Louisiana Information
Louisiana, nicknamed Pelican State, is a state in the south of America and is best known for its many cotton plantations. The capital is not the great New Orleans but the labor city of Baton Rouge. The capital is best known for the State Capitol built by Huey Long, from which you have a beautiful view of the city. The tourist city of New Orleans is best known for its music, swamps and beautiful cemeteries. New Orleans is located at the lowest point of the Mississippi Delta, so many graves have surfaced. To know more about this you can follow the cemetry of voodootours. See all cities in Louisiana.
Geography
Louisiana located on the Gulf of Mexico borders the states of Texas, Arkansas and Mississippi. The state is largely lowland formed by the large Mississippi River delta. Large parts of the state are heavily forested, but there are also open areas that are slowly disappearing into the sea, especially around the Mississippi and Red Rivers.
Along the coast are many lagoons and lakes, including Lake Pontchartrain, the Toledo Bend Reservoir, Grand Lake, and White Lake. The south of the state consists of wetlands and swamps and is difficult to access. The highest point in this flat state is the 163m high Driskill Mouantain.
History
Louisiana was originally settled by Native American tribes such as the Choctaw. In 1528, they were members of an expedition led by Spaniard Pánfilo de Narváez who discovered the mouth of the Mississippi River. More than thirteen years later, an expedition led by Hernando de Soto explored the area around the Mississippi Delta.
Because the Spaniards were no longer interested, it was the French who went to explore the area. In 1682, René Robert Cavelier de La Salle renamed the area Louisiana in honor of his monarch Louis XIV.
The French lost Louisiana to Spain around 1760, after which Napoleon Bonaparte-ruled France regained it around 1800. In 1803, the territory was sold to the United States, a transaction known as the Louisiana Purhcase.
On April 30, 1812, Louisiana became the 18th state to join the United States of America. In 1861, Louisiana joined the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War (1861-1865). In 1927, 700,000 people became homeless after the Mississippi overflowed its banks. In 2010, Louisiana was hit by Hurricane Katrina, which is considered the worst natural disaster in American history
Economy
The Louisiana economy is quite diverse, including fishing, agriculture, oil and gas extraction. Oil and gas extraction takes place in the Gulf of Mexico. Along the Mississippi River, especially between the cities of New Orleans and Baton Rouge, there are many oil refineries, coal processing plants and steel mills. This region is also called the Port of South. Baton rouge is also an important export port of grain and wheat from the Midwest for shipment southwards via the Mississippi River.
Tourism is of great economic importance to the state, especially the cotton plantations and New Orleans. Although Louisiana is located on the Gulf of Mexico, there is hardly any coastal tourism because the coast mainly consists of wetlands and swamps. The Louisiana coastline has hardly any sandy beaches, the only main one being the secluded Grand Isle.
Abbreviation: | LA |
Nickname: | Pelican State |
Joined the US as the 18th state on: | 30 april 1812 |
Capital city: | Baton Rouge |
Census: | 4.574.836 |
Surface: | 134.382 km² |
Geography: | Bordering Arkansas, Mississippi and Texas |
Governor: | John Bel Edwards |
state motto: | Union, justice, confidence |
Louisiana Official Website: | louisiana.gov |