☰

Earth

Continents

The Americas

USA Country Profile

US State Capitals

California Map

US States Maps Index

World Maps Index

Reference Maps of California (CA)

San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge over the Golden Gate strait

Iconic and world-famous, the Golden Gate Bridge. The bridge is spanning the Golden Gate Strait which connects San Francisco Bay with the Pacific Ocean. The suspension bridge links San Francisco with Marin County, part of the San Francisco Bay Area and one of the original 27 counties of California.
Image: Ben Harritt

California State Flag

About California

Where in the United States is California? Location map of California in the US.

California is the third largest state in the United States, bounded by the Pacific Ocean in the west and bordered by Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona; it shares a border with Mexico in the south.

The United States acquired the area from Mexico in 1848, with generally the same boundary as California today.

California was never organized as a territory but was administered from 1848 until statehood by a federal military authority.

California was admitted to the Union as the 31st state on 9th September 1850.

California State Map
Reference Map of California

General Map of California, United States.

The detailed map shows the State of California with boundaries, the location of the state capital Sacramento, major cities and populated places, rivers, and lakes, interstate highways, major highways, railroads and major airports.

You are free to use the above map for educational and similar purposes; if you publish it online or in print, you need to credit Nations Online Project as the source.

More about California

Some Geography

The Topographic Regions Map of California shows also the San Andreas Fault Zone. (Click the map to enlarge)

California is the third largest state in the US. With an area of 423,970 km² ^[1], California, the Golden State, is slightly smaller than Iraq and a bit larger than Germany. Compared with other US states, California is 135 times as big as Rhode Island.

Population

California has a population of 39.5 million people (est. 2024) ^[5] making it the most populous U.S. state.

The state capital is Sacramento; the largest city is Los Angeles. Other major cities are San Francisco, San Diego, San Jose, and Long Beach.

Spoken languages are English (60%) and Spanish or Spanish Creole (26%).

Official website of California

ca.gov
Official California government website.

Visit California
Official Travel & Tourism Website.

Airports

The largest airports in California are:

✈ Los Angeles International Airport

(IATA code: LAX - www.flylax.com)
LAX is the largest and busiest airport in California. It is a major international gateway for the state and the country, with significant passenger and aircraft movement.

✈ San Francisco International Airport

(IATA code: SFO - www.flysfo.com)

✈ San Diego International Airport

(Lindbergh Field; IATA code: SAN - www.san.org)

✈ Sacramento International Airport (IATA code: SMF - sacramento.aero/smf)

✈ San Jose International Airport (IATA code: SJC - www.flysanjose.com)

Geographical Regions of California

California has four main geographic regions –– the Coast, the Central Valley, the Mountains, and the Desert.

1. The Coast

Surfer riding the waves near Surf City Santa Cruz, California.
Image: Brocken Inaglory

California has some really interesting geographical features like the Pacific Ocean coastline, with a length of 1,350 km (840 mi), large parts of the coast are accessible by the California State Route 1. The Pacific Coast Highway is famous for running along some of the most beautiful seashores in California, connecting the Greater Los Angeles Area with the San Francisco Bay Area.

The (in)famous and very active San Andreas Fault zone which is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire is a continental transform fault, where the North American Plate and the Pacific Plate slide past each other. The San Andreas Fault stretches for more than 1300 km lengthwise through California.

This tectonic plate movement will be responsible for "the next big one" in the area, an earthquake of magnitude 7.0 or higher with a potentially devastating impact to urban centers in California.

2. The Central Valley

SRTM perspective view of San Joaquin Valley. The southern portion of California's vast Central Valley is among the world's richest agricultural regions. The Transverse Ranges and Mt. Pinos at 2,692 m (8,831 feet) to the left.
Image: NASA/JPL/NIMA/USGS

The flat, fertile central valley runs along the center of the state; the northern part is named Sacramento Valley, the southern part is known as the San Joaquin Valley. It is California's most important agricultural region.

But industrial agriculture and factory farming takes its toll, they radically altered the habitats of the Valley, grassland has been overtaken by new species, ponds and marshland have been drained or destroyed.

California's state park, the Great Valley Grasslands State Park

, preserves some example of the native grass habitat in the valley.

