The document provides a history of California covering several regions and time periods: 1) It describes the four main regions of California - the desert, coast, valley, and mountain regions - and some key features of each. 2) It then covers several important early explorers to California including Sir Francis Drake, Christopher Columbus, Hernando Cortes, and James Cook. 3) It discusses the establishment of the Spanish colony and missions in California led by figures like Gaspar de Portola, Juan Bautista de Anza, and Father Junipero Serra in the late 1700s.