Identification

• The California coastal zone extends 1,000 yards inland from the boundary of mean high tide, but in some recreational areas and estuarine habitats, it goes up to either the first ridgeline or 5 miles from the high tide line.
  
  

Size

• California has 3,427 miles of coastline, with an estimated population living in coastal areas of more than 24 million in the year 2000.
  
  

History

• American Indians first settled coastal California, but the first Europeans entered San Diego Bay with Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo in 1542. Spanish colonization was established there in 1769.
  
  

Features

• The California coast features several mountain ranges, such as the Klamath Mountains, Coast Ranges, Transverse Ranges, and Peninsular Ranges, as well as a few reserves, including the 3,700-acre San Francisco Bay Reserve.
  
  

Effects

• California's beaches are affected greatly by seasonal storms, being wide and gently sloping in summer and becoming steep and narrow in winter because of violent storm waves.