State of Louisiana
État de Louisiane

Image:Flag of Louisiana.svg Flag of Louisiana Seal of Louisiana Nickname(s): Bayou State, Child of the Mississippi, Creole State, Pelican State, Sportsman's Paradise, Sugar State Motto(s): Union, justice, and confidence Image:Map of USA highlighting Louisiana.png
Official language(s)	de jure: none de facto: English & French
Capital	Baton Rouge
Largest city	New Orleans Estimates of post-Katrina populations. United States Census Bureau (2006).
Area�	Ranked 31st
�- Total	51,885�sq�mi (134,382 km²)
�- Width	130�miles�(210 km)
�- Length	379�miles�(610 km)
�- % water	16
�- Latitude	29°N to 33°N
�- Longitude	89°W to 94°W
Population�	Ranked 22nd
�- Total (2000)	4,468,976
�- Density	102.59/sq�mi� 39.61/km² (22nd)
Elevation	�
�- Highest point	Driskill MountainElevations and Distances in the United States. U.S Geological Survey (29 April 2005). Retrieved on November 6, 2006. 535�ft� (163 m)
�- Mean	98�ft� (30 m)
�- Lowest point	New Orleans -8�ft� (-2 m)
Admission to Union�	April 30, 1812 (18th)
Governor	Kathleen Blanco (D)
U.S. Senators	Mary Landrieu (D) David Vitter (R)
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Abbreviations	LA US-LA
Web site	www.louisiana.gov

Louisiana (pronounced /luːˌiːziˈænə/ or /ˌluːziˈænə/) (French: Louisiane, pronounced Image:Ltspkr.png/lwizjan/) is a Southern state of the United States of America.

Namesake

Geography

Map of Louisiana

Topography

The state is bordered to the west by the state of Texas; to the north by Arkansas; to the east by the state of Mississippi; and to the south by the Gulf of Mexico.

The surface of the state may properly be divided into two parts, the uplands, and the alluvial and coast and swamp regions. The alluvial regions, including the low swamps and coast lands, cover an area of about 20,000 square miles (52,000�km²); they lie principally along the Mississippi River, which traverses the state from north to south for a distance of about 600 miles (1,000�km) and ultimately emptying into the Gulf of Mexico, the Red River, the Ouachita River and its branches, and other minor streams. The breadth of the alluvial region along the Mississippi is from 10 to 60 miles (15 to 100�km), and along the other streams it averages about 10 miles (15�km). The Mississippi flows upon a ridge formed by its own deposits, from which the lands incline toward the low swamps beyond at an average fall of six feet per mile (3�m/km). The alluvial lands along other streams present very similar features. These alluvial lands are never inundated save when breaks occur in the levees by which they are protected against the floods of the Mississippi and its tributaries. These floods, however, do not occur anually, and they may be said to be exceptional. With the maintenance of strong levees these alluvial lands would enjoy perpetual immunity from inundation.

The uplands and contiguous hill lands have an area of more than 25,000 square miles (65,000�km²), and they consist of prairie and woodlands. The elevations above sea-level range from 10 feet (3�m) at the coast and swamp lands to 50 and 60 feet (15-18�m) at the prairie and alluvial lands. In the uplands and hills the elevations rise to Driskill Mountain the highest point in the state at only 535 feet (163�m) above sea level. Only two other states in the union, Florida and Delaware, are geographically lower than Louisiana.

Besides the navigable rivers already named (some of which are called bayous), there are the Sabine, forming the western boundary, and the Pearl, the eastern boundary, the Calcasieu, the Mermentau, the Vermilion, the Teche, the Atchafalaya, the Boeuf, the Lafourche, the Courtableau, the D'Arbonne, the Macon, the Tensas, the Amite, the Tchefuncte, the Tickfaw, the Natalbany, and a number of other streams of lesser note, constituting a natural system of navigable waterways, aggregating over 4,000 miles in length, which is unequalled in the United States. The state also has 1,060 square miles (2,745�km²) of land-locked bays, 1,700 square miles (4,400�km²) of inland lakes, and a river surface of over 500 square miles (1,300�km²).