Major cities in the valley are the state capital Sacramento, Redding, Stockton, Modesto, Bakersfield, and Fresno.

3. The Mountains

Half Dome rock formation seen from Glacier Point, Yosemite National Park, California

Half Dome rock formation seen from Glacier Point in Yosemite National Park of California. The famous rock has a prominence of 410 m (1,360 ft).
Image: Keenan Loo

In terms of mountains, California offers the Sierra Nevada, a 640 km (400 mi) long mountain range running north to south. Within the chain there is Lake Tahoe, a large freshwater lake and the second deepest lake in the United States and the largest alpine lake in North America, at an elevation of 1,900 m (above sea level). ^[2]

The next attraction within the Sierra Nevada is the highest mountain in the contiguous United States, Mount Whitney with an altitude of 4,421 m or 14,505 ft.

Then there are the Inyo Mountains near dry Owens Lake, and the Warner Mountains, an 85-mile-long mountain range running north-south through northeastern California.

4. The Desert

Clouds over the Mojave Desert.
Image: Jessie Eastland

The Mojave Desert, named after the indigenous Mohave people, is a vast arid region in southeastern California and southern Nevada. It is known as the driest place in North America.

The desert basin covers an estimated area between 65,000 km² (25,000 sq. mi.) ^[EB] and 140,000 km² (54,000 sq. mi.) ^[WP]

The region is bounded by the Tehachapi Mountains, the San Gabriel Mountains, and the San Bernardino Mountains, which prevent rainfall in the area beyond.

Situated within the desert is the Death Valley, the hottest place on Earth. The valley holds the record for the highest recorded air temperature on Earth (56.7°C (134°F)).^[3]

World Heritage Sites

Giant coastal redwood trees in Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. The endangered trees may reach a hight of 100 m (330 ft) or more and an age up to 1800 years. [4]
Image: Robert Shea

California has not one but two World Heritage Sites.

The Redwood National and State Parks

are located along the coast of northern California, a region of coastal mountains covered with forests of impressive giant redwood trees (Sequoia sempervirens), the tallest and most striking tree species on Earth.

The Yosemite National Park

is in the western Sierra Nevada, near California's state border with Nevada. The park known for its immense biological diversity is famous for spectacular granite cliffs, deep, narrow canyons, waterfalls, crystal clear streams, and groves with giant sequoia trees. The park offers thousands of lakes and ponds, 1600 miles of streams, 800 miles of hiking trails, and 350 miles of roads.

Cities and Towns in California

Rendered image of California State Capitol in Sacramento, California's capital city. The Neoclassical building was completed between 1861 and 1874. The building serves as both a museum and California's seat of government.
Image: Google

The largest cities in California are:

Los Angeles (pop.: 3,879, 000)
The global city of Los Angeles is the largest city in California. LA is a major center for film, television, music, technology, international trade, and tourism. The Greater Los Angeles Area has an estimated population of over 18.3 million people, making it the second-largest metropolitan area in the United States (after New York-Newark-Jersey City metropolitan area).

San Diego (pop.: 1,404,000)
California's southernmost major city, known for its mild climate, beaches, and large naval base. It borders Mexico at Tijuana.

San Jose (pop.: 997,000)
San Jose is the heart of Silicon Valley and a global center for technology and innovation in the southern San Francisco Bay Area.

San Francisco (pop.: 828,000)
Famed for its hills, fog, Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island, and cultural diversity. San Francisco is a major center for finance and technology, but its high cost of living, driven by a severe housing shortage and high demand, has contributed to a significant homelessness crisis.

San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge, California

The San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge connects San Francisco via Yerba Buena Island with the city of Oakland on the other side of San Francisco Bay.
Image: Google

Fresno (pop.: 550,000)
Fresno is located in the fertile San Joaquin Valley; it is California's agricultural capital and gateway to the Yosemite National Park.

Sacramento (pop.: 536,000)
The capital of California lies at the confluence of the Sacramento and American rivers, where the Central Valley meets the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. The city is known for its historic landmarks and government institutions.

