The Regions of California Electronic Big Book Adaptation 2012 By Ms. Mary Ann Rechtfertig and Laura Barnett Previously Adapted by Melinda Rader Modified by Robin Saltzer

Important Questions: What are the names of the four regions? What is the location of these regions within the state? What are features and characteristics of each region?

One region of California is the Coast Region The Coast Region is shown in the green

Coast:  The land beside the Pacific Ocean is the coast. The farther you travel north along the coast, the climate and the landscape change.  The southern coast has long stretches of sandy, warm beaches. But as you travel north along the coast of central and northern California, the coastline becomes more rocky.  As you travel from south to north, the climate changes too. The further north you go, the climate becomes more foggy, cool and damp. This climate change helps thick forests to grow in the north.  One thing that the Northern and Southern Coast do have in common is the low level coastal mountain ranges that span from the south to the north, providing a natural boarder.  Additionally, over one-half of California ’ s population lives along the coast and it has some of this country ’ s largest cities.

Another region of California is the Valley The Central Valley is the large yellow section in the middle of the state

Valley:  The Central Valley region has very productive farmland.  Its flat basin is over 400 miles long and is miles wide. It is surrounded by the Coast Ranges on the west and the Sierra Nevada Mountains on the East.  If you look from an airplane, the Central Valley resembles a patch-work quilt.  The hot dry summer and the cool wet winter help this region grow over 300 different types of crops.  These agricultural products are shipped all over the world. Additionally, the Central Valley region is home to our State ’ s Capital in Sacramento.

A third region of California is the Mountain Region As you can see, the mountain region covers a lot of the state’s area.

Mountains:  More than half of California is covered with mountains.  The major mountain ranges are: Coast Mountains, Cascades, and the Sierra Nevada.  Since the mountain region provides people with recreation, many national parks and state parks have been established to protect trees and wildlife.  However, the most important thing about the mountain region is that it one of the main sources of water for all of California..

Last, is the Desert Region The desert region is another large area in our state.

Desert:  The desert region has animal and plant life that are adapted to the extreme climate.  California has two large deserts -the Mojave and the Colorado and four smaller ones - Great Basin, Sonoran, and Painted, and Chihauhuan.  Death Valley has the lowest elevation in the United States and it is located within the Mojave Desert.  The deserts of California cover approximately 25 million acres, roughly the entire south east quarter of California.  Deserts look like wastelands.  They are comprised or made up of canyons, plants, flowers, and animals that have adapted to the heat and lack of water.  Deserts are generally dry, sandy, and hot. They average 2-5 inches of rain a year and summer heat can rise to 120 degrees!