California is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and the Mexican State of Baja California to the south. California's diverse geography ranges from the Pacific Coast in the west, to the Sierra Nevada in the east – from the Redwood–Douglas-fir forests of the northwest, to the Mojave Desert areas in the southeast. The center of the state is dominated by the Central Valley, a major agricultural area. California contains both the highest and lowest points in the contiguous United States (Mount Whitney and Death Valley), and has the 3rd longest coastline of all states (after Alaska and Florida). Earthquakes are a common occurrence because of the state's location along the Pacific Ring of Fire: about 37,000 are recorded annually.[13]
At least half of the fresh fruit produced in the United States are now cultivated in California, and the state also leads in the production of vegetables.[14] Other important contributors to its economy include aerospace, education, and manufacturing. If California were a country, as of 2012 it would have been the 9th largest economy in the world[15] and the 34th most populous