California is a state in the Pacific Region of the United States of America. With 39.5 million residents, California is the most populous state in the United States and the third most extensive by area. The state capital is Sacramento. The Greater Los Angeles Area and the San Francisco Bay Area are the nation's second - and fifth-most populous urban regions, with 18.7 million and 8.8 million residents respectively. Los Angeles is California's most populous city, and the country 's second -most populous, after New York City. California also has the nation's most populous county, Los Angeles County; its largest county by area, San Bernardino County; and its fifth most densely populated county, San Francisco.
California's $2.75 trillion economy is larger than that of any other state. If it were a country, California would be the 5th largest economy in the world, and the 36th most populous as of 2017. The Greater Los Angeles Area and the San Francisco Bay Area are the nation's second - and third-largest urban economies ($1.2 trillion and $821 billion respectively as of 2016 ), after the New York City metropolitan area. The San Francisco Bay Area 's combined statistical area had the nation's highest GDP per capita in 2016 (~$94,000), and is home to four of the world 's ten largest companies by market capitalization and four of the world 's ten richest people.
