Download The Important Big Book of The Regions of California

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 40-60 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!