California: A Tapestry of Diverse Geographies (duplicated)

Why does California feel like multiple states stitched into one? That’s because California

isn’t built around one landscape — it’s shaped by several completely different geographies colliding

in one place. Along the coast, cold ocean currents and fog create cool, damp coastal ranges.

Just inland, the Central Valley forms a massive agricultural basin — one of the most

fertile areas on Earth. That valley exists because surrounding mountains trap air,

heat, and moisture inside it. To the east, the Sierra Nevada

rise sharply, creating alpine climates just hours from deserts. On the far side,

Death Valley sits below sea level, shaped by crust being stretched apart.