Topography

Before diving in to Los Angeles topography, it’s important to understand what it is. Topography is the configuration of the surface of an area including all manmade and natural features.

Los Angeles topography is a combination of coastal areas, valleys, mountains, aqueducts and large buildings, which all impact on the daily lives of the residents of this beautiful area.

Los Angeles consists of 498.3 square miles of which 29.2 miles are water. It is also home to a large selection of mountain ranges including the Santa Monica Mountains, San Gabriel Mountains, Santa Susana Mountains and Verdugo Mountains.

Downtown Los Angeles and the Library of Congress are noticeable man made features. But it’s the mountains and hills that have such a large impact on the good weather that this area benefits from.

In general you will only experience approximately 35 days of rainfall a year and this is thanks to the high mountain ranges including Mount Lukens which is 1,650m in height.  The rain gets trapped on the rugged mountain ranges reducing the rainfall in all the other areas.

The mountains are a result of tectonic pressure and the lifting of the earth’s crust along the San Andreas Fault, this is what causes the earthquakes that this area experiences.

The beautiful valleys include the San Fernando Valley, San Gabriel valley and Pomona Valley and the Napa Valley, which are tucked safely between hills and mountains.  Cell phone towers have had to be strategically placed in order to maximize signal strength to all areas.

Topography also affects the land use of an area and Los Angeles is limited due to the amount of mountain ranges in the area. There are only a very few roads which cover the mountainous regions.

The hills in the area are known for hiking and bicycling and include the Dominguez Hills, Hollywood Hill, Signal Hill, Puento Hills and Palos Verdes Hills.  The area also enjoys a fair few rivers, which twine through the area such as the Los Angeles River, Rio Hondo River, San Gabriel River and Santa Clara River.

Manmade features which affect the population in Los Angeles are the two aqueducts which play such an important role in their everyday lives.

Los Angeles Aqueduct is operated by the Los Angeles Department of Power and Water and was completed in 1913.  This aqueduct uses gravity to move the water and generate cheap electricity.  It consists of 223 miles of steel piping, 120 miles of rail road tracks, 120 miles of power lines and 240 miles of telephone lines.

The second Los Angeles aqueduct starts at the Haiwee Reservoir and runs parallel to the Los Angeles Aqueduct for 137 miles until they join together.  This second aqueduct uses a pump to move the water unlike the gravity dependability of the main aqueduct.  These aqueducts service a large portion of Los Angeles and impact greatly on the residents.

When you think of buildings, coastal areas, mountains, hills, rivers and valleys, you don’t think how they affect an area in their weather patterns, lifestyles, land usage and natural disasters.  Los Angeles is a prime example of how topography works in an area and how our lives are affected by the topography.

While a major tourist destination, Los Angeles enjoys lots of hiking and bicycling opportunities on their rugged mountain ranges.  They also offer beach activities and sunshine on their beautiful coastal areas and their main Los Angeles Downtown area offers culture, entertainment, cuisine and business activities.

Each man made or natural feature impacts the area in some way.  Los Angeles is the economic hub of the world and it relies on its coastal areas and port to benefit from some of this revenue.