Upgrade your Encarta experience

Also on Encarta

Also on MSN
California Facts and Figures from Encarta Go to article
General Information
Capital Sacramento
Statehood September 9, 1850
the 31st state
State nickname The Golden State
Name for residents Californians
State motto Eureka
(I have found it)
Abbreviation CA
California State Flag
California State Flag
Expand
California State FlagCalifornia State Flag California State Bird: California QuailCalifornia State Bird: California Quail California State Flower: California PoppyCalifornia State Flower: California Poppy
California State Tree: California RedwoodCalifornia State Tree: California Redwood California State SealCalifornia State Seal
Land
Total area 423,971 sq km
163,696 sq mi
Rank among states in total area 3rd
Land area 403,973 sq km
155,975 sq mi
Highest point Mount Whitney
4,418 m/14,494 ft
Forested land as a share of total area 40.3 percent (2002)
Federally owned land as a share of land area 47 percent (2002)
People
Population 36,457,549 (2006 estimate)
Rank among states in population 1st
Ten-year population growth 13.8 percent (1990-2000)
Population density 90 persons per sq km (2006 estimate)
234 persons per sq mi (2006 estimate)
Urban population 94.4 percent (2000)
Largest cities (by population)
Los Angeles 3,844,829 (2005 estimate)
San Diego 1,255,540 (2005 estimate)
San Jose 912,332 (2005 estimate)
San Francisco 739,426 (2005 estimate)
Long Beach 474,014 (2005 estimate)
Ethnic groups
Whites 59.5 percent (2000)
Asians 10.9 percent (2000)
Blacks 6.7 percent (2000)
Native Americans 1 percent (2000)
Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders 0.3 percent (2000)
Mixed heritage or not reporting 21.5 percent (2000)
Hispanics (of any race) 32.4 percent (2000)
Health and Education
Life expectancy 75.9 years (1989-1991)
Infant mortality rate 6 deaths per 1,000 live births (2002)
Residents per physician 386 people (2004)
Residents per hospital bed 499 people (2004)
Share of population not covered by health insurance 18.7 percent (2004)
Number of students per teacher (K-12) 21.1 (2003)
Government spending per student (K-12) $8,740 (2002-2003)
Share of students attending private school 10.3 percent (1999)
Share of people over age 25 with high school diploma 81.3 percent (2004)
Government
State government
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
(term ends January 2011)
Legislature Senate, 40 members
Assembly, 80 members
National representation
Members of the U.S. Senate 2
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives 53
Electoral votes 55
Economy
Gross state product (GSP) $1.62 trillion (2005 approximate)
Income per capita $35,172 (2004)
GSP by economic sector
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing 1.4 percent (2004)
Industry
Construction 4.6 percent (2004)
Manufacturing 11.3 percent (2004)
Mining 0.8 percent (2004)
Transportation and utilities 4.1 percent (2004)
Services
Finance, insurance, and real estate 22.6 percent (2004)
Government 10.8 percent (2004)
Information technology 7 percent (2004)
Retail trade 7 percent (2004)
Wholesale trade 5.6 percent (2004)
Other services 25.2 percent (2004)
Employment
Number of workers 17,902,000 (2006 estimate)
Unemployment rate 4.9 percent (2006 estimate)
Share of workers in unions 16.5 percent (2005)
Energy, Communications, and Transportation
Electricity production
Share from geothermal, solar, and wind 11.9 percent (2005 estimate)
Share from hydroelectric 19.8 percent (2005 estimate)
Share from nuclear 18.1 percent (2005 estimate)
Share from thermal 50.2 percent (2005 estimate)
Daily newspaper circulation per 1,000 people 153 newspapers per 1,000 people (2005 estimate)
Share of households with Internet access 59.6 percent (2003 estimate)
Number of library books circulated per resident 5.3 books per person (2002)
Length of highways 273,252 km (2004)
169,791 mi (2004)
Length of interstate highways 3,956 km (2004)
2,458 mi (2004)
Length of railroad tracks 9,328 km (2004)
5,796 mi (2004)
Airports 37 (2007)
Sources
The Association of American Railroads (www.aar.org), Bureau of Economic Analysis (www.bea.doc.gov), Bureau of Labor Statistics (www.bls.gov), Census Bureau (www.census.gov), Energy Information Administration (www.eia.doe.gov), Federal Aviation Administration (www.faa.gov), Federal Highway Administration (www.fhwa.dot.gov), Forest Service (www.fs.fed.us), General Services Administration (www.gsa.gov), National Agricultural Statistics Service (www.usda.gov/nass), National Center for Education Statistics (nces.ed.gov), National Center for Health Statistics (www.cdc.gov/nchs), National Telecommunications and Information Administration (www.ntia.doc.gov).
© 2008 Microsoft