about the name of california image - RighteousFighter

"The state of California was given its current name by Spanish explorers in the 1500s. They were familiar with a novel written in 1510 by Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo in which the main character was a queen called Calafia. He adapted her name from the title khalifah (califa in Spanish) since in the novel she joins forces with a Muslim army. When Spanish explorers sailed to the west coast of North America, they named the land California, since it was reminiscent of the land that Queen Calafia ruled over."