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California, America’s “Golden State” is about 300 km wide and 1400 km long, stretching along the west coast of the Pacific Ocean. It borders on Mexico to the south and Oregon to the north. Its western beaches are in direct contrast to its deserts which border on the states of Arizona and Nevada to the east. To the south the warm Pacific waters attract countless surfing freaks, but further north the coastline becomes more rugged and the water temperature tempts only the toughest.
Except for a gap near San Francisco, California’s coastal mountains run the whole length of the state and separate the coast from the Central Valley. This feature has a tremendous effect on the climate. Pacific storms bring rain to the western slopes, while the eastern slopes stay relatively dry. Frequent coastal fogs cool the hot, southern inland valleys to the east where vineyards and fruit and nut orchards are cultivated. California produces many millions of litres of wine each year. The best-known come from the more northerly Sonoma and Napa Valleys, and the neighbouring Mendocino and Lake Counties to the north of San Francisco.
The Central Valley, 90 -150 km wide, runs between the coastal mountains and the Sierra Nevada mountain range to the east. Thanks to wide-spread irrigation, this once desolate desert plain is now some of the richest farmland in the USA, home to orchards and vineyards. The snow-capped Sierra Nevada peaks form a 650-km-long barrier running north to south. A wilderness with few roads and difficult access. To the east of this mountain range is a narrow strip of parched desert – the beginning of the barren Basin and Range Country which includes the notorious Death Valley. |
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