CALIFORNIA

California, a western U.S. state, stretches from the Mexican border along the Pacific for nearly 900 miles. Its terrain includes cliff-lined beaches, redwood forest, the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Central Valley farmland and the Mojave Desert. The city of Los Angeles is the seat of the Hollywood entertainment industry. Hilly San Francisco is known for the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island and cable cars.

Just north of Mexico, San Diego is renowned for its zoo and surfing spots. In the north is Redwood National Park, with its towering trees, and the famed vineyards of Napa and Sonoma valleys. Inland are the capital, Sacramento, skiing and boating destination Lake Tahoe and iconic Yosemite National Park. Outside San Francisco is the nation’s technology hub, Silicon Valley. The central coast is site of Monterey’s renowned Monterey Bay Aquarium, the scenic wilderness of Big Sur and extravagant Hearst Castle in the town of San Simeon. Disneyland is in Orange County, and Joshua Tree National Park straddles 2 deserts.