Los Angeles is the most populous city in California and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City,[4] on a land area of 468.67 square miles.
Often known by its initials LA, the city is the focal point of the larger Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside combined statistical area, which contains nearly 17.8 million people and which is one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world and the second largest in the United States.
The Los Angeles coastal area was first settled by the Tongva or Gabrieleños and Chumash Native American tribes thousands of years ago.
Los Angeles was founded in 1781 by Spanish governor Felipe de Neve. It became a part of Mexico in 1821.
In 1848, at the end of the Mexican–American War, Los Angeles and the rest of California were purchased as part of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, thereby becoming part of the United States. Los Angeles was incorporated in 1850.
Los Angeles enjoys a Mediterranean climate, with an average of 35 days with measurable precipitation annually.
Los Angeles is subject to earthquakes due to its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire. The geologic instability has produced numerous faults, which cause approximately 10,000 earthquakes annually.[44] One of the major faults is the San Andreas Fault. Located at the boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate, it is predicted to be the source of Southern California's next big earthquake.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Magnet geography: Los Angeles
