With the Pacific Ocean as one of its borders, California has hundreds of miles of coastline.
Comprised of 163,693 square miles, the state of California contains a variety of geographic features including the major landforms of coastal lands, deserts, mountains and the central valley. Through this diverse landscape, residents and visitors have countless opportunities to experience all that the Golden State has to offer.
Coastal Lands
With the Pacific Ocean as its neighbor and 779 miles of vertical length, the state of California has a massive coastline. Among these hundreds of miles, the coastal landforms are comprised of sandy beaches and sharp rocky cliffs. With famous areas such as the Big Sur Landscape, California's coastal landform also contains several major cities, such as San Francisco, Monterey, San Luis Obispo and San Diego.
Deserts
As home to both the Mojave and Colorado Deserts, California can also claim deserts as a major landform. Located in the south and southeastern portions of the state, the geography of these two deserts is flat overall, but does contain occasional mountain peaks. In addition to the Mojave and Colorado Deserts, California is also home to Death Valley. This dangerously hot location is virtually intolerable but also contains America's lowest point of 282 feet below sea level.
Mountains
With the combination of the Coastal Mountain Ranges, the Sierra Nevada Mountains, the Klamath Mountains, Cascade Mountains and the Los Angeles Ranges, California can also claim mountains as a major landform. Along with a variety of mountain ranges, the Sierra Nevada Mountains are also home to Mt. Whitney, which at 14,494 feet stands as the highest point in the lower 48 states. In addition, the Sierra Nevadas are also known for their high peaks in the eastern portion of the range.
Central Valley
Located between the Coastal Mountain Ranges and the Sierra Nevadas is California's major landform of the Central Valley. Spanning 462 miles in length, the Central Valley is home to the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valley and is known as the state's food and wine country. With a lush landscape thanks to the fertile soil, California's Central Valley boasts that it is the greatest garden in the world, and is one of the state's primary farming locations.
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