What to Know Before Donating to A Charity in California?

California is a state in the western United States on the Pacific coast. With a population of nearly 39.2 million and a total land area of ​​approximately 163,696 square miles (423,970 km2), it is the most populous state in the United States and the third largest by area. It is also the most populous subnational entity in North America and the 34th most populous in the world. Greater Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area are the second and fifth most populous metropolitan areas in the country, respectively, with the former having more than 18.7 million residents and the latter having more than 9.6 million residents. Sacramento is the state capital, while Los Angeles is the most populous city in the state and the second largest city in the country. San Francisco is the second largest city in the country. Los Angeles County is the most populous county in the country, while San Bernardino County is the largest county in the country by area. California is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and the Mexican state of Baja California to the south; and has a coastline along the Pacific Ocean to the west. California's economy is the largest in the United States, with a GDP of $3.4 trillion in 2022. It is the largest subnational economy in the world. If California were a sovereign nation, by 2022 it would have the fifth largest economy in the world, behind Germany and ahead of India, and the 37th most populous. Greater Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area have the second and third largest urban economies in the nation ($1.0 trillion and $0.5 trillion, respectively, in 2020). The San Francisco Bay Area Combined Statistical Area had the highest gross domestic product per capita in the country ($106,757) among major primary statistical areas in 2018 and is home to five of the world's ten largest corporations by market capitalization. of ten in the world. richer people. . Prior to European settlement, California was one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse regions of pre-Columbian North America and was home to the highest density of Native American populations north of present-day Mexico. European exploration in the 16th and 17th centuries led to the colonization of California by the Spanish Empire. In 1804 it was incorporated into the province of Alta California within the Viceroyalty of New Spain. The area became part of Mexico in 1821 after the success of the Revolutionary War, but was ceded to the United States in 1848 after the Mexican-American War. The California Gold Rush began in 1848 and led to dramatic social and demographic changes, including large-scale immigration to California, a worldwide economic boom, and the genocide of California natives. Western Alta California was later incorporated and was incorporated as the 31st state on September 9, 1850, following the Compromise of 1850. Notable contributions to popular culture, such as entertainment and sports, come from California. The state has also made notable contributions in the fields of communication, information, innovation, environmental protection, business and politics. It is the birthplace of Hollywood, the oldest film industry and one of the largest in the world, which has had a profound impact on world entertainment. Among other things, it is considered the origin of the hippie counterculture, the culture of the beach, the car and the personal computer. The San Francisco Bay Area and Greater Los Angeles are widely recognized as the centers of the global film and technology industries, respectively. California's economy is highly diversified: 58% is based on finance, government, real estate services, technology, and professional, scientific, and technical business services. Despite accounting for only 1.5 percent of the state's economy, California's agribusiness sector has the highest output of any U.S. state. California's ports handle about one-third of all U.S. imports, most of which comes from international trade in the Pacific Basin. The state's highly diverse geography stretches from the Pacific coast and metropolitan areas in the west to the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the east, and from redwood and Douglas fir forests in the northwest to the Mojave Desert in the southeast. The Central Valley, an important agricultural area, dominates the center of the state. California is known for its warm Mediterranean climate and seasonal monsoon climate. The state's size results in a climate that varies from humid temperate rainforest in the north to arid desert in the interior and snow-capped Alps in the mountains.

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