13: Southern California
- Identify the major physical features of Southern California, including its mountains, valleys, deserts, and coastline.
- Explain the geological forces that have shaped Southern California's landscape, including plate tectonics, earthquakes, faults, and volcanism.
- Identify and describe the major cultural influences on Southern California, including its Spanish, Mexican, and Native American heritage.
- Examine the interrelationships between the physical geography, ethnic diversity, cultural influences, and weather and climate of Southern California.
Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban agglomeration in the United States. The region generally contains ten of California's 58 counties: Imperial, Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties.
Beyond the physical realm SoCal is at the hearth of innovation, and with this come global influence, such as Disneyland, Hollywood, Fast-food, Surf Music, architecture, and even Knotts Berry Farm. Much of this will be covered, but a more in-depth study will be presented in another unit that showcases the iconic California landscapes. Nonetheless, it is also important to note that SoCal is also the third most populated megalopolis in the United States, after the Great Lakes Megalopolis and the Northeast Megalopolis. Much of Southern California is famous for its large, spread-out, suburban communities and use of automobiles and highways.