the Great Depression of the 1930s thousands
of homeless farm families moved
to the state hoping to earn a living. DuringWorldWar
II (1939–45) California’s
industries, such as aircraft plants
and shipyards, greatly expanded. Many
people moved to the state for work and
stayed after the war.
In the early 21st century California continued
to attract new residents, including
many from Mexico. The state had to
deal with issues such as creating affordable
housing and educating people from
many different backgrounds.
..More to explore
Gold Rush • Los Angeles • MexicanWar
• Missions, Spanish • Sacramento
• Sierra Nevada
Facts About
CALIFORNIA
Flag
Population
(2000 census)
33,871,648—
rank, 1st state;
(2008 estimate)
36,756,666—
rank, 1st state
Capital
Sacramento
Area
163,696 sq mi
(423,970 sq
km)—rank, 3rd
state
Statehood
September 9,
1850
Motto
Eureka (I Have
Found It)
State bird
California quail
State flower
Golden poppy
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA California 13
Caliphate
The Caliphate was the name of the
lands ruled by Muslims from AD 632 to
1258. The leaders of Islam after the
prophet Muhammad had the title of
caliph, which means “successor” in Arabic.
The caliphs built an empire that
stretched from India in the east to Spain
in the west.
The First Caliphs
Islam began in the Arabian Peninsula in
the early 600s. Muhammad, the founder
of Islam, died in 632. Muslims then
chose Abu Bakr to lead the Muslim
community. He became the first caliph.
He and the three caliphs who followed
him—!Umar I, !Uthman, and !Ali—
were relatives of Muhammad.
Some Muslims rebelled against !Ali. This
brought about a split in Islam that still
exists today. The followers of !Ali
became the Shi!ite branch. The followers
of Mu!awiyah I, who was !Ali’s main
opponent, became the Sunnites.
The Umayyad Caliphate
By 661, Mu!awiyah had become the first
of a line of caliphs called the Umayyads.
Under their rule, Muslim armies took
over North Africa and most of the Iberian
Peninsula (now Spain and Portugal)
in Europe.
Eventually, some Muslims rebelled
against the Umayyads’ rule. Forces of
the !Abbasid family defeated the last
Umayyad caliph in battle in 750.
The !Abbasid Caliphate
The !Abbasid family started a new line
of caliphs. The early !Abbasid caliphs
supported trade, the arts, and the sciences.
One caliph, called al-Ma#mun,
tried to make peace with the Shi!ites but
failed.
The !Abbasids turned their attention
away from the area around the Mediterranean
Sea. Instead, they looked eastward
and made Baghdad (in what is
now Iraq) their capital. They also took
on many soldiers from non-Arab
peoples, particularly the Turks.
An Umayyad caliph is pictured on a gold coin from the 600s.
14 Caliphate BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
End of the Caliphate
The Buyids of Persia (now Iran)
conquered the !Abbasids in 945. The
Seljuq Turks took over in 1055. The
caliph became mainly a religious leader.
Mongol raiders killed the last real
!Abbasid caliph in Baghdad in 1258.
After that, people first in Egypt and
then in the Ottoman Empire (centered
in Turkey) claimed to be caliphs.
However, most Muslims did not
recognize their power.
#More to explore
Abu Bakr • Islam • Muhammad
Calligraphy
Calligraphy is the art of beautiful handwriting.
Artists who create calligraphy
are called calligraphers. They often use a
special pen or a brush to make their art.
Calligraphy in Europe
Writing first developed more than 5,000
years ago. It was not until about the
500s BC, however, that some people
began to use writing as a kind of decoration.
The Greeks were the first to use
one kind of writing for everyday documents
and another for more important
texts. Later Europeans based their calligraphy
on Greek and Roman styles.
Until about the 1400s few people knew
how to write at all. Religious men called
monks used calligraphy as they copied
and decorated religious books. Students
and professional copyists also knew how
to write. Some used calligraphy while
others used more simple forms.
By the 1400s many more people were
learning how to write. In order to make
writing a practical and easy skill, letters
were simplified. At the same time the
printing press was invented. This used
simple letters that could be easily combined
to print a page. Calligraphy lost
importance until the late 1800s. Then it
became a popular hobby.
Calligraphy in Other Cultures
In China people consider calligraphy to
be a high art form, like poetry or painting.
Chinese calligraphers use brushes
with ink on silk or paper. They do not
change the look of the characters (the
symbols of the Chinese language) by
adding decorations.
Hebrew calligraphy is one of the oldest
forms of writing. It has kept its basic
style for hundreds of years. Copies of the
Torah (the Jewish holy writings) are
written by hand in Hebrew calligraphy.
Arabic calligraphy has been an important
art form in the Islamic world since
the 600s. Arabic letters are easily linked
Calligraphy is an important art in Japan.
Many Japanese schoolchildren enter calligraphy
contests.
People often
hire professional
calligraphers
to write
out wedding
invitations or
other special
documents.
