Global Study Group

San Diego

San Diego County is a county located on the Pacific Ocean in the far southwest of the U.S. state of California, United States along its border with Mexico. According to the 2000 Census, its population was 2,813,833, making it the third largest county by population in the state and the sixth largest in the country. The state of California estimates its population as of 2007 to be 3,098,269 people, increasing its rank to second place, ahead of Orange County. The county seat is the city of San Diego.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 4,526 mi² (11,721 km²). 4,200 mi² (10,878 km²) of it is land and 326 mi² (843 km²) of it (7.20%) is water.
San Diego County has varied topography. On its western side is seventy miles of coastline. Snow-capped mountains rise to the northeast, with the Sonoran Desert to the far east. The Cleveland National Forest is in the northeast portion of the county. North San Diego County is known locally as "North County".

History
European settlement in what is now San Diego County began with the founding of the Mission San Diego de Alcala by the Spanish, in 1769.
San Diego County was one of the original counties of California, and was created at the time of statehood in 1850. It was named after San Diego Bay, which had been rechristened in 1602 by Sebastián Vizcaíno in honor of the Franciscan St. Didacus of Alcalá, known in Spanish as San Diego de Alcalá de Henares, and whose name was borne by Vizcaíno's flagship.
Parts of the county were later divided off to create Riverside County, in 1893, and Imperial County, in 1907.

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