CACalifornia Map

California on the US map

California sits in the West region of the United States — specifically the pacific subregion as defined by the US Census Bureau. With an area ranking of #3 of 50, California is one of the largest US states by total area. The map above highlights California in gold and color-codes the 49 other states by region.

Whether you're a student studying US geography, a traveler planning a road trip, a teacher building a lesson plan, or simply curious, the goal of this page is to give you a complete picture of where California is and what surrounds it. Click any other state on the map above to navigate to its dedicated page.

Capital and largest city

The capital of California is Sacramento. The largest city by population, however, is Los Angeles — not Sacramento. This pattern (capital ≠ largest city) holds for about 33 of the 50 US states, including most of the famous mismatches like California (Sacramento, not LA), Florida (Tallahassee, not Miami), and New York (Albany, not NYC).

The historical reason for these mismatches dates to the late 18th and 19th centuries. When state founders chose capitals, they often deliberately picked smaller, more centrally located towns to avoid concentrating political and commercial power in the same place. They worried that a capital in a major port or commercial city would be too vulnerable to mob influence (a real concern at the time) and would skew political decisions toward commercial interests.

Borders and neighbors

California shares land borders with 3 other US states: Oregon, Nevada, Arizona. Each link goes to that state's dedicated page where you can see its own map, history, and facts.

California also shares an international border with Mexico — one of only 4 US states to do so (California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas). The US-Mexico border runs roughly 1,954 miles total, the most-crossed international border in the world.

Geographic features at a glance

• Total area rank: #3 of 50
• Population: over 10 million
• Coastline: pacific
• Mountain ranges: sierra, cascades
• Time zone: Pacific
• Region: West — pacific subregion
• Desert terrain: yes — significant desert
• Route 66: on the historic Route 66 corridor

Major highways and transportation

California is connected to the rest of the country by the federal Interstate Highway System (planned by President Eisenhower in the 1950s). The historic Route 66 — the "Mother Road" running from Chicago to Los Angeles — passes through California. Major airports serve Los Angeles and Sacramento, with regional connections to the rest of the state. Amtrak rail service connects parts of California to the national passenger rail network, though geographic isolation and population density vary.

California notable firsts

• Most populous US state (~39 million)

California vs similar states

How does California compare with 3 other states in the same region and size category?

State	Capital	Pop	Area rank	Admitted
California	Sacramento	over 10 million	#3	1850
Alaska	Juneau	under 1 million	#1	1959
Arizona	Phoenix	5 to 10 million	#6	1912
Colorado	Denver	5 to 10 million	#8	1876

Bordering states (3)

California shares borders with 3 other US states, listed alphabetically below. Each link goes to the dedicated state page.

Similar states to California

If this page interested you, you may also want to explore states with similar geography, history, or culture. These states share California's region (West) and similar size category:

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