Publisher's Synopsis
A golden opportunity to explore California’s natural and human landscapes
There has never been an experiment quite like California. It’s a world of legendary extremes, of stunning natural beauty and violent natural disasters, of cultural diversity and social upheaval. It’s a state that some celebrate and others fear, and it demands our attention.
In Rediscovering the Golden State: California Geography, 2nd Edition, William Selby takes you on a whirlwind tour through the incredible diversity, changes, and surprises that help define the ongoing experiment we call California. Throughout, you’ll explore thought–provoking facts and compelling stories, modern problems and solutions, and some of the latest developments and trends that are defining California today.
The book begins with a detailed examination of the physical geography of California, followed by a close look at the state’s diverse human populations, economies, and urban centers. With this text, you can:
- Learn what California was like millions of years ago.
- Explore how current geologic forces are shaping landscapes and threatening people.
- Understand the state’s changing weather patterns.
- Appreciate California’s incredible diversity of plants and animals.
- Investigate the processes that are changing the Californian coastline.
- Discover California’s impressive water projects, and the vital role of water in the state.
- Trace the state’s changing population and migration patterns.
- Observe the wide diversity of cultures and lifestyles.
- Examine the evolving industries of the fifth most powerful economy on Earth.
- Survey the state’s growing cities and expanding urban landscape.
Two new CDs enhance the presentation
- “Flyover of California” DVD: This CD takes you on a breathtaking aerial tour over the state, observing geographical features from different directions. Produced by Dr. William Bowen and the California Geographic Alliance and narrated by Christopher A. Figuly.
- Interactive CD: This CD, prepared by geographer Robert O’Keefe, uses maps, photos, links, and other information to provide a regional and then systematic exploration of the state, following the text chapter by chapter.
