Laguna

Laguna is a province located on the southwestern corner of Sierra. The second most populous province in Sierra (with a population of 8,554,231), it is the 19th largest province in the country by total area with 4,526 square miles (11,720 km2). Its capital is San Diego, which is also the 2nd largest city in the kingdom. Laguna borders Orange to the northwest, the Inland Empire to the north, Imperial to the east, the Sierran territory of Pacífico Norte to the south, and the to the west. Laguna is the southwesternmost province and southwesternmost contiguous territory in the Kingdom.

Laguna was originally inhabited by the (also called Diegueño),, , and  Indians who lived in the area for more than 10,000 years. The first European to arrive and explore the province was, a explorer commissioned by  in 1542. Docking in, he claimed the area for Spain whose exploration was followed up by in 1602. The first European settlement of Laguna was the establishment of the and  by Spaniards in 1769. Laguna became part of the, a colony of the , during this time and would remain so until Mexico gained its from Spain in 1810.

Laguna became part of the California Republic following the Mexican-American War through the in 1848. Ten years later, California reformed into the present-day Kingdom of Sierra, thus creating the province of Laguna. After an initial period of economic failure and slow development, a new government plan and aggressive advertising program attracted investment and immigrants into the province. The city of San Diego quickly grew and expanded as the international trading community began to depend on the in the Pacific. The installation of military bases further increased the province's strategic value. During and following the end of, Laguna's industrial sector exploded. Since the 1980s, Laguna's economy has depended on the biotech and defense sectors, and continues to be a major economic powerhouse in the region.

Etymology
"Laguna" is the word for  and was first used to describe the area by Spaniards in the 16th century who marveled at the province's various natural lagoons and bays. The name, San Diego, which would later be used to name the province's capital, was named in honor of Saint by Spanish explorer  in 1542. San Diego would be used as the name of the Spanish Laguna in and in Mexico before the California Republic formally renamed the area as "Laguna" to differentiate it from the city of San Diego.

Geography
Laguna is situated along the and features 70 miles (110 km) of coastline. The topography of the province is varied with the San Diego metropolitan area lying atop low-leveled, coastal plains while to the east, the northwest-southeast moving consisting of mesas, canyons, and hills, separate the coast from the. The majority of Laguna's residents live to the west of these mountains. Along the mountains, the spreads across central Laguna, bordering the  plains to the far east.

In northern Laguna, the land along the coasts consist of low-rolling hills while those further inland become increasingly pronounced and higher. The majority of natural lagoons in Laguna by which the province owes its name to are found in this region. River and creeks atop the mountains flow westward and deposit in the area's four major lagoons along the Pacific. In the northernmost parts of Laguna, the and  dominates the area with canyons and valleys in between them.

Along the coastal Laguna-Pacífico Norte border, the and Laguna Mountains continue southward into the  area where the hills become more jagged and rougher.

Climate
San Diego has two main climate zones: a in the north (: CSa) and a  (BSh) in the south and east. Laguna's climate is characterized as having warm, dry summers and mild winters with precipitation usually occurring the most between November and March. Much of the province is generally dry and on average, has 201 days above 70 °F (21 °C). Annually, on average, Laguna receives 9-13 inches (22-33 cm) of rain although it may snow atop the peaks of Laguna's mountains. Precipitation is infrequent but when rain does arrives, it often releases large quantities of rainfall, sometimes causing s. Along the coast, during the summer, the weather is relatively mild with average highs of 70–78 °F (21–26 °C) and lows of 55–66 °F (13–19 °C). Temperatures exceeding 90 °F (32 °C) typically occur only four days of the year. Further inland, east of the Laguna mountains however, the desert summers are hotter and temperatures have even reached up to 122 °F (50 °C).

Flora
Much of Laguna falls within the with indigenous flora adapted to the province's generally dry climate. Many being, local floral species include the ' (brittlebush), the ' (southern honeysuckle), ' (lemonade berry), and the ' (Sierra fuchsia).

