Exploring California Trivia Quiz

Answer: San Bernardino

Although some of Alaska's boroughs and census areas are larger, San Bernardino (Saint Bernard) County comprises 20,105 sq mi/32,355 sq km in southern California. The county is larger than any of the nine smallest U.S. states and the 71 smallest countries. It was established in 1853.

Answer: giant sequoia

Named the General Grant tree, after President U.S. Grant, the giant sequoia is the second largest tree in the world. It is in the General Grant Grove section of Kings Canyon National Park and was named the national tree in 1925.

Answer: gold mining

In Greek, Eureka means "I have found it!" It became the California motto in 1849 after gold was found in Sutter Creek near Coloma in 1848. The gold rush made some people wealthy but mainly just increased the population of the territory. California became a state in 1850.

Inflation due to gold speculation became so rampant that miners sent their laundry to Hawaii for cleaning and pressing; the almost 5,000 mile roundtrip cost less than having clothes laundered nearby.

Answer: avocado

Fallbrook is in San Diego county, California'a southernmost county. Having a mild climate, the county produces more avocados than any other county in the country. Fallbrook hosts an avocado festival each October.

Answer: Central Valley

Agriculture is important to California's economy, topping forty billion dollars a year. The Central Valley is about 450 mi/720 km long and up to 60 mi/100 km wide, stretching through most of the state and incorporating the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys.

The Central Valley produces over 90 percent of America's almonds, artichokes, broccoli, dates, plums, celery, walnuts, kiwis and garlic as well as high percentages of other food crops. But because most of the crop harvesting is done by migrant workers who earn less than minimum wage, the counties comprising the Central Valley are some of the poorest in America.

Answer: San Andreas

Named after a small lake near San Francisco, the San Andreas fault extends over 800 mi/1288 km through California. There are three segments, with the southernmost passing close to Los Angeles. The fault is a result of shifting of the tectonic boundary between the Pacific Plate and North American Plate. Between 2,000 and 10,000 earthquake shocks with a magnitude greater than 1.0 are recorded in California each year.

Answer: Mount Whitney and Death Valley

Mount Whitney (14,505 ft/4,421 m) and Death Valley (-282 ft/-86 m) are within 90 mi/140 km of each other. A wilderness permit is required to climb Mount Whitney. The highest temperature in the world (134°F/57°C) was recorded in Death Valley on July 10, 1913.

Answer: bristlecone pine

The Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest is a protected area in Inyo National Forest. The Methuselah Grove includes many Great Basin bristlecone pines (Pinus longaeva) over 4,000 years old and Methuselah itself, in excess of 5,000 years old.

Answer: Mount Diablo

Mount Diablo is east of San Francisco. Although Mount Diablo is a modest 3,849 ft/1,173 m in height, it is surrounded by low, rolling hills and flat valleys. On the best viewing days one can see over 40,000 square mi/103,600 square km of land and parts of 35 of California's 58 counties. The only bigger view of the Earth's surface is said to be from Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa.

Answer: Santa Ana

Usually appearing in autumn and winter, the Santa Ana winds are generated east of California in the Great Basin and northern Mojave Desert. They are extremely dry (often less than 10 percent relative humidity) and blow southwest through the mountain passes and canyons of southern California to the Pacific Ocean.

They may fan wildfires and hundreds of thousands of acres have been burned because of them.