California State, Research Paper Example

California is a state that is found on the western part of the United State in the western coasts of the great pacific ocean as well .California is well known for its Mediterranean climate, its world of opportunities and the general good life characterized has attracted the local and international tourist to visit this state (Turner, 2003).California boasts of the supper high ways and well developed road networks. The best public and private schools in the United States are found in California.

The movie and music industries are one of the finest. They use very advanced technology in agricultural production and their products are sold locally while the excess are exported. California is also covered by many magnificent stream and prominent rivers for example san Sacramento and San Joachim River that are found on the great valley. The State has a very beautiful coastal terrain that rises from the Pacific Ocean to the highland region of the area. California has a very rich biodiversity from the marine animals to sophisticated animal and plant species that are found on the natural forests. The plants have different kind of ecologies which are home of many endangered species. The State have the natural harbor of Bombay which is a place to visit,  the  world class parks  for example Yosemite park  the death valley  which is the lowest point in the nation  and mount  Whitney  which is the tallest in the whole of USA  volcanoes of the latest eruption is found in this paradise, the beauty of California cannot be overemphasized and this has made to be one of  the best tourist destination in the world .

California is one of the most populous States in the USA and in the world statistic of the densely populated cities and only comes after Sao Paulo of Brazil, this population increase has been attributed to the natural increase in the birth rate and decreased death rate. It has an upsurge in the rate of immigration with many people coming from the neighboring state to experience the good life in California. This has impacted negatively on the geography of the area as many forest land have been cleared to create land for agriculture to feed the ever growing population, many mountains have been modified many people have settled on the mountain slope and forest which harbored many species of plant and animal which are now homeless and are facing extinction (Gilliam, 1846).

The rate of pollution of rivers has also increased significantly. This is as a result of discharges from the major industries which dump their waste into the rivers for example river San Joaquin has been polluted by major industries that are located in along the river. The increased population mainly by the immigrant has led mushrooming of buildings on the coast and people have continued to settle inward thus increasing dumping on the ocean. Many wetlands have been dried and rehabilitated and this has led to destruction of biodiversity as the animals which lived there are displaced and plants are destroyed by logging and forest fires.

Forest destruction has also modified the local climate, California which was once a green state is now plagued by drought condition, this has been linked to the destruction of many forests which were important in the hydrological cycle, and the levels of rivers have since reduced. The rivers which were very important in the irrigation of agricultural lands have diminished thus jeopardizing the food security in California. Agriculture which is the major industry in the economy is bound to collapse as the climate cannot support certain breeds of livestock which are endemic to the Mediterranean climate of California.

California was known as the habitat for the tallest trees species largest and the oldest and native grass species although these have been subjected to extensive pressures emanating from introduction of exotic species which have got adverse effect on the native species as they compete for food and space. Some may feed on the native specie, introduce diseases, they also cause dilution of the original species of plant and animals when they interbreed through cross pollination in plants and accidental mating in animals may lead to formation of a totally different species and the original specie facing extinction. Illegal cutting down of trees, urbanization overgrazing in the grassland have threatened the existence of tall grass species.

and these waste may sometime contain heavy metals like lead, zinc and mercury found in the sprays   contaminate the ocean when this wastes are dumped in the ocean .Many marine life has been affected by this for example there was fish that had a net its gill, metals will eventually find their way to the table of human when they eat fish from this ocean which poses major health risk. Heavy metal causes gene mutations and other related health complication like the respiratory diseases. Mental disorders are also believed to be caused by ingestion of these heavy metals.

The political will needed in addressing these issue that touch the environment and the general landscape is lacking .the policies that deal with environmental conservation are not implemented as per the to letter (Stewart,1945). There has been loophole in the administrative system and they have failed to closely monitor the state of the environment and that has coasted them seriously as they are loosing their glory as the one of the world best country and is now relegated to the position of a failed state.

The economy of California was one of the first growing in the world until recently in 2008 where there was a deficit  in the budget and the state failed to correct the problem .this growing economy was directly related to deterioration of the environment  as the growing industries needed new location and this consequently led to modification of landscape .many people are displaced  and resettled which is very expensive  and they may be taken to unsuitable areas like wetland and mountain and forest areas .

Tourism which is a major pillar in the economy of California has also affected the landscape because of building of new parks and hotels of international reputation need. The relatively large tracts of land forest are cleared and mountains leveled during construction .The government have invested heavily in construction of these parks and they are quite a number in California (Lavender, 1987).Tourist who visit these parks do not take care of the   environment as they are only concerned by   site seeing they are believed to be the cause of most pollution as they dump carelessly in the parks.

Mineral resources have been overexploited for example gold which was believed to have attracted most of the Indian population. Logging has continued to put pressure on the remaining forest mainly the hard wood is the mast targeted for making of high quality furniture, poaching is also a major pressure to recon with .

Work Cited

Lavender, David. California: Land of New Beginnings. University of Nebraska Press, 1987. pp. 27-95. Print.

Stewart, George. Names on the Land: A Historical Account of Place-Naming in the United States. New York: Random House, 1945. pp. 11–17. Print.

Gilliam, Albert Travels Over the Table Lands and Cordilleras of Mexico: During the Years. Philadelphia: John Moore, 1846. pp. 34-98. Print.

Turner, Richard Brent Islam in the African-American experience. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press 2003.  pp. 234. Print.