Geography 30:  Geography of California

         Little Lakes in the eastern Sierra Nevadas

Course Description

This course is a regional geography course examining California.  Why study California?  The reasons to study our state are many:  it is the most populous state in the U.S., it has the 5th largest economy in the world (yes, that's right, the world), it has the 2nd largest city in the U.S., it supplies the country with a diverse array of agricultural products, it is the birthplace of the high-tech industry (Silicon Valley), it is the home of the largest entertainment-based economy in the country (Hollywood), it is one of the most ethnically diverse regions in the world, and many many more.  In addition to this rich human landscape, California has one of the most diverse physical landscapes of any state--the oldest trees in the world, areas of temperate rainforest and desert ecosystems.  The human-physical environment relationship in California is a fraught one--as Californians have extracted resources, built homes, expanded freeways, removed native plants and diverted hydrologic systems, there has been degradation and in some places catastrophic impacts.  We will explore this complex relationship of humans and the environment through the context of California throughout our course.

Required for field trip:  Medical Release

Course Materials

Chapter 1:  California's Regions

Chapters 2 & 3:  California's Landforms

Chapter 4:  California's Weather & Climate

Chapter 6:  California's Water Budget

Los Angeles River Revitalization Proposal

Los Angeles Climate History

Chapter 7:  California's Population

CA's Historical Geography:  Pre-European California

CA's Historical Geography:  Spanish & Mexican California

CA's Historical Geography:  Anglo California

Chapter 8:  CA's Social Geography:  Race & Ethnicity

Chapters 9 & 10:  Agriculture and Industry in CA

Chapter 11:  Urban California

California Geography Resources
KCET's Lost L.A.