Louisiana – Pelican State

Facts over Louisiana

State: Louisiana
Abbreviation: LA
Capital: Baton Rouge
State Since: April 30, 1812
Area Codes: 225, 318, 337, 504, 985
Bird: Eastern Brown Pelican
Flower: Magnolia
Largest City: New Orleans
Motto: Union, justice, and confidence
Nickname: Pelican State
Population: 4,468,976
Song: Give Me Louisiana
Tree: Bald Cypress
Time Zone: -6

Adjacent States:

  • Texas
  • Arkansas
  • Mississippi

Louisiana Travel Information

Louisiana (French: Louisiana) is one of the states of the United States of America. The standard abbreviation for the “Pelican,” as the state is nicknamed, is LA (not to be confused with the city of Los Angeles, which has the same abbreviation). The capital is Baton Rouge. Read our tips and travel information about Louisiana and discover this American state. For fun ideas from the locals, check out Ask a Local!

History

The area that now forms the state of Louisiana was originally settled by Native American tribes such as the Choctaw. The first Europeans in the area were members of an expedition led by Spaniard Pánfilo de Narváez, who discovered the mouth of the Mississippi River in 1528. About thirteen years later, an expedition led by Hernando de Soto explored the area. The Spaniards had little interest in the region after that. The next scouts were therefore French. René Robert Cavelier de La Salle gave the area its current name in 1682 in honor of his monarch Louis XIV.

Of Mississippi

The Louisiana name at the time referred to a much larger area than that encompassed by the present state. The Mississippi River formed the heart of Louisiana Territory, which extended to the present-day northern border with Canada. Around 1760, the French largely lost the area to Spain. Around 1800, France, then ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, regained the territory and sold it to the United States in 1803, a transaction that has come to be known as the Louisiana Purchase. Louisiana became the 18th state of the United States on April 30, 1812. The white French speakers are descendants of the settlers who started a colony in 1604 in Port Royal, Acadia, in present-day Canada. This group, who called themselves Acadians, were exiled by the English Crown in 1755 to all kinds of places, but much of it ended up in southern Louisiana. The word Acadian was corrupted into Cajun over time. The already established population in that area consisted of Creoles and Indians. During the American Civil War, Louisiana sided with the Confederacy.

Geography

The state of Louisiana covers 134,382 km², of which 112,927 km² is land. It belongs to the Central time zone. Louisiana, which lies on the Gulf of Mexico, is bordered to the north by the state of Arkansas and Mississippi, to the west by Texasand on the east to Mississippi. Louisiana map from 1921 The main river is the Mississippi, which forms much of the border with the state of the same name and flows into the Gulf of Mexico 150 km beyond New Orleans. The state is rich in larger and smaller lakes, including Lake Pontchartrain, the Toledo Bend Reservoir, Grand Lake, and White Lake. Louisiana also has many islands, such as Marsh Island and the Chandeleur Islands. The highest point of the fairly flat state is the top of Driskill Mountain (163 m). A large part of the coastal areas is formed by swamps. Check out more Louisiana tips and travel information on this website.

Demography and economy

In 2000, Louisiana had a population of 4,468,976 (33 per km²), of which about 68% of the population lives in an urban area. The largest cities are New Orleans, capital Baton Rouge and Shreveport. See how many cities are in Louisiana. The state has two official languages, English and French. The gross product of the state in 2001 was $149 billion.

New Orleans

The most famous and vibrant city is New Orleans. All cultures come together in this city. Every year, Mardi Gras is celebrated here, where everyone dresses up and beautiful floats ride through the streets. Visit the lively street of Bourbon Street where there is always live music and enjoy the live performances on Frenchmen Street. Did you know that New Orleans is the hometown of jazz music? This can be found everywhere in the city!

LOUISIANA