENTS :

Most visitors to the US require a visa. However, Canadians need only proof of citizenship. A reciprocal visa-waiver program allows citizens of the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland to stay up to 90 days without a visa if they have an onward ticket.

POPULATION :

35,484,453

AVERAGE WATER TEMPERATURE :

Depending on the location, the water temperature can range from 48-72ýF. In general the water is colder to the north and warmer to the south.

AVERAGE VISIBILITY :

30-100 feet

TYPES OF DIVING :

Shore, boat and wreck

BEST TIME TO DIVE :

Year-round although the warmer months will bring warmer conditions

WHAT TO WEAR :

A minimum of a 7mm wet suit or equivalent is recommended year round with full hood, boots and gloves. Dry suits are also an option for some divers.

DIVES NOT TO MISS :

Ocean Cove is a campsite near the water in northern California south of Salt Pt. and north of Stillwater Cove offering both shore and boat diving and a rock bottom filled with rockfish and healthy kelp forests. Catalina Island is also a popular dive spot located off the coast of Los Angeles and filled with forests of kelp. The kelp forests are also prevalent farther south where you will also find Wreck Alley in San Diego along with the infamous, Yukon. Still farter south is the Coronados Islands filled with wrecks and seals.