加利福尼亚(California)
美国西部一州。滨太平洋，是美国人口最多和面积第三大的州。南北长1,300公里，东西宽400公里。海岸线多为山脉。东部为人烟稀少的沙漠，沙漠的西边耸立着内华达山脉。中央谷地通过加利福尼亚的中心，形成了西部海岸山脉和东部内华达山脉之间的槽谷。南部是沙漠地区。境内在相距不到140公里的地方，坐落着惠特尼峰和死谷，它们分别是美国本土四十八个州的最高点和最低点。原始居民是美洲印第安人，1542～1543年卡夫里略在此建立西班牙殖民地後，带动了第一批欧洲人的海岸扩张行动。1769年圣方济修士塞拉在圣地牙哥建立了第一个教区。西班牙人的统治一直维持到1820年代才易手给墨西哥人。墨西哥战争爆发後，美军占领此区，1848年签定瓜达卢佩伊达尔戈和约，正式割让给美国。1841年美国虽已开始移民，但一直到1848年淘金热才带动大批移民浪潮。1850年9月9日加入联邦，成为美国第三十一州。工业发达，有太空工业、电子工业、电脑工业和油、气开采均占重要地位。该州也是美国重要农业州，主要的销售产品有牛、牛奶与乳酪、棉花与葡萄。20世纪人口剧增，是全国最大的经济大州。历史上曾发生几次严重的地震，受创最重的有1906和1989年发生的旧金山大地震，以及1994年的洛杉矶大地震。首府沙加缅度。面积410,859平方公里。人口约33,871,648（2000）。
English version：
California
State (pop., 1997 est.: 32,268,000), western U.S. Lying on the Pacific Ocean, it is the largest state in population and the third-largest in area, extending about 800 mi (1,300 km) north to south and 250 mi (400 km) east to west. The capital is Sacramento. Within 85 mi (137 km) of each other lie Mount Whitney and Death Valley, the highest and lowest points in the 48 contiguous states. It was inhabited originally by American Indians. The first European coastal expansion took place in 1542-43 when Juan Cabrillo established a Spanish claim to the area. The first mission was established by Junipero Serra at San Diego in 1769. The region remained under Spanish, and after the 1820s, Mexican, control until it was taken by U.S. forces in the Mexican War, and ceded to the U.S. by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848. Though settlement had begun by the U.S. in 1841, it was greatly accelerated by the 1848 gold rush. California was admitted to the Union in 1850 as a slavery-free state under the Compromise of 1850. Its already expanding population grew immensely in the 20th century. It has the largest economy of any state. It has suffered severe earthquakes, most destructively those of San Francisco in 1906 and 1989 and Los Angeles in 1994.
