CALIFORNIA

America's most populous state is often seen as a west coast paradise by those who live there - and those who desire to live there. Anchored around the urban centres of Los Angeles in the south and San Francisco in the north, California is a place of idyllic beaches, cutting-edge architecture, spectacular national parks and Hollywood dazzle. In the pages of California, find out about the Big Sur, the precipitous, beautiful windy drive along Route 1 in the central coast; Yosemite National Park, home to the imposing Half Dome and El Capitan mountains, and offering stunning views from Glacier Point; San Jose and Silicon Valley, centre of the world's tech industry; Santa Monica Beach, a mecca for sun seekers; Rodeo Drive, the home of luxury goods stores in Beverley Hills; and Death Valley in the Mojave Desert, one of the hottest, driest places on Earth.