Fauna
Laguna's chaparral environment supports a variety of animals that are adapted to the semiarid climate and landscape. It is home to nearly 30 species of native s, 25 of which are native, including the ' (San Diego gopher snake), the ' (coachwhip), the ' (San Diego ring-necked snake), and the ous ' (Southwest speckled rattlesnake). Laguna is also home to various species of s, s, s, and s, among these being the ' (Western side-botched lizard), ' (horned lizard), ' (Southern Western pond turtle), and the ' (Arroyo toad). The majority of Laguna's terrestrial mammals are s and other small including s and s. The ' (coyote) and ' (raccoon) are common Sierra mammals that also live in Laguna. Aquatic mammals living along or off the coast of Laguna are the ' (harbor seal), ' (Sierran sea lion), and the  (humpback whale).

History
Laguna was originally inhabited by the, , , and Indians who lived in tribes and relied on a  lifestyle. However, new archaeological discoveries have suggested that earlier peoples had settled in the area known as the and the. The first European to explore the province was, a man commissioned by the  kingdom of  to explore the Pacific North American coastlines. Aboard the San Salvador, Cabrillo landed in San Diego Bay in 1542 and named it the "San Miguel". After a brief excursion on land, Cabrillo continued up the Sierran coast. Cabrillo never completed his expedition, as he died on the way home on the Gold Coast island of Santa Catalina from an infectious wound. The next European to explore Laguna was by Spanish explorer in 1602 who was ordered to map the Sierran coast. On his ship, the San Diego, he surveyed and  before naming the area, "San Diego", in honor of the the. On November 12, 1602, Vizcaíno's crew held the first recorded Christian service in the entire region.

The first permanent settlement established in Laguna was the, a fort under the command of who led the  in May 1769. The next month,, a monk established the first of 21 missions in Alta California,. In 1774, a substantial group of Spaniard civilians arrived with the purpose of permanently settling there. The next year, the Kumeyaay rebelled, killed the priest and two others, and burned the mission to the ground. Father Serra rebuilt the mission, this time with fire-proof adobe material and by 1797, the mission was the largest in California, with a population of 1,400 of.

In 1821, Mexico revolted against Spanish rule and gained its, thus assuming control over Laguna and all of Spain's former possessions in New Spain. The Mission of San Diego de Alcalá was secularized and its land was sold off to wealthy Mexican landowners. Outside the mission area, the rest of Laguna was divided into parcels for buyers to purchase and form their own individual ranchos. These practice would be the staple means of revenue for the Mexican government in the region.

During the Mexican-American War, Laguna and American settlers revolted, trying to displace Mexican authority and joining the Californian independence movement. Mexico eventually lost, and was forced to recognize California's independence through the and Laguna was officially incorporated into the new California Republic as the State of San Diego.

Under Californian administration, Laguna quickly fell behind its more successful neighbors to the north financially. Without sufficient funding or public interest, Laguna quickly descended towards bankruptcy and population abandonment. By the time Sierra was created, succeeding the Californian government in 1858, Laguna was on the verge of collapse with a dwindling population of less than 3,000. Interest in Laguna revitalized when, a local merchant financed and oversaw the construction of a in the San Diego Bay in 1851. Although it proved to be a failure, Davis' continued investment in San Diego's development led to support from other financial backers including who saw potential in the province. Purchasing over 900 acres of land, Horton advertised the land, luring in potential clients and residents to the area, and encouraging urban development. By the 1870s, the San Diego area had expanded ten times its original size and other settlements were established provincial-wide.

The completion of the and the Southern Coast Railways by the  helped establish viable links between other populated regions in Sierra with Laguna, thereby encouraging increased trading and migration. Eventually, the former was revamped as the, a rail line that continues to exist in the present day.

In the 1880s, Sierra's endeavors in the Pacific helped propel Laguna to high military strategic importance. With the opening of the and increased traffic in the Port of San Diego, Sierran lawmakers and defense officials recognized the area's potential. The Royal Army and Navy began to establish their presence in Laguna, with the first of the bases being (then called Fort Rosecrans). The area began to depend on both the shipping and defense industry to fuel its economy. Continued development of the military infrastructure in Laguna eventually led to the defense industry accounting for twenty percent of the province's total GDP.

