There are several good reasons for selecting the Golden State. Unlike China, which lacks an ocean west of and adjacent to the Gobi Desert, California’s southern shore is a stone’s throw away from its own sparsely populated sun-drenched desert. In addition, the state features towering mountains, a vast southern metropolitan area with innumerable individual residential rooftops, and Death Valley, the lowest depression in North America, about 4.5 hours northeast of Los Angeles, 2.5 hours northwest of Las Vegas, and about 200 miles (321.9 km) as the crow flies from the ocean.