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Place Name
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Los Angeles County
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Place Status (Type)
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county
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Capital is
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LOS ANGELES
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Population
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8,863,164 (1990)
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Location
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California, United States, North America
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Latitude
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34°11'N
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Longitude
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118°16'W
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Los Angeles
, county (
4,060 sq mi/10,515 sq km; 1990
pop. 8,863,164), S Calif.; 
Los Angeles; 34°11'N
118°16'W. The fertile Los Angeles basin, a plain reaching to the
Pacific on W, is almost surrounded by mts. covering
c.½ of co.'s surface; in the basin and in tributary
San Fernando Valley are the scores of cities of the metropolitan area,
many of them virtually part of Los Angeles, and all including large
suburban and semirural areas. By mid-1990s even areas at the edge of
the desert, N of San Gabriel, had experienced rapid development. Many
cities near the city of Los Angeles have now declined economically.
Largest (in pop.) are
Long Beach,
Pasadena,
Glendale,
Burbank, Santa Monica,
Alhambra,
Torrance, and South Gate. San
Gabriel Mts. (NE wall of basin) have peaks over
10,000 ft/3,048 m; coastal ranges (including
Santa Monica Mts., Santa Susana Mts.) are lower. Antelope Valley (part
of Mojave Desert; irrigated agr.) is in N. Off coast, which
is indented by San Pedro Bay (Los Angeles Harbor here) and Santa Monica
Bay, are Channel Islands, including Santa Catalina (also called
Catalina), noted resort, and San Clemente Isl. Intermittent Los Angeles
and San Gabriel rivers (both are large calverts) and their tributaries
have flood-control works. California Aqueduct crosses N part of co.
NW-SE, Los Angeles Aqueduct crosses co. N-S. Co.'s mediterranean
climate and its resorts have long attracted winter residents and
year-round tourists. Has some of nation's most valuable farmland
(irrigation required; c.½ of farms under 10
acres/4 ha), but much of it has been replaced by
urbanization. Important industries (motion pictures, at Hollywood, Culver City, Burbank; oil refining, automobile assembling; mfg. of
aircraft, tires and tubes, steel, foundry prods., clothing, furniture,
food prods., computer equip. and software), rich oil and natural-gas
fields. Chief farm prods. are dairy prods.; cattle, poultry; honey,
strawberries, peaches, onions, barley; ornamentals and bedding plants.
Part of Edwards Air Force Base on N boundary in NE; part of Santa
Monica Mts. Natl. Recreation Area in W; parts of Angeles Natl. Forest
in center (San Gabriel Mts.) and NW; Saddleback Butte State Park in NE;
part of Mojave Desert in NE; part of Antelope Valley in NW; numerous
state beaches on coast. Formed 1850.
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