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Definition: Central Valley from Merriam-Webster's Geographical Dictionary

Valley of Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers (qq.v.) in California, bet. the Sierra Nevada and Coast Ranges; over 400 mi. (644 km.) long, 20 to 50 mi. (32 to 80 km.) wide; contains productive irrigated farmland.


Central Valley

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
Vast central lowland of California, USA, 80–130 km/50–80 mi wide, running some 720 km/450 mi north-northwest to south-southeast, between the Sierra Nevada and the Cascade Range (to the east) and the Coast Ranges (to the west). Its two sections are also known, after their major rivers, as the Sacramento Valley (to the north) and San Joaquin Valley (to the south). The valley is a sediment-filled, flat plain, and was formerly a coastal swamp; the ranges on either side are newer products of California's ongoing mountain building processes. In its centre, the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers meet in a complex delta, draining west through San Francisco Bay. The potential of the arid southern San Joaquin Valley led to the establishment (1935) of the Central Valley Project, which has created dozens of dams, reservoirs, and canals from Shasta Lake (in the north) to the Bakersfield area and the Tehachapi Mountains, at the valley's southern end. As a result, the San Joaquin Valley has become the…
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Full text Article Central Valley

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
great trough of central Calif., c.450 mi (720 km) long and c.50 mi (80 km) wide, between the Sierra Nevada and the Coast Ranges. The Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers drain much of the valley before converging in a huge delta and flowing into San Francisco Bay; the delta is California's leading…
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Full text Article Central Valley

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
Vast central lowland of California, USA, 80–130 km/50–80 mi wide, running some 720 km/450 mi north-northwest to south-southeast, between the Sierra Nevada and the Cascade Range (to the east) and the Coast Ranges (to the west). Its two sections are also known, after their major rivers, as the…
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Full text Article Central Valley

From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
Valley, California, U.S. Located between the Sierra Nevada and the Coast Ranges , it is more than 400 mi (640 km) long and 20–50 mi (32–80 km) wide. The Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers, which run through the valley, are fed by abundant rains and melting snows of the Sierras. …
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Full text Article Central Valley project

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
central Calif., long-term general scheme for the utilization of the water of the Sacramento River basin in the north for the benefit of the farmlands of the San Joaquin Valley in the south, undertaken by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in 1935. The program's concerns are flood control; improvement of…
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Full text Article Central Valley

From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
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Full text Article Lombard conquest of central Danube valley

From Reference Guide to the Major Wars and Conflicts in History: Wars in the Ancient World (Prehistory to 600 CE)
Also known as: Lombard wars with the Gepidae; Lombard wars with the Heruli ca. 500–ca. 565 PRINCIPAL COMBATANTS: The Lombards vs. the Heruli and, separately, vs. the Gepidae PRINCIPAL THEATER(S): Central Danube valley DECLARATION: None MAJOR ISSUES AND OBJECTIVES: Control of territory in and around…
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Full text Article Central Valley coffee region

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
Central Valley coffee region
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Full text Article Central Valley

From The American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language
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Full text Article Central Valley

From Merriam-Webster's Collegiate(R) Dictionary Full text Article Geographical Names
| 14 words
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Full text Article Central Valley

From Merriam-Webster's Geographical Dictionary
| 39 words
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