The state of California in the USA has 58 counties. Every part of California belongs to one of the 58 counties, and the county is the default local government authority. So if you are outside of any city or town, you are in the county's jurisdiction.
As one would expect, the most populous county is Los Angeles county, with 9,519,338. The least populated county is Alpine County, with a population of 1,208! It is located on the border of The State of Nevada.
Here you can download a good Cali map. Counties California maps for download.
Here's a Southern Califoria counties map or two for more specific info.