Long Beach (pop.: 451,000)
Long Beach, nicknamed "Space Beach," is a major port city south of Los Angeles. The city combines a bustling harbor with beaches, arts, and aerospace industries, such as Boeing, Rocket Lab, Relativity Space, and Vast (Vast Space).

Oakland (pop.: 444,000)
Oakland is located across the bay from San Francisco, connected by the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge. It is a diverse industrial port city with a vibrant arts scene and strong cultural identity.

Bakersfield (pop.: 417,000)
Bakersfield is situated in the southern Central Valley. The city is a hub for energy production, agriculture, and country music heritage.

Anaheim (pop.: 345,000)
The city of Anaheim is best known as the home of the theme park complex of Disneyland Resort.

Anaheim is part of Orange County's dense urban corridor and a tourism hotspot.

The map shows the location of following cities and towns in California, USA:

San Francisco at Sunset, Transamerica Pyramid in the center. The cultural, commercial, and financial hub of Northern California is the fourth largest city in the state by population.
Image: Digon3

Alturas, Anaheim, Atascadero, Avalon, Bakersfield, Barstow, Bishop, Blythe, Calexico, Carlsbad, Chico, Chula Vista, Citrus Heights, Coalinga, Crescent City, Daly City, Davis, Delano, El Cajon, El Centro, Escondido, Eureka, Fairfield, Fort Bragg, Fresno,
Gilroy, Glendale, Grass Valley, Hanford, Hesperia, Hollister, Independence, Indio, King City, Lakeport, Lancaster, Lodi, Lompoc, Lone Pine, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Los Banos, Los Gatos, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Modesto, Mojave, Monterey, Morro Bay, Napa, Needles, Oceanside, Oxnard, Palm Springs, Paradise, Pasadena, Paso Robles, Petaluma, Placerville, Porterville, Red Bluff, Redding, Redlands, Ridgecrest, Riverside, Roseville, Sacramento, Salinas, San Bernardino, San Clemente, San Diego, San Jose, San Luis Obispo, San Rafael, Santa Ana, Santa Barbara, Santa Clarita, Santa Cruz, Santa Maria, Santa Rosa, Simi Valley, Sonora, Stockton, Sunnyvale, Susanville, Tehachapi, Turlock, Ukiah, Vallejo, Ventura, Victorville, Visalia, Vista, Wasco, Weaverville, Weed, Willows, Woodland, Yosemite Village, Yreka, and Yuba City.

California Photo-Gallery

Bixby Creek Bridge, Big Sur

The Bixby Creek Bridge on the Big Sur coast of California is one of the most photographed bridges in California.

Image: jon_t

Emerald-Bay, Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe is a large, deep freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada mountains, straddling the border of California and Nevada.

Image: Jonathan Cook-Fisher

Sequoia National Park

Giant Forest — a giant sequoia grove (Sequoiadendron giganteum) in Sequoia National Park, in the western Sierra Nevada of California. The grove is home to the largest trees in the world.

Image: Pavel Špindler

Zabriskie Point

Death Valley National Park, Zabriskie Point, an iconic Death Valley vista, and a favorite location for viewing sunrise and sunset.

Image: Jasperdo

Yosemite National Park

The Tunnel View, a scenic viewpoint in the Yosemite National Park, provides one of the most famous views of Yosemite Valley, showcasing El Capitan, Half Dome, Sentinel Rock, Cathedral Rocks, and Bridalveil Fall. It is spectacular at sunset or after the clearing of a storm. ^[NPS]

Image: Radu Micu

Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the contiguous United States

Mount Whitney

East Face of Mount Whitney (right) with snow-covered Thor Peak on the left. Mount Whitney is a mountain in the Sierra Nevada mountain range in East–Central California; it is the highest peak in the contiguous United States, with an elevation of 4,421 m (14,505 ft).

Image: Penny Higgins

San Francisco

San Francisco is a vibrant and diverse city in Northern California, known for its iconic landmarks like the Golden Gate Bridge, steep hills, and progressive culture. The city is a global center for technology, finance, and the arts.

Image: Mattia Bericchia

Napa Valley

The historic Napa Valley Wine Train offers a scenic tour through the Napa Valley wine region, an American Viticultural Area (AVA) in Napa County, California.

Image: Lumin Osity