Climate

Louisiana has a humid subtropical climate, perhaps the most "classic" example of a humid subtropical climate of all the Southeastern states, with hot summers and mild winters. The subtropical characteristics of the state are due in large part to the influence of the Gulf of Mexico, which even at its farthest point is no more than a couple hundred miles away. Precipitation is frequent throughout the year, although the summer is slightly wetter than the rest of the year, and there is a dip in precipitation in October. Summers in Louisiana are among the most oppressively hot and humid in the United States with high temperatures from mid-June to mid-September averaging 90 °F or more and overnight lows averaging over 70 °F. In the summer, the extreme maximum temperature is much warmer in the north than in the south, with temperatures near the Gulf of Mexico very rarely reaching 100 °F. In northern Louisiana, temperatures can reach above 105 °F in the summer. Temperatures are generally mildly warm in the winter with highs around New Orleans, Baton Rouge, the rest of south Louisiana, and the Gulf of Mexico averaging 65 °F, while the northern part of the state has average highs of close to 60 °F. The overnight lows in the winter average well above freezing throughout the state, with 45 °F the average near the Gulf and an average low of around 37 °F in the winter in the northern part of the state. Louisiana does have its share of cold fronts which can drop the temperatures below 20 °F on occasion. Snow is not very common near the Gulf of Mexico, although those in the northern parts of the state can expect one or two dustings of snow per year.

Louisiana is often affected by tropical cyclones and is very vulnerable to strikes by major hurricanes, especially the low area around and in the New Orleans area. The area is also prone to frequent thunderstorms, especially in the summer. The entire state averages over 60 days of thunderstorms a year averaging more thunderstorms than any other state except Florida. Louisiana averages 27 tornadoes annually, and the entire state is vulnerable to a tornado strike, with the extreme southern portion of the state slightly less vulnerable than the rest of the state. [1] NOAA National Climatic Data Center. Retrieved on October 24, 2006.

Hurricanes

• September 2005, Rita struck southwestern Louisiana.

• August 29, 2005, Katrina struck and devastated southeastern Louisiana, while damaged levees in New Orleans flooded the city. The city was essentially closed until October. Estimates are that more than two million people in the Gulf region were displaced by the hurricane, with more than 1500 fatalities in Louisiana. Public outcry criticized the government at the local, state, and federal levels, citing that response was neither fast nor adequate.

Further information: Effect of Hurricane Katrina on Louisiana and Effect of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans

• September 10-14 1998, Francis

• 1992, Andrew

• September 1965, Betsy has a 10ft. storm surge and killed 58 in LA alone.

• August 1969, Camille (Category 5) had a 23.4 ft. storm surge and killed 250 people.

• June 1957, Audrey(Category 4) had a 12-foot storm surge, topped by 20-foot wavesand killed between 390 and 550 people.

Geology

The underlying strata of the state are of Cretaceous age and are covered by alluvial deposits of Tertiary and post-Tertiary origin. A large part of Louisiana is the creation and product of the Mississippi River. It was originally covered by an arm of the sea, and has been built up by the silt carried down the valley by the great river.

Near the coast, there are many salt domes, where salt is mined and oil is often found.

Owing to the extensive flood control measures along the Mississippi river and to natural subsidence, Louisiana is now suffering the loss of coastal land area. State and federal government efforts to halt or reverse this phenomenon are under way; others are being sought.

Protected areas

Louisiana contains a number of areas which are, in varying degrees, protected from human intervention. In addition to several stations of the National Park Service, and a federally recognized national forest, Louisiana itself operates, among other programs, a system of state parks and recreation areas throughout the state. Administered by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the Louisiana Natural and Scenic Rivers System provides a degree of protection for 48 rivers, streams and bayous in the state.

