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Los Angeles—often simply called L.A.—is the largest city in the state of California and the second-largest in the United States in terms of population. It is an alpha world city having a population of about 4 million people and spanning 469.1 square miles (1214.9 square kilometers). The Los Angeles–Long Beach–Santa Ana metropolitan area is home to 12.9 million people. The Los Angeles Area encompasses a much larger area though, consisting of 5 counties, known as the Greater Los Angeles Area, or just the LA Area.

Los Angeles was founded in 1781 by Spanish Captain Rivera y Moncada. It was a part of Mexico, since it gained independence from Spain in 1821, until 1848, when Mexico ceded California to the United States by treaty at the conclusion of the Mexican-American War. It was not incorporated as a municipality until April 4, 1850—five months before California achieved statehood. It is the county seat of Los Angeles County.

Los Angeles is one of the world's centers of culture, science, technology, international trade, and higher education, and is home to world-renowned institutions in a broad range of professional and cultural fields. The city and its immediate surrounding vicinity lead the world in producing popular entertainment—such as motion picture, television, and recorded music—which forms the base of Los Angeles's international fame and global status.