7: California’s Regions and Provinces
- Classify California's Physiographic regions.
- Understand California’s subdivision by tribal regions and political geography.
- Identify and locate the 11 geomorphic provinces in California.
California can be subdivided using several different lenses such as political, geographical, and even geological. This unit will discuss the different regions and provinces within the state, and why these boundaries exist. This unit will also set the foundation of how the next few units have subdivided certain regions of the state.
Although they share their similarities, regions and provinces are very different. A region is an area that is divided by physical, human, and environmental characteristics or boundaries. Provinces are an administrative division, meaning that boundaries are set and bound. Many of the regions in California are also provinces, and many provinces may have several regions within.
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- 7.1: California’s Counties
- In 1850, California established its first 27 counties following recommendations from a committee led by General Mariano Vallejo, adding more and changing some names. By 1960, the number grew to 43 through further subdivisions, eventually reaching 58 counties by 1907. The state contains San Bernardino, the largest county in the contiguous U.S., and Los Angeles, the most populous. California's counties are primarily general law counties, with 14 operating under charters.
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- 7.2: California’s Tribal Groups
- Native Californians are diverse Indigenous nations and peoples originally from the area now known as California. The state hosts 109 federally recognized tribes and over forty tribes seeking recognition, making it the state with the second-largest Native American population in the U.S.
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- 7.3: California’s Political Geography
- California is known for its unique political culture, often seen as more liberal and a trendsetter compared to other U.S. states. It has been a stronghold for the Democratic Party, evident in its voting patterns such as the 2016 presidential election. The state has been a pioneer in numerous political initiatives including recalling governors, legalizing abortion and stem cell research, and altering election processes.
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- 7.4: The 11 Geomorphic Provinces
- California's geomorphic provinces are distinct geologic regions, each with unique features defined by geology, faults, topographic relief, and climate. There are eleven provinces, including the Great Valley, Modoc Plateau, Klamath Mountains, Sierra Nevada, Transverse Ranges, Cascade Range, Coast Ranges, Peninsular Ranges, Basin & Range, Mojave Desert, and Colorado Desert. These provinces offer diverse landscapes.