National Park Service
Areas under the management and protection of the National Park Service include:

• Cane River National Heritage Area near Natchitoches
• Cane River Creole National Historical Park in Natchez, Louisiana.
• Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, headquartered in New Orleans, with units in St. Bernard Parish, Baritaria (Crown Point), and Acadiana (Lafayette)
• New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park
• Poverty Point National Monument at Epps, Louisiana.
• Saline Bayou, a national wild and scenic river in northern Louisiana.

National Forest

• Kisatchie National Forest is Louisiana's only national forest.

State parks and recreational areas
Louisiana operates a system of 19 state parks, 16 state historic sites and one state preservation area.

• see List of Louisiana state parks

History

Louisiana was inhabited by Native Americans when European explorers arrived in the 17th century. Settlement and colonization began in the 18th century. Some current place names, including Atchafalaya, Natchitouches (now spelled Natchitoches), Caddo, Houma, Tangipahoa, and Avoyel (Avoyelles), are from Native American dialects.

Many native tribes inhabited the region (using current parish boundaries to describe approximate locations):Sturdevent, William C. (1967): Early Indian Tribes, Cultures, and Linguistic Stocks, Smithsonian Institution Map (Eastern United States).

• The Atakapa in southwestern Louisiana in Vermilion, Cameron, Lafayette, Acadia, Jefferson Davis, and Calcasieu parishes. They were allied with the Opelousa in St. Landry parish.
• The Acolapissa in St. Tammany parish. They were allied with the Tangipahoa in Tangipahoa parish.
• The Chitimacha in the southeastern parishes of Iberia, Assumption, St Mary, lower St. Martin, Terrebonne, Lafourche, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Bo St. Charles, Jefferson, Orleans, St. Bernard, and Plaquemines. They were allied with the Washa in Assumption parish, the Chawasha in Terrebonne parish, and the Yagenechito to the east.
• The Bayougoula, part of the Choctaw nation, in areas directly north of the Chitimachas in the parishes of St. Helena, Tangipahoa, Washington, East Baton Rouge, West Baton Rouge, Livingston, and St. Tammany. They were allied with the Quinipissa in St. Tammany parish.
• The Houma, also part of the Choctaw nation, in East and West Feliciana, and Pointe Coupee parishes (about 100 miles (160 km) north of the town named for them).
• The Okelousa in Pointe Coupee parish.
• The Avoyel, part of the Natchez nation, in parts of Avoyelles and Concordia parishes along the Mississippi River.
• The Taensa, also part of the Natchez nation, in northeastern Louisianna particularly Tensas parish.
• The Tunica in northeastern parishes of Tensas, Madison, East Carroll and West Carroll.
• The Koroa in East Carroll parish.
• The remainder of central, west central, and northwest Louisiana was home to a substantial portion of the Caddo nation and Natchitoches confederacy consisting of the Natchitoches in Natchitoches parish, Yatasi and Nakasa in the Caddo and Bossier parishes, Doustioni in Natchitoches parish, and Quachita in the Caldwell parish and the Adai in Natchitoches parish.

Exploration and settlement

The first European explorers to visit Louisiana came in 1528. The Spanish expedition (led by Panfilo de Narváez) located the mouth of the Mississippi River. In 1541, Hernando de Soto's expedition crossed the region. Then Spanish interest in Louisiana lay dormant. In the late 17th century, French expeditions, which included sovereign, religious and commercial aims, established a foothold on the Mississippi River and Gulf Coast. With its first settlements, France lay claim to a vast region of North America and set out to establish a commercial empire and French nation stretching from the Gulf of Mexico to Canada.

The French explorer Robert Cavelier de La Salle named the region Louisiana to honor France's King Louis XIV in 1682. The first permanent settlement, Fort Maurepas (at what is now Ocean Springs, Mississippi, near Biloxi), was founded by Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville, a French military officer from Canada, in 1699.

