Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Outdone only by NYC and Tokyo in money power: the Pacific rim metroplex of Los Angeles

Magnet geography: Los Angeles by trudeau
Magnet geography: Los Angeles, a photo by trudeau on Flickr.

Los Angeles is the most populous city in California and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City,says Wikipedia.

The city is the focal point of the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside combined statistical area, which contains nearly 17.8 million people and is the second largest in the United States.

The Los Angeles combined statistical area (CSA) has a gross metropolitan product (GMP) of $831 billion, making it the third largest economic center in the world, after the Greater Tokyo and New York metropolitan areas.

The original name: Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles del Río de Porciúncula (Our Lady the Queen of the Angels of the Porciúncula River).

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.