Interesting facts about the geography of California
from the California Travel and Tourism Commission
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With the exception of Mt. Kilimanjaro, Mt. Diablo State Park
Summit offers a sweeping panorama showing more of the earth's
surface than any other peak in the world.
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California is the third largest state in the nation covering
158,693 square miles.
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California has a coastline more than 1,264 miles long.
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At 14,495 feet above sea level, Mt. Whitney, in Sequoia National
Park, is the highest point in the contiguous U.S.
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At 280 feet below sea level, Badwater, in Death Valley National
Park, is the lowest point in the western hemisphere.
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California State Parks cover more than one million acres; more
than the 48 state park systems combined, with the exception of Alaska.
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Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is the largest state park in the
U.S., with more than 600,000 acres.
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Death Valley is the largest national park in the contiguous U.S.
with over 3.3 million acres.
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The elevation change from Badwater Basin to Telescope Peak is
11,300 feet in 15 miles, which is the greatest elevation change
in the shortest distance in California.
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The South Fork Ridge in Northern California is the longest
ridge in the world (63 miles long).
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Santa Monica boasts the longest stretch of beach on the
Pacific Coast (3 miles).
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San Bernardino County is the largest county in the U.S.
(12,876,032 acres).
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The average width of the Golden State is 150-200 miles.
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California boasts 4.1 million acres of National Parks.
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