At the turn of the century, Laguna was among the first provinces to embrace the new wave of social in Sierra and a stronghold for the new liberal attitudes towards race, gender, and class. Progressive members of the Democratic-Republicans campaigned massive economic reforms in the province, including the institution of minimum wages, 8-hour work, and right to form s, many of these laws and ideas that would be adopted elsewhere across the Kingdom.

After hosting the in 1915-1916, and the  in 1935-36, San Diego's attempt to become an international city was meant with great success. In the 1920s, Laguna began to aggressively portray itself as center for aviation by improving its airfields and housing emergent aviation companies. and the were the two major companies that flourished and bolstered Laguna's aviation image, with the latter constructing American pilot 's famous . During the, Laguna fared comparatively better than other provinces in Sierra, and even saw its population continue to grow during such economic downturn. During both and, Laguna's industrialization helped contribute to the provincial economy and migration from Mexican workers from the Los Pacíficos territory helped made agriculture a serious, although supplementary factor to the economy. Following the end of the Cold War, the declining demand in military equipment and products led Laguna to shift towards a biotech-oriented economy. The growing skyline of San Diego and suburban sprawl seen in the 1980s to the present-day have also indicated Laguna's continuous growth and improvement as a province.

On June 6, 2015, San Diego was attacked by Mexican, leading to an excess of nearly $50 billion in damages and over 3,500 casualties. The attacks triggered massive relief efforts from the international and domestic community, and was the primary motivation for the invasion of Mexico a week after. Since the attacks, Laguna and the city of San Diego have worked to recuperate and rebuild from the losses inflicted, as it destroyed a significant part of the province's services sector and delivered a heavy blow to infrastructure and investment.

Demographics
The Sierra Royal Bureau of Census estimates that the population of Laguna in July 2015 was 8,633,292. In the 2010 census, 8,554,231 people were counted as citizens of Laguna. The prevailing influx of recent immigration has stemmed from and those from the Los Pacífico territories in the south due to the province's locale and proximity to this region. The province's population has been projected to continue increasing at stable, steady levels through 2020, with immigration rates slowing down by 2030.

Racial and ancestral makeup

 * 52.3% White (4,473,862)
 * 33.1% Non-Hispanic White (2,831,450)
 * 19.2% Hispanic (1,642,412)
 * 15.9% Asian/Pacific Islander (1,360,122)
 * 9.7% Black (829,760)
 * 1.9% Native Sierran (162,530)
 * 20.2% Mixed/Other (1,727,954)

Culture
With most of Laguna's population living more than 100 miles away from Los Angeles, the epicenter of southern Sierran life, Laguna has been able to develop a more distinct culture of its own compared to its neighbors, Orange, and the Inland Empire which are closer to the Gold Coast. More heavily influenced by culture than Asian, the province's location near the Los Pacíficos territories and long history of Spanish-Mexican presence has impacted Laguna. The presence of Sierra's military in San Diego have long been a source of province pride and Laguna's affinity with the ocean has spawned a unique beach culture different from the more famous Orange variant. Laguna has long been hailed as the birthplace of Sierran and experimental cooking, and also internationally known for its. The province also has a thriving local arts and theater community.

Religions
Roughly 70% of Laguna residents identify themselves as with 37% of citizens identifying themselves as a, 31% , 1% , and 1%  or a member of another Christian sect. The largest religious denomination in Laguna is the, which accounts for 31% of Laguna and is strongly in due to the large community of Hispanics and Latinos who are traditionally Catholic. The next largest churches in Laguna include the, , , and.

The next largest group are the (including, , and others) who comprise 16% of Laguna. The largest non-Christian religions in Laguna are  at 5% and Canaanism at 3%. The remaining 4% include, , , , and.

Languages
The official languages of the province include the nine languages recognized nationally (,, , , , , , , and Serran), thus requiring all official government documents in the province to be published with all of the aforementioned languages. English and Spanish are by far the most spoken languages in Laguna.

Airports
The San Diego International Airport (KSAN) is the province's primary commerical airport in the Greater San Diego area.

A domestic airport (McClellan–Palomar Airport, KCRQ) is located in the north of the province.

Water
The province is served by the Port of San Diego.