The French colony of Louisiana originally claimed all the land on both sides of the Mississippi River and north to French territory in Canada. The following States were part of Louisiana: Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota.

The settlement of Natchitoches (along the Red River in present-day northwest Louisiana) was established in 1714 by Louis Juchereau de St. Denis, making it the oldest permanent settlement in the Louisiana Purchase territory. The French settlement had two purposes: to establish trade with the Spanish in Texas, and to deter Spanish advances into Louisiana. Also, the northern terminus of the Old San Antonio Road (sometimes called El Camino Real, or Kings Highway) was at Natchitoches. The settlement soon became a flourishing river port and crossroads, giving rise to vast cotton kingdoms along the river. Over time, planters developed large plantations and built fine homes in a growing town, a pattern repeated in New Orleans and other places.

Louisiana's French settlements contributed to further exploration and outposts, concentrated along the banks of the Mississippi and its major tributaries, from Louisiana to as far north as the region called the Illinois Country, around Peoria, Illinois and present-day St. Louis, Missouri. See also: French colonization of the Americas

Initially Mobile, Alabama and Biloxi, Mississippi functioned as the capital of the colony; recognizing the importance of the Mississippi River to trade and military interests, France made New Orleans the seat of civilian and military authority in 1722. From then until the Louisiana Purchase made the region part of the United States on December 20, 1803, France and Spain would trade control of the region's colonial empire.

Most of the territory to the east of the Mississippi was lost to the Kingdom of Great Britain in the French and Indian War, except for the area around New Orleans and the parishes around Lake Pontchartrain. The rest of Louisiana became a colony of Spain after the Seven Years' War by the Treaty of Paris of 1763.

During the period of Spanish rule, several thousand French-speaking refugees from the region of Acadia (now Nova Scotia, Canada) made their way to Louisiana following British expulsion; settling largely in the southwestern Louisiana, the Acadian refugees were welcomed by the Spanish, and descendants came to be called Cajuns.

In 1800, France's Napoleon Bonaparte acquired Louisiana from Spain in the Treaty of San Ildefonso, an arrangement kept secret for some two years.

Then in 1803, Bonaparte sold the territory to the United States, which (see Louisiana Purchase) divided it into two territories: the Orleans Territory (which became the state of Louisiana in 1812) and the District of Louisiana (which consisted of all the land not included in Orleans Territory). The Florida Parishes were annexed from the short-lived and strategically important West Florida Republic by proclamation of President James Madison in 1810.

The western boundary of Louisiana with Spanish Texas remained in dispute until the Adams-Onís Treaty in 1819, with the Sabine Free State serving as a neutral buffer zone as well as a haven for criminals. Also called "No Man's Land," this part of central and southwestern Louisiana was settled in part by a mixed-race people known as Redbones, whose origins are the subject of ongoing debate.

Louisiana was a slave state. It also had one of the largest free black populations in the United States.(see slavery) In the American Civil War, Louisiana seceded from the Union on January 26, 1861. New Orleans was captured by Federal troops on April 25, 1862. Because a large part of the population had Union sympathies (or compatible commercial interests), the Federal government took the unusual step of designating the areas of Louisiana under federal control as a state within the Union, with its own elected representatives to the U.S. Congress.

Demographics

Louisiana Population Density Map

As of July 2005 (pre-Katrina/Rita), Louisiana has an estimated population of 4,523,628, which is an increase of 16,943, or 0.4%, from the prior year and an increase of 54,670, or 1.2%, since the year 2000. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 129,889 people (that is 350,818 births minus 220,929 deaths) and a decrease due to net migration of 69,373 people out of the state. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 20,174 people, and migration within the country produced a net loss of 89,547 people.

The center of population of Louisiana is located in Pointe Coupee Parish, in the city of New Roads [2].

As of 2003, the state's population included approximately 215,000 native French-speakers.

