Louisiana is located above the Gulf of Mexico at the mouth of the Mississippi River, bordered by Arkansas to the north, Mississippi to the east, and Texas to the west. Originally colonized by the French in the 18th century, it became a U.S. territory as part of the historic Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and was admitted to the union in 1812.
The capital of Louisiana is Baton Rouge. It is also home to the historic port city of New Orleans, which is famous for its unique cuisine, jazz, and spectacular Mardi Gras festival.
Geography
Louisiana is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Arkansas to the north, Mississippi to the east, and Texas to the west. Louisiana is home to over 4.6 million people and covers a total area of 51,843 square miles. It is the 31st largest state in size and 25th in population.
The geography of Louisiana is diverse and includes coastal wetlands, pine forests, swamps, bayous, prairies and delta regions. The state has three distinct geographic regions: North Louisiana (consisting of upland hills and valleys), Central Louisiana (which includes rolling hills and lowlands) and South Louisiana (characterized by flat plains).
The northern portion of Louisiana consists mainly of upland pine forests that are interspersed with creeks, rivers and bayous. This region also contains some lowland areas such as the Red River Valley. The central part of the state contains rolling hills that are interspersed with swamps, bogs and wetlands that are home to various types of wildlife including alligators, snakes and birds.
The most notable feature in South Louisiana is the Mississippi River Delta which covers much of this region’s landscape. This delta region contains numerous swamps, marshlands, bayous and lakes which provide habitat for many species of birds as well as other wildlife such as nutria rats, muskrats and beavers. The Mississippi River also forms an important part of this delta region as it provides transportation routes for goods from all over the world into New Orleans where it meets up with Lake Pontchartrain near its mouth at Gulfport Bayou Chico.
Louisiana’s climate is generally mild throughout most parts of the state except for its subtropical climate along its coastal areas where temperatures can reach high levels during summer months due to high humidity levels from its proximity to bodies of water like Lake Pontchartrain or Gulfport Bayou Chico. Winters tend to be milder here than other parts due to its location near warm waters from these bodies or water or from nearby gulfs like those off Galveston Island in Texas or Mobile Bay off Alabama’s Gulf Coastline
Overall, Louisiana features a unique blend of natural formations ranging from coastal wetlands to prairies that provide habitat for a wide variety of wildlife species while providing humans with recreational opportunities such as fishing or hunting expeditions along its many waterways or birdwatching along its coastal wetlands during springtime migrations seasons when thousands upon thousands flock here each year making it one truly spectacular place.
Cities in Louisiana
Below are the top 15 cities by population in Louisiana. For all cities and towns in the state, please see Louisiana cities list.
Rank | City | Population |
---|---|---|
1 | New Orleans | 383,974 |
2 | Baton Rouge | 225,539 |
3 | Shreveport | 189,374 |
4 | Metairie | 140,590 |
5 | Lafayette | 122,469 |
6 | Lake Charles | 83,444 |
7 | Kenner | 66,411 |
8 | Bossier City | 63,168 |
9 | Monroe | 48,105 |
10 | Alexandria | 45,736 |
11 | Prairieville | 34,118 |
12 | Houma | 33,461 |
13 | Marrero | 31,928 |
14 | Central | 29,746 |
15 | Laplace | 29,129 |
Counties in Louisiana
The State of Louisiana consists of 64 counties. They are:
- Acadia Parish, Louisiana
- Allen Parish, Louisiana
- Ascension Parish, Louisiana
- Assumption Parish, Louisiana
- Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana
- Beauregard Parish, Louisiana
- Bienville Parish, Louisiana
- Bossier Parish, Louisiana
- Caddo Parish, Louisiana
- Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana
- Caldwell Parish, Louisiana
- Cameron Parish, Louisiana
- Catahoula Parish, Louisiana
- Claiborne Parish, Louisiana
- Concordia Parish, Louisiana
- DeSoto Parish, Louisiana
- East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana
- East Carroll Parish, Louisiana
- East Feliciana Parish, Louisiana
- Evangeline Parish, Louisiana
- Franklin Parish, Louisiana
- Grant Parish, Louisiana
- Iberia Parish, Louisiana
- Iberville Parish, Louisiana
- Jackson Parish, Louisiana
- Jefferson Parish, Louisiana
- Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana
- Lafayette Parish, Louisiana
- Lafourche Parish, Louisiana
- LaSalle Parish, Louisiana
- Lincoln Parish, Louisiana
- Livingston Parish, Louisiana
- Madison Parish, Louisiana
- Morehouse Parish, Louisiana
- Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana
- Orleans Parish, Louisiana
- Ouachita Parish, Louisiana
- Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana
- Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana
- Rapides Parish, Louisiana
- Red River Parish, Louisiana
- Richland Parish, Louisiana
- Sabine Parish, Louisiana
- Saint Bernard Parish, Louisiana
- Saint Charles Parish, Louisiana
- Saint Helena Parish, Louisiana
- Saint James Parish, Louisiana
- Saint John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana
- Saint Landry Parish, Louisiana
- Saint Martin Parish, Louisiana
- Saint Mary Parish, Louisiana
- Saint Tammany Parish, Louisiana
- Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana
- Tensas Parish, Louisiana
- Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana[21]
- Union Parish, Louisiana
- Vermilion Parish, Louisiana
- Vernon Parish, Louisiana
- Washington Parish, Louisiana
- Webster Parish, Louisiana
- West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana
- West Carroll Parish, Louisiana
- West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana
- Winn Parish, Louisiana