California is located in the southwestern part of the
United States, on the Pacific coast.
California is bordered by
Mexico on the south, the other states of
Nevada and
Arizona on the east, and
Oregon to the north.
In the middle of the state lies the
Central Valley, bounded by the coastal mountain ranges in the west, the
Sierra Nevada to the east, the
Cascade Range in the north.
Mount Whitney of the Sierra Nevada is the highest peak in California, and also in the 48 contiguous states of the US.
The capital of California is
Sacramento, the largest city is
Los Angeles. Other important cities are San Francisco, San Diego, Palm Springs, Santa Barbara, Bakersfield, Fresno and Eureka.
In the south is a large inland salt lake, the Salton Sea, north of which lies the
Mojave Desert and the Sonoran Desert.
To the northeast of the Mojave lies
Death Valley, which contains the lowest, hottest point in
North America.
