California is a state in the Western United States. It is bordered by Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west, Oregon to the north, and Baja California, Mexico to the south. With over 39.5 million residents, California is the most populous U.S. state and the third-largest by area.
California's economy is the largest among the U.S. states and is the fifth-largest in the world. The state is home to four of the world's ten largest companies by market capitalization and four of the world's ten richest people. Its diverse geography ranges from the Pacific Coast in the west to the Sierra Nevada mountains in the east, and from the redwood and Douglas fir forests in the northwest to the Mojave Desert in the southeast.
The state capital is Sacramento, while Los Angeles is California's most populous city and the country's second-most populous city. Major metropolitan areas include the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the San Francisco Bay Area, San Diego, and Sacramento.