Online Encyclopedia

Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.

CALIFORNIA, LOWER (Baja California)

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V05, Page 22 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
» Make a correction to this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

See also:

CALIFORNIA, See also:LOWER (Baja California) , a See also:long narrow See also:peninsula between the Gulf of California and the Pacific Ocean, forming a territory of the See also:republic of See also:Mexico. Pop. (1895), 42,245; (1900) 47,624. Lower California is a southward ex-tension of the See also:State of California, See also:United States, and is touched by only one of the Mexican states, that of Sonora on the E. The peninsula is about 76o m. long and from 30 to 150 M. wide, and has an See also:area of 58,328 sq m. It is traversed throughout its entire length by an irregular range of barren mountains, which slopes toward the Pacific in a See also:succession of See also:low hills, but breaks down abruptly toward the Gulf. The See also:coast has two or three See also:good sheltered bays, that of La Paz on the Gulf See also:side and of Magdalena on the Pacific side being best known. The coast is bordered by numerous islands, especially on the eastern side. The See also:general See also:appearance of the See also:surface is arid and desolate, partly because of the volcanic remains, and partly because of the scanty rainfall, which is insufficient to support vegetation other than that of the See also:desert except in the deeper See also:mountain valleys. The See also:northern See also:part is hot and dry, like See also:southern California, but the southern part receives more See also:rain and has some fertile tracts, with a mild and pleasant See also:climate. The See also:principal natural product in this region is orchil, or See also:Spanish See also:moss, but by means of See also:irrigation the See also:soil produces a considerable variety of products, including See also:sugar See also:cane, See also:cotton, See also:cassava, cereals, See also:tobacco and grapes. Horses, See also:sheep and See also:cattle are raised in the fertile valleys, but only to a limited extent.

The territory is See also:

rich in minerals, among which are See also:gold, See also:silver, See also:copper, See also:lead, See also:gypsum, See also:coal and See also:salt. The silver mines near La Paz were worked by the See also:Jesuits, as See also:early as 1709. There are also extensive See also:pearl See also:fisheries in the Gulf, La Paz being the headquarters of the See also:industry, and See also:whale fisheries on the W. coast in the vicinity of Magdalena See also:Bay. The- development of See also:mining and other See also:industries in the territory has led to an See also:extension of the California railway See also:system southwardinto thepeninsula, with the Mexican See also:government's permission, the first See also:section of 37 M. from the northern frontier being completed and opened to See also:traffic in 1907. The territory is divided into two districts, the northern having its See also:capital at the insignificant little See also:village of La See also:Ensenada, on Todos See also:Santos Bay, and the southern having its capital at La Paz, at the See also:head of a deep bay opening into the Gulf. La Paz is a See also:port of See also:call for steamships See also:running between See also:Mazatlan and See also:San Francisco, and had a See also:population of 5056 in 1900. La Ensenada (pop. in 1906, about 1500), 65 M. by See also:sea S. of San Diego, Cal., is the only port for the northern part of the territory, and supplies a See also:district extending 2 50 M. along the coast and 6o m. inland, including the mining camps of the See also:north; it manufactures and exports See also:flour and See also:leather. By orders of See also:Cortes the coast of Lower California was explored in 1539 by Francisco de Ulloa, but no See also:settlement resulted. It was called California, the name (according to E. E. See also:Hale) being derived from a popular Spanish See also:romance of that See also:time, entitled Sergas de Esplandian, in which an See also:island named California was mentioned and situated " on the right See also:hand of the Indies, very near the terrestrial See also:paradise." The name must have been given derisively, as the barren coasts of Lower California could not have suggested the proximity of a " terrestrial paradise." The exploration of the coast did not extend above the peninsula until 1842. The name California was at first applied exclusively to the peninsula; later, on the supposition that a strait connected the Pacific with the head of the Gulf of California, the name Islas Californias was frequently used.

This erroneous theory was held as See also:

late as 1721. The first settlement was made in 1597, but was abandoned. From 1633 to 1683 five unsuccessful attempts were made to establish a settlement at La Paz. Finally the Jesuits succeeded in See also:founding a See also:mission at See also:Loreto on the Gulf coast, in about 26°'N. See also:lat., in 1697, and at La Paz in 1720. At the time of their See also:expulsion (1767) they had sixteen See also:missions which were either self-supporting or were maintained by funds invested for that See also:special purpose. The settlement of Upper California began in 1769, after which the two provinces were distinguished as California Baja or See also:Antigua, and California Alta, the seat of government remaining in the former for a See also:short time. The two provinces were separated in 1804, were united under one See also:governor residing in California Alta in 1825, and were then re-united in a single See also:department through the See also:political changes of 1836, which lasted no later than 1847. Lower California was only slightly disturbed by the struggle for See also:independence among the Spanish-See also:American colonies, but in 1822 See also:Admiral See also:Lord Cochrane, who was in the service of the Chilean revolutionists, appeared on the coast and plundered San Jose del Cabo, Todos Santos and Loreto. In the See also:war between Mexico and the United States La Paz and other coast towns were occupied by small detachments from California. In 1853 a filibustering expedition against Sonora under See also:William See also:Walker took See also:possession of La Paz and proclaimed a republic consisting of Sonora and the peninsula. Fearing an attack from the mainland, the filibusters first with-See also:drew to La Ensenada, near the American frontier, and then in the following See also:year See also:broke up altogether during an See also:attempt to invade Sonora by See also:land. A revolution under the leadership of Marquez de See also:Leon in 1879 met with some temporary success, but died for want of material support in 1880.

The development of mining and other industries since that time, together with vigorous efforts to found colonies in the more favoured localities, have greatly improved the situation in the territory. See the two volumes of H. H. See also:

Bancroft's North Mexican States and See also:Texas, lettered vols. 15 and 16 of his See also:Works; also See also:Arthur Walbridge North, The See also:Mother of California (San Francisco, 1908).

End of Article: CALIFORNIA, LOWER (Baja California)

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML.
Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide.
Do not copy, download, transfer, or otherwise replicate the site content in whole or in part.

Links to articles and home page are always encouraged.

[back]
CALIFORNIA 		[next]
CALIFORNIA, UNIVERSITY OF

Site © 2006 - Net Industries