California

Californian Republic República California (Spanish)
Flag Coat of arms of California Coat of arms
Capital	Sacramento
Largest city	Los Angelos
Official languages	English, Spanish
Recognised regional languages	Mandarin, Cantonese, Chinook Jargon, Filipino, Japanese, Navajo, Hopi
Ethnic groups (2019)	48.6% Anglo/White 34.9% Hispanic 10.3% Asian 4.8% Multiracial 1.3% Other
Demonym(s)	Californian
Government	Federal presidential constitutional republic
• President	Margaret Zhao
• Vice President	Michael Walker
• Speaker	Adam Veigh
• Chief Justice	Elizabeth Donovan
Legislature	Congress
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	National Assembly

California, officially the Californian Republic (Spanish: República California), is a federal republic in southwestern North America. It is bordered on the north by Oregon, on the south by Rio Grande, on the east by Texas, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean. California covers over 2 million square kilometers and has an estimated population of over 53 million. California is a federation comprising 15 states and its capital is Eureka with Los Angeles being it’s largest city.

California was first inhabited by indigenous peoples of the Americas before European exploration. It was first conquered by Spain, then became a part of Mexico. The Californian Revolution and the subsequent Mexican-American War in 1848 resulted in the independence of California. California sided with the Union Army during the American Civil War, aiding pro union forces in Texas. California embarked on a period of high economic growth, helping to complete the transcontinental railroad and serving as home to many gold and silver booms. Victorious in both World Wars, California had soon grown to eclipse the other nations of the eastern seaboard even by 1946, having become the largest and fastest-growing economy on the continent.

California is a federal republic that has inherited many of its political institutions from the United States. It is officially bilingual at the federal level, with both English and Spanish holding equal status while several languages, such as Chinese and Navajo, are recognized as well. It is the world's 4th largest economy, by far the second powerful in North America, as a result of agricultural, technological, and mineral wealth as well as strong international trade networks. California is also one of the world's most diverse nations after more than a century of large-scale immigration. Its long and complex relationships with the many nations of the world, in particular those of North America and East Asia, have had significant impacts on its economy and culture.

Ranked as a developed country, California has the world's 8th highest ranking on the Human Development Index and its 7th highest nominal GDP per capita. It also ranks highly among measurements in health, education, government transparency, civil liberties, transportation, and quality of life. As a bilingual Spanish-speaking nation, California is a member of the Organización Mundial Hispana, as well as several supranational organizations such as the United Nations, the Trans Pacific Partnership, the G10, the G50, the North American Free Trade Area (NAFTA), the Organization of American States (OAS), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the Antarctic Treaty System, the G78, the G9+5, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the World Trade Organization (WTO)

Etymology

The Spaniards gave the name Las Californias to the peninsula of Baja California and to Alta California, the region that became the present-day nation of California.

The name likely derived from the mythical island of California in the fictional story of Queen Calafia, as recorded in a 1510 work The Adventures of Esplandián by Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo. This work was the fifth in a popular Spanish chivalric romance series that began with Amadis de Gaula. Queen Calafia's kingdom was said to be a remote land rich in gold and pearls, inhabited by beautiful black women who wore gold armor and lived like Amazons, as well as griffins and other strange beasts. In the fictional paradise, the ruler Queen Calafia fought alongside Muslims and her name may have been chosen to echo the title of a Muslim leader, the Caliph. It is possible the name California was meant to imply the island was a Caliphate.

Know ye that at the right hand of the Indies there is an island called California, very close to that part of the Terrestrial Paradise, which was inhabited by black women without a single man among them, and they lived in the manner of Amazons. They were robust of body with strong passionate hearts and great virtue. The island itself is one of the wildest in the world on account of the bold and craggy rocks.

— Chapter CLVII of The Adventures of Esplandián

Politics and government

California is a constitutional federal republic, in which majority rule is blended with minority rights protected by law. The Californian Constitution is the supreme law of the land, and closely models the US Constitution on which it was inspired.

The citizens of California are subject to three levels of government: federal, state, regional, and local.

• Local Government: Administers police and fire forces, as well as other public works. Protects private property rights.
• Regional Government: Responsible for education, infrastructure, and taxation.
• Federal Government: Headquartered in Sacremento, C.D., the federal government is responsible for national defense, foreign policy, and guarantees basic human rights that the regions cannot override, many of which are listed in the Californian Bill of Rights. It is also responsible for regulating inter-regional and international commerce. Since 1945, the Department of Science has been responsible for coordinating and funding scientific research into a wide array of fields, notably nuclear power and weaponry, space technology, and renewable energy.

