How was California named?

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The name California is most commonly believed to have derived from a fictional paradise peopled by Black Amazons and ruled by a Queen Califia (perhaps from caliph[7]). The myth of Califia is recorded in a 1510 work The Exploits of Esplandian, written as a sequel to Amadís de Gaula by Spanish adventure writer Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo.[8][7][9] The kingdom of Queen Califia or Calafia, according to Montalvo, was said to be a remote land inhabited by griffins and other strange beasts and rich in gold. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California#Etymology Or this: The state was named for a mythical land described in a popular Spanish novel from around 1500, Las sergas de Esplandián (The exploits of Esplandián) by Garcia Ordóñez de Montalvo. http://www.infoplease.com/spot/spanishnames.html Mar 29 10, 8:12 PM