California – “The Golden State”Presented by Kurt

State Flag of California

State Seal of California

Basic Facts

● California is the most populous state in the USA, with a population about 38 million.

● Geographically, it is the third largest state, after Alaska and Texas.

● The largest city is Los Angeles, but the capital is Sacramento.

Map of California within the U.S.

How far is California from Spain?

California is very far from Spain. For example, the distance between Los Angeles and Madrid is about 9385 km, and the distance between San Francisco and Madrid is about 9342 km. It takes about 12 hours to fly by from Madrid to Los Angeles, and even longer to fly to San Francisco, as there are no direct flights to this city.

Cities of California

Los Angeles (L.A.)

● I'm originally from Los Angeles, which is the largest city in California, and also the second largest in the United States (after New York City). It has about 3,8 million people, which makes it slightly larger than Madrid.

● Los Angeles is a very important city for California economically. One of the most important parts of the economy is the entertainment industry, much of which is headquarted in the district of Hollywood. Another important sector is tourism.

Other Important California Cities

Sacramento San Diego

San JoseSan Francisco

California's Central Coast

● I was born and raised in Los Angeles, but I later moved to California's Central Coast to study. The university I attended is in San Luis Obispo.

● While studying, I lived in the beachside town of Cayucos.

Why do so many cities in California have Spanish names?

● Europeans set foot in California as early as 1542, but it wasn't fully colonized until the late 18th century.

● From 1769-1823, Spanish missionaries set up 21 missions to evangelize the native peoples of California. Most of these missions have been preserved and are a lasting example of Spanish influence.

● California was under Spanish control (as part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain) until 1821, when Mexico gained independence from Spain. California did not become a US state until 1850.

Examples of Spanish colonial architecture in California.

Where I went to school

● When I lived in the LA area, I attended John A. Rowland High School.

Where I attended university

I attended California Polytechnic State University (known as Cal Poly) in San Luis Obispo.

I studied French and Spanish in the Faculty of Modern Languages and Literatures.

My Family

● I have one brother and one sister. I am the oldest child. My sister's name is Stacey, and she is 26 years old. My brother's name is Logan and he is 23 years old.

I also have a nephew. In September, my sister gave birth to Dylan, the newest member of our family.

My Family (continued)

● These are my parents. My mother's name is Jill. She is 56 and worked as a waitress for many years, but now she is mostly a housewife. My father's name is Scott. He is 58 and works in construction management.

Immigration & Ancestry

● The United States, like many countries in the “new world”, is a nation of immigrants. Most Americans can trace their ancestry to Europe.

● My family is primarily of German descent, which explains my unusual surname (Schultheis). Most of my German ancestors arrived in the late 19th century, so German is no longer spoken in our family.

● I also have some British (English and Scottish) and Irish ancestry.

Pets

Sybil, my cat. Ava, my family's dog.

We also have two other dogs, Cupcake and Sascha.

● California has about 1,350 km of coastline (and about 5,000 if the bays are included).

● Because of all this coastline, it has many beautiful beaches, which attracted millions of tourists from other parts of the US, as well as from other countries.

Big Sur

Monterey Bay

California's Coastline

● California has the greatest climate diversity in the US, ranging from an arid desert climate, as in Death Valley, to subartic, as in parts of the Sierra Nevada.

● The majority of California has a mediterranean climate similar to that of many parts of Spain. Winters are wet and mild. Summers are hot and dry.

California's Climate

Mount Whitney, California's highest point. Located in the Sierra Nevada mountain range.

Death Valley, in eastern California. It receives less than 60mm of rainfall annually.

Fauna of California

Condor

Racoon

Brown Bear

Sea Lion

CoyoteBobcatSkunk

Pelican

Economy of California

● California represents 13% of the US Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

● If California were an independent country, it would be the eight largest economic power worldwide.

● The most important economic sectors are energy production, agriculture, and industry (aeronautics, information technology, electronics, medical supplies), entertainment, and tourism.

Food in California● Californians eat many of the

same things other Americans do.

● Due to large numbers of immigrants, especially from East Asia and Latin America, foreign cuisine is very popular. Tacos and sushi are nearly as popular as hamburgers and hot dogs.

● California has its own specialties as well, such as clam chowder served in a sourdough bread bowl, a specialty in San Francisco. There is a strong emphasis on eating fresh, local ingredients, which are plentiful due to California's mostly temperate climate and abundance of produce.

Sports in California

● As in other parts of the US, the preferred sports in California are American football, baseball, and basketball.

● There are various rivalries that exist between professional teams, particularly among teams from the LA area and those from the San Francisco bay area. An example is the rivalty between the LA Dodgers and the SF Giants.

● Soccer (known as “football” in most countries) is not very popular, but there are some professional teams. A notable example is L.A. Galaxy, the team that David Beckham has played for since 2007, after finalizing his contract with Real Madrid.

Famous Californians – Actors

Marilyn Monroe

Ben AffleckGwyneth Paltrow

Jake Gyllenhaal

Jennifer Anniston Leonardo DiCaprio

Famous California – Singers, musicians, and bands

Adam Levine (Maroon 5)

Gwen Stefani (No Doubt)

Katy Perry

Colbie CaillatGreen Day

Famous Californians – Sportspeople

Venus Williams (tennis player)

Tiger Woods (golfer)

Sasha Cohen (figure skater)

The end!