The federal government is composed of three branches:

• Executive: Headed by the President of California. Can veto legislative bills, appoint cabinet members and Supreme Court Justices, and is commander-in-chief of the Ponderosa military.
• Legislative: Made up of the Senate and the National Assembly. Makes federal law, declares war, allocates federal funds, and approves treaties.
• Judicial: Made up of the Supreme Court and lower federal courts. Has the power of judicial review, and is the highest legal authority after the Constitution.

Administrative divisions

• Sacramento C.D.
• San Francisco
• Deseret
• Sonora
• Alta
• Media
• Baja
• New Mexico
• Mojave
• Navajo
• Pueblo
• Ute
• Klamath
• Contra Cosa
• Sierra Nevada
• Plata
• San Pablo
• Monterrey
• Arizona
• New Mexico
• Colorado

Military

California's military services—the Californian Armed Forces—comprise the Californian Army, the Californian Air Force, and the Californian Navy.

Demographics

California has an estimated population of 53 million, ranking in the recognized world. A census is taken every ten years, with the first taking place in 1850. While the birthrate is only 15 per 1000, the population growth rate is 0.8%, the result of immigration. The largest ancestry groups included Mexicans, Hispanic groups, Asians, and Anglo-Americans. California is a minority-majority country. 48% of the population are Anglo whites, 31% are Hispanic, 10% are Asians, 5% American Indians and 6% are other races.

English is the de facto national language. Approximately 70% of the population speaks English as a first language, with another 23% speaking Spanish as a first language. The third most dominant language was Mandarin, with 10% of the population being native speakers.

The majority of California's population identifies as Christian. 32% identify as Catholic, with 29% identifying as Protestant and 10% as Mormon. The nonreligious account for 24% of the population, while Jews make up 3%. All other faiths collectively make up 2% of the population. The Bill of Rights of California guarantees religious freedom, and prevents legislation that favors any religion over another. In addition, discrimination based on religion is illegal, with the exception of explicitly religious organizations such as churches.

According to a survey in 2015, 46% of the population said that religion played a "very important role in their lives." Catholics and Mormons are the most devout groups in California, while church attendance among Protestant sects is fairly low and steady decreasing. The percentage of irreligious people is steadily increasing, especially among younger generations.

Language

As a result of the country's prominence as a major destination for immigrants from all over the world, California is officially a bilingual country, but its inhabitants speak a variety of languages on a daily basis. English is the most widely spoken and dominant language in California, with 80 percent of Californians speaking it fluently and 68 percent speaking it as their first language. Meanwhile, Spanish is comfortably the nation's second language, with about 40% of the population speaking it as a first language, but 90% of those people also speak English as a second language, with just around half of non-Hispanic Californians speaking Spanish "fluently."

Meanwhile, various local languages are used in state and city concerns, with Mandarin Chinese being the most common among the country's Chinese diaspora. Chinese is one of the three official languages in San Francisco, alongside English and Spanish. Other languages, such as Hindi, Punjabi, Filipino, Russian, and Korean, have large local communities that have forced towns to provide services in those languages, with the Hmong in Merced, Sierra Nevada, being a notable example.

Religion

Because of its large immigrant diaspora, California is home to a diverse range of faiths from across the world, although Christianity is by far the most popular. Christianity is divided into three forms in California: Catholicism, Protestantism, and Mormonism. Catholicism is practiced by California's Hispanic population, with significant numbers of Anglo-Californians, while Protestantism is primarily practiced by Anglo-Californians, with a small number of Hispanic-Californians, and Mormonism is a local variant of Christianity that began in the early 1800s and is unofficially headquartered in Salt Lake City, Deseret. In fact, Deseret is the only political entity in the world where Mormons make up a majority of the population. However, for the majority of Californian Christians, especially Protestants, being a devout Christian is not necessarily seen as essential in the modern day.

Non-Christians in California are very often followers of Asian faiths such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Confucianism, while a small minority practices Islam as their primary faith, and a significant Jewish population also exists. Their centers of worship can generally be found in any major city such as Los Angles, San Fransisco, and Sacramento. However, the Native Faiths of California are quite often a large minority of the non-Christian faiths, mostly concentrated in the eastern portion of the country and predominant in the state of Navajo, the only Native Californian-majority state in the country. Atheists are also increasing in number in California, albeit they are still a minority compared to Native Faiths. And it's fairly normal in all faiths to practice "secular living," in which religion plays a minor role in day-to-day life.