Many movie stars live in California. The most famous stars are asked to leave their mark in the cement in front of Mann's Chinese Theater in Los Angeles.

The name California is said to be derived from the name of a queen of an imaginary island in a popular Spanish novel of the 16th century.

California's Sequoia National Park is home to the biggest living things on Earth. The giant Sequoia trees have changed little since the dinasour days. And some have been growing since the pharaohs ruled Egypt. Sequoia National Park contains the largest living tree. Its trunk is 102 feet in circumference.

Pacific Park, on the venerable Santa Monica Pier, re-creates the amusement parks once dotting the ocean areas along the Pacific Coast. Featured are 11 amusement rides including the 1910-vintage hand-carved merry-go-round appearing in the movie "The Sting."

California produces more than 17 million gallons of wine each year. There are more than 300,000 tons of grapes grown in California annually.

It is estimated there are approximately 500,000 detectable seismic tremors in California annually.

By itself, California has the seventh largest economy in the world.

Death Valley is recognized as the hottest, driest place in the United States. It isn't uncommon for the summer temperatures to reach more than 115 degrees.

The first person to personally receive a star on the Walk of Fame in Hollywood was actress Joanne Woodward. She received it in 1960.

In Pacific Grove there is a law on the books establishing a $500 fine for molesting butterflies.

California is home to both the highest and lowest points in the continental United States: Mount Whitney (14,494 ft) and Badwater in Death Valley (282 feel below sea level).

California is the most populous state in the United States with nearly 36.5 million people.