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California (English California and Spanish California) is the third largest by area and by far the most populous state of the United States of America. It is located in the west of the country and borders the Pacific Ocean, the states of Oregon, Nevada and Arizona, as well as the Mexican state of Baja California on the peninsula of the same name. The official nickname of California is the Golden State.
The origin of the name California is disputed. According to a well-known hypothesis, the name existed among the European conquerors even before the discovery. in 1510, the Spaniard Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo published a novel in which there is an island full of gold called California, inhabited by beautiful Amazons, ruled by Queen Califia. When Hernán Cortés’ soldiers came to Baja California in 1535, they thought it was an island and named it after Montalvo’s book.
According to a less poetic explanation, the name is derived from the designation calida forna – “hot oven”.
The German name California is the only one that has survived in language use to this day. Other German names of American places, such as New York, Virginia or Pennsylvania, have become unusual today, but were used until the 1960s.
Which part of America is California?
Since 1962, California has been the most populous US state, today it already has twice as many inhabitants as the state of New York, which until then was the most populous.
California, along with Texas, New Mexico and Hawaii, is one of four so-called majority-minority states, i.e. states in which the non-Spanish-speaking whites make up less than 50 percent of the population. More than 200 languages are spoken in California, Spanish is the most spoken language after English. Spanish is often used, especially in Southern California, as Hispanic immigrants are particularly strongly represented in this region due to the border with Mexico. Demographic forecasts assume that California will have a Hispanic majority of the population in 2020, which is due to both the higher birth rate and the higher immigrant rate.
California is the second most populous (member)state in the Western Hemisphere, surpassed only by the Brazilian state of São Paulo. If California were a separate country, it would be the 34th most populous state in the world in terms of population, ahead of Canada and Australia, which are significantly larger in terms of area.
In which country California located?
Is California a state in USA?
Is California a state or city?