The five largest ancestries in the state are: African American and Franco-African (32.5%), French / French Canadian (16.2%), American (10.1%), German (7.1%), Irish (7%) and Italian (4.4%).

Official Census statistics do not distinguish among people of African ancestry. Consequently, no distinct

on is made between those in Lousiana of English-speaking African-American heritage and those who consider themselves Franco-African or Créole, though their respective cultural identities may be quite different.

Franco-Africans and African-American blacks, who made up a majority of the state's population during much of the 19th century, dominate much of the southeast, central, and northern parts of the state, particularly those parishes along the Mississippi River valley. But in recent years, the percentage of whites in those areas has grown, as large numbers of white senior citizens have begun to relocate there because of the friendly atmosphere, mild winters, and beautiful scenery.

Creoles (of West African, French and/or Spanish ancestry) and Cajuns of French Canadian ancestry are dominant in much of the southern part of the state. Whites of Southern U.S. background predominate in northern Louisiana.

Languages

As of 2000, 91.2% of Louisiana residents age 5 and older speak English at home and 4.8% speak French. Spanish is spoken by 2.5% of the population, Vietnamese is at 0.6% and German is at 0.2%.

Among the states, Louisiana has a unique culture, owing to its French colonial heritage. While the state has no declared "official language," its law recognizes both English and French.

There are several unique dialects of both French and English spoken in Louisiana. First, there are two unique dialects of the French language: Cajun French and Louisiana Creole French. There are also two unique dialects of the English language: Cajun English (a French-influenced variety of English) and what is informally known as Yat (which resembles the New York City dialect, particularly that of Brooklyn).

Religion

Like the other Southern states, Louisiana is mostly Protestant; however, there is also a large native Catholic population in the state, particularly in the southern part of the state, which makes Louisiana unique among Southern states. The current religious affiliations of the people of Louisiana are shown in the table below:

• Christian — 90%
  • Protestant — 60%
    • Baptist — 38%
    • Methodist — 4%
    • Pentecostal — 2%
    • Other Protestant – 16%
  • Roman Catholic — 30%
  • Other Christian — 1%
• Other Religions — <1%
• Non-Religious — 10%

A number of cities in Louisiana are also home to Jewish communities, notably Shreveport, Baton Rouge, and New Orleans.Isaacs, Ronald H. The Jewish Information Source Book: A Dictionary and Almanac. Jason Aronson, Inc., Northvale, NJ, 1993. p. 202. The most significant of these is the Jewish community of the New Orleans area, with a pre-Katrina population of about 12,000.

Economy

The total gross state product in 2003 for Louisiana was US$140 billion. Its per capita personal income was US$26,312, forty-third in the United States.

The state's principal agricultural outputs include seafood (It is the biggest producer of crawfish in the world), cotton, soybeans, cattle, sugarcane, poultry and eggs, dairy products, and rice. Its industrial outputs include chemical products, petroleum and coal products, food processing, transportation equipment, paper products, and tourism.

Louisiana has 3 personal income tax brackets, ranging from 2% to 6%. The sales tax rate is 4%: a 3.97% Louisiana sales tax and a .03% Louisiana Tourism Promotion District sales tax. Political subdivisions also levy their own sales tax in addition to the state fees. The state also has a use tax, which includes 4% to be distributed by the Department of Revenue to local governments. Property taxes are assessed and collected at the local level.

Transportation

see List of numbered highways in Louisiana

Law and government

Further information: List of Louisiana Governors, Louisiana Law

In 1849, the state moved the capital from New Orleans to Baton Rouge. Donaldsonville, Opelousas, and Shreveport have briefly served as the seat of Louisiana state government.

The current Louisiana governor is Kathleen Babineaux Blanco (Democrat), and its two U.S. senators are Mary Landrieu (Democrat) and David Vitter (Republican). Louisiana has seven Members of the House of Representatives: five

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