Sequoia Facts for Kids

Sequoia, Sequoya, or Sequoyah most often refers to a type of giant tree in the cypress family. These amazing trees include the famous redwood trees. But the name "Sequoia" can also mean many other things, from places to people and even computer programs!

Giant Trees: The Sequoias

Sequoia trees are some of the biggest and oldest living things on Earth. They are known for their incredible height and massive trunks. There are three main types of sequoia trees:

Coast Redwoods

The Sequoia sempervirens, also called the coast redwood, grows along the coast of California and Oregon. These trees are the tallest in the world! They love the foggy, damp air near the ocean.

A tall coast redwood tree in Redwood National Park.

Giant Sequoias

The Sequoiadendron giganteum, or giant sequoia, grows on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountains in California. While not as tall as coast redwoods, these trees are the most massive in terms of total wood volume. They are truly giants!

A giant sequoia tree in Sequoia National Park.

Dawn Redwoods

Metasequoia, or dawn redwood, is a type of sequoia that was once thought to be extinct! It was only known from fossils until living trees were found in China. Unlike the other two, dawn redwoods lose their needles in the fall.

Famous Sequoia Trees

The Great Sequoia is a special sequoia tree located in Vitoria-Gasteiz, a city in Spain.

Science and Technology Fun Facts

The name Sequoia is also used for cool things in science and technology:

Computer Stuff

macOS Sequoia is a version of the operating system used on Apple computers.
Sequoia (supercomputer) was a very powerful computer built by IBM. It was used for important scientific research.

Space and Beyond

1103 Sequoia is the name of a small planet, also called a minor planet, orbiting in space.

Movies, Music, and Art

Sequoia has inspired many creative works:

Films and Shows

Old Sequoia is a cartoon from 1945.
Sequoia (1934) and Sequoia (2014) are two different movies.
Sequoia (comics) is a character from Marvel Comics.

Music and Art

Sequoia is a piece of music written by an American composer named Joan Tower.
"Sequoia" is also a song by the music group Way Out West.
Sequoya is a bronze statue.

Places to Visit

Many places in the United States are named after these amazing trees or the famous person Sequoyah:

National Parks and Forests

Sequoia National Park is a famous national park in California where you can see giant sequoia trees.
Sequoia National Forest is a large forest next to the national park.
Giant Sequoia National Monument is a special area within the National Forest that protects even more giant sequoias.

Other Places in the US

Mount Sequoyah is a mountain in the Great Smoky Mountains.
Sequoia Park Zoo is a zoo located in Eureka, California.
Sequoyah County, Oklahoma is a county named after the famous inventor.
Sequoyah Nuclear Plant is a power plant in Tennessee.
State of Sequoyah was an attempt by Native Americans in the early 1900s to create their own state.

Places Around the World

Tour Sequoia is a tall office building in Paris, France.

Schools Named Sequoia

Many schools are named Sequoia or Sequoyah, often because of the trees or the famous inventor:

There are several middle schools and high schools with this name.
Sequoyah High School (Georgia) is a public school in Canton, Georgia.
Sequoyah High School (Claremore, Oklahoma) is another public school.
Sequoyah High School (Tahlequah, Oklahoma) is a high school that also serves as a boarding school for Native American students.
Sequoyah School is a special independent school in Pasadena, California.

Transportation

The name Sequoia is also used for different types of vehicles:

Piper Sequoya and Sequoia Falco are types of light airplanes.
Sequoia Field Airport is a small airport in California.
Toyota Sequoia is a large sport utility vehicle (SUV) that many families use.
USS Sequoia was a special yacht used by many United States presidents.
USS Sequoyah was a patrol boat used by the US Navy a long time ago.

People Named Sequoia or Sequoyah

Some interesting people share this name:

Sequoyah (1767–1843) was a very important Native American man. He was a silversmith who invented the Cherokee syllabary, which is a writing system for the Cherokee language. This allowed many Cherokee people to read and write!
Johnny Sequoyah (born 2002) is an American actress.
Sequoia Holmes is an American basketball player.
Sequoia Nagamatsu is an American writer and professor.

Other Uses

Sequoyah (horse) was a famous Irish racehorse.

Sequoia facts for kids

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