Relief map of the Bay Area

In this satellite's view of the Bay Area, we see the tip of the peninsula, which forms a square about seven miles by seven miles. San Francisco is a very compact city, built on a collection of steep hills. Above San Francisco is the Marin peninsula, with a number of small towns in an almost rural setting. Across from San Francisco is Berkeley and Oakland. Inside the bay towards the south are broad lowlands, which have a long series of cities. At the southern end is the Santa Clara Valley, which has San Jose and Silicon Valley. In the south along the Pacific is Santa Cruz Bay. At the top of it is Santa Cruz, which faces south and has a Meditteranean climate, and at the bottom are the beautiful towns of Monterey and Carmel. Towards the east is the broad Central Valley, home to agriculture.