Daily Journal

December 2, 2004:
Treasures from the Ocean
Journal 1 - On Shore and Off Shore
In the Pacific Northwest and Southern California

We arrived from Portland on December 1 to set sail on the New Horizon from San Diego, California. Our destination is about 100 miles south, off the coast of Baja, Mexico. The Pacific Northwest and Oregon were both visited by early European explorers; however, the Southern California area has grown much faster than that of the Pacific Northwest. Read below and answer the questions to test yourself in history, geography and mathematics.

History:

The coastline of San Diego was explored by Juan Cabrillo of Portugal in 1542. In 1769, San Diego became the site of one of the missions in the chain founded by Junipero Serra.

The coast of Oregon was explored by the Spaniards in the year 1543, followed by the British explorer Sir Francis Drake in 1579. Captain James Cook visited Yaquina Bay in 1778. He named Cape Foulweather. The first American captain to explore the coast of Oregon was Robert Gray in 1788. Four years later, he sailed up the Columbia River.

Question 1: How did the Columbia River get its name?

Geography:

Both Oregon and California border the Pacific Ocean. The southern border of Oregon is 42 degrees N latitude. Using a map or a globe, answer the following questions.

Question 2: What latitude is the southern border of California?

Question 3: Which city is farther west, San Diego, California or Reno, Nevada?

Mathematics:

San Diego skyline

San Diego is the second largest city in California and the sixth largest city nationally. The population of the San Diego metropolitan area is approximately 2.5 million. The Portland metro area is the most populated area in Oregon.

Question 4: Find the population of the Portland metro area. By what percent is the population of the San Diego metro area larger than the Portland metro area?

 

Nimitz Marine facility at Point Loma

Next Episode: On Board the New Horizon

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