Neptune's Needle

City (1990 pop. 3,485,398; 2000 pop. 3,694,820), (cap.) Los Angeles co., S Calif., bounding Pacific Ocean in 3 places, at Pacific Palisades c.15 miles W of downtown, at Venice 12 miles SW of downtown, and at San Pedro (Long Beach area) 20 miles S of downtown; 34º07'N 118º25'W. Drained by Los Angeles R., a large concrete flood control channel that can swell into a raging torrent during Pacific storms. A port of entry on the Pacific coast, with a fine harbor at San Pedro Bay, it is the 2d largest U.S. city in pop. and 7th largest in area. Los Angeles Harbor and Long Beach Harbor, together, are Los Angeles’s port, part in City of Long Beach and part in Los Angeles (the 2 cities adjoin each other). Los Angeles has one of the busiest ports in the U.S.; roughly half of its commerce is foreign.

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Compiler

Peter Richards