Los Angeles has developed as one of the main economic and cultural activity centers in the world. If we compare the economy of the top 25 countries in the world; LA’s 5-county area ranks No. 16 and Los Angeles County ranks No. 21 in the world. Los Angeles’ 120-kilometer coastline is home to the best beaches in Southern California that run from Malibu to Long Beach. Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is the fifth busiest passenger airport in the world.
Territory
City of Los Angeles: 472 square miles
Los Angeles County: 4,084 square miles
Los Angeles Area Five Counties: 34,135 square miles
Population
City of Los Angeles: 4.0 Million
Los Angeles County: 10.1 Million
Los Angeles Area Five Counties: 18.3 Million
(Los Angeles, Riverside, Ventura, Orange and San Bernardino counties)
If the five counties that comprise the Los Angeles area were one state, they would outnumber all the US states in total population, with the exception of California, Texas, New York and Florida. Los Angeles County alone would be the eighth most populous state, just slightly behind Ohio and ahead of Georgia, with 9.9 million people. Los Angeles County is the first in the United States to reach 10 million residents.
People
The diverse, multi-ethnic population of Los Angeles today distinguishes the city as the hub of culture in the Pacific area of the United States. In fact, Los Angeles is one of only two cities in the United States that does not have an ethnic majority in the population. People from 140 countries, who speak about 224 different identified languages, call Los Angeles home.
Hispanic or Latino (of any race): 48.5 percent
White, non-Hispanic: 28.7 percent
Asian / Pacific Islander: 11.3 percent
African-American: 9.6 percent
American Indian / Others: 0.7 percent
Geography
Los Angeles spans a very diverse geographic area. Primarily a desert valley , the area is surrounded by the San Gabriel Range and divided by the Santa Monica Mountains . Los Angeles County has 75 miles of shoreline and altitudes ranging from 9 feet below sea level in Wilmington to 10,080 above sea level at the top of Mount San Antonio, the rivers area includes the Los Angeles, Hondo and San Gabriel rivers.
History
September 4, 1781 is the city’s official date of birth, when 44 resident residents – from the Mexican states of Sonora and Sinaloa – made their homes in what is now known as downtown Los Angeles. Two of the 44 settlers were Spanish, while the others were Indians, blacks and mestizos. Very close to this area lived a tribe of American Indians called Tongva. The Spanish named the new settlement El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora the Queen of Los Angeles. After the territory changed hands from Spain to Mexico, the town was officially declared a city in 1835. Los Angeles became part of the United States in January 1847.