Los Angeles ( ;or /los ˈanxeles/ in Spanish) is the largest city in the state of California and the second-largest in the United States. Often abbreviated as L.A., it is rated an alpha world city, having an estimated population of 3.8 million and spanning over 469.1 square miles (1,214.9 square kilometers) in Southern California. Additionally, the Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area is home to nearly 17,776,000 people who hail from all over the globe and speak more than a hundred different languages. Los Angeles is the seat of Los Angeles County, the most populous and most diverse county in the United States. Its inhabitants are known as "Angelenos" ( ).
Los Angeles was founded in the year 1781, by Spanish governor Felipe de Neve as El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles de Porciúncula (The Village of Our Lady, the Queen of the Angels of Porciúncula). It became a part of Mexico in 1821, following its independence from Spain. In 1848, at the end of the Mexican-American War, Los Angeles and California were purchased as part of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, thus becoming part of the United States; Mexico retained the territory of Baja California. It was incorporated as a municipality on April 4 1850 — five months before California achieved statehood.
Los Angeles is one of the world's most prominent centers of culture, technology, and international trade. It is home to renowned institutions covering a broad range of professional and cultural fields. The city and its immediate vicinity lead the world in producing popular entertainment — such as motion picture, television, video games and recorded music — which forms the base of Los Angeles' international fame and global status. The Los Angeles Consular Corps is one of the largest and most important consular communities in the world.
