The San Joaquin Valley /ˌsæn hwɑːˈkiːn/ is the area of the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California that lies south of the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta. Eight counties comprise the San Joaquin Valley: all of Kings County; a majority of Fresno, Kern, Merced, and Stanislaus counties; and segments of Madera, San Luis Obispo, and Tulare counties.