Located on California's Pacific Coast and close to the Mexican border, the city of San Diego has more than one million inhabitants and is known for its beaches and its cultural attractions.
Set on 100 acres in Balboa Park, the San Diego Zoo houses 4,000 rare animals and 700,000 plants. The zoo also has educational programs for children, special tours and sleepovers.
Balboa Park combines green spaces and cultural institutions. On Balboa Park's 1,200 acres you can find botanical gardens, Spanish-style architecture, the San Diego Zoo, the San Diego Automotive Museum, the San Diego Museum of Art, the Japanese Friendship Garden, a tennis club, a golf complex and other museums and facilities. The park was the site of the Panama-California Exposition in 1915.
Of the 21 missions the Spanish built in California, Mission San Diego de Alcala was the first. Established in 1769, the mission was the first church built in California; however, the church that stands today dates from 1812.
