page_title: Geography of California
section_title: Central Valley
hierarchical_section_title: Geography of California / Northern California / Central Valley
caption_attribution_description: Little Lakes Valley, Eastern Sierra Nevada, California (original trip report)
context_page_description: California is a U.S. state on the western coast of North America. Covering an area of 163,696 sq mi, California is among the most geographically diverse states. The Sierra Nevada, the fertile farmlands of the Central Valley, and the arid Mojave Desert of the south are some of the major geographic features of this U.S. state. It is home to some of the world's most exceptional trees: the tallest, most massive, and oldest. It is also home to both the highest and lowest points in the 48 contiguous states.
  The state is generally divided into Northern and Southern California, although the boundary between the two is not well defined. San Francisco is decidedly a Northern California city and Los Angeles likewise a Southern California one, but areas in between do not often share their confidence in geographic identity. The US Geological Survey defines the geographic center of the state at a point near North Fork, California.
  Earth scientists typically divide the state into eleven distinct geomorphic provinces with clearly defined boundaries.
context_section_description: California's geography is largely defined by its central feature—the Central Valley, a huge, fertile valley between the coastal mountain ranges and the Sierra Nevada. The northern part of the Central Valley is called the Sacramento Valley, after its main river, and the southern part is called the San Joaquin Valley /ˌsæn wɑːˈkiːn/, after its main river.  The whole Central Valley is watered by mountain-fed rivers (notably the San Joaquin, Kings, and Sacramento) that drain to the San Francisco Bay system. The rivers are sufficiently large and deep that several inland cities, notably Stockton, and Sacramento are seaports.
  The southern tip of the valley has interior drainage and thus is not technically part of the valley at all. Tulare Lake, once 570 square miles (1,476 square kilometers) and now dry and covered with agricultural fields, once filled much of the area.
caption: Little Lakes Valley in the eastern Sierra Nevada
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