pop (2000e) 4 469 000; area 123 673 km²/47 752 sq mi. State in S USA, divided into 64 parishes (the only state to use this term for its counties); the Pelican State; name (after Louis XIV of France) originally applied to the entire Mississippi R basin, claimed for France by La Salle, 1682; most of the E region ceded to Spain in 1763, then to the USA in 1783; W region acquired by the USA in the Louisiana Purchase, 1803; admitted to the Union as the 18th state, 1812; seceded from the Union, 1861; re-admitted, 1868; experienced an economic revolution in the early 1900s when large deposits of oil and natural gas were discovered; capital, Baton Rouge; other chief cities, New Orleans and Shreveport; bounded S by the Gulf of Mexico; rivers include the Mississippi (large delta area in the S), Red, Sabine, and Pearl; highest point Mt Driskill (162 m/532 ft); vast coastal areas of marsh, lagoon, and fertile delta lands; further inland are plains and low rolling hills; over half the land area forested, supporting a major lumber and paper industry; highly productive in agriculture; soybeans, rice, sugar cane, sweet potatoes, cotton, cattle, dairy products; fishing, particularly for shrimps and oysters; a major source of pelts, especially muskrat; second only to Texas in oil and natural gas production (mainly offshore); oil refineries and petrochemical plants in several cities; leads the nation in salt and sulphur production; foods, clay, glass, transportation equipment; tourism increasing; world famous for the jazz music which grew up in and around New Orleans; special population groups of Creoles (French descent) and Cajuns (descendants of French Acadians driven from Canada by the British in the 18th-c); areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina (notably New Orleans) in 2005.
For other uses, see Louisiana (disambiguation).|
State of Louisiana État de Louisiane
Louisiana (pronounced /luːˌiːziˈænə/ or /ˌluːziˈænə/) (French: Louisiane, pronounced /lwizjan/) is a Southern state of the United States of America. GeographyTopographyThe state is bordered to the west by the state of Texas; ClimateLouisiana 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Protected areasLouisiana 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
State parks and recreational areas HistoryLouisiana was inhabited by Native Americans when European explorers arrived in the 17th century. Several native tribes inhabited the region (using current parish boundaries to describe approximate locations): The Atakapa in southwestern Louisiana in Vermilion, Cameron, Lafayette, Acadia, Jefferson Davis, and Calcasieu parishes.The French explorer Robert Cavelier de La Salle named the region Louisiana to honor France's King Louis XIV in 1682. 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. 
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. 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. 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; 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 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. Louisiana was a slave state. 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. DemographicsAs 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.
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%). 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. LanguagesAs of 2000, 91.2% of Louisiana residents age 5 and older speak English at home and 4.8% speak French. Among the states, Louisiana has a unique culture, owing to its French colonial heritage. ReligionLike 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. EconomyThe total gross state product in 2003 for Louisiana was US$140 billion. The sales tax rate is 4%: a 3.97% Louisiana sales tax and a .03% Louisiana Tourism Promotion District sales tax. Transportationsee List of numbered highways in Louisiana Law and governmentIn 1849, the state moved the capital from New Orleans to Baton Rouge. The Louisiana political and legal structure has held over several elements from the time of French governance. Louisiana is the only American state whose legal system is based on civil law, which is based on French and Spanish codes and ultimately Roman law, as opposed to English common law, which is based on precedent and custom. It is incorrect to equate the Louisiana Civil Code with the Napoleonic Code: although the Napoleonic Code strongly influenced Louisiana law, it was never in force in Louisiana, as it was enacted in 1804, after the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. While the Louisiana Civil Code of 1870 has been continuously revised and updated since its enactment, it is still considered the controlling authority in the state. While some of these differences have been bridged due to the strong influence of common law in the United States, it is important to note that the "civilian" tradition is still deeply rooted in most aspects of Louisiana private law. Louisiana is unique among U.S. states in its method for state, local, and congressional elections. Louisiana has a statewide police force, the Louisiana State Police. Each parish in Louisiana has an elected sheriff, with the exception of Orleans Parish. See also LA Sheriff's Association,LA Parish Government Parishes, urban areas and villagesFurther information: List of cities, towns, and villages in Louisiana List of parishes of Louisiana Louisiana locations by per capita incomeEducationFurther information: List of school districts in Louisiana List of colleges and universities in LouisianaSports teamsAs of 2005 Louisiana is nominally the least populous state with more than one major professional sports league franchise. Louisiana is also home to the Southern American Football League(SAFL), which has been in Louisiana for 5 years. Further information List of Louisiana sports teamsCultureLouisiana is home to many distinct cultures, especially notable are the non-Anglo Creole and the French-speaking Cajun. The ancestors of Creoles came to Louisiana before the Louisiana Purchase (1803) from Western Europe France, Germany, Spain, and from Senegal (West Africa) and settled along the major waterways in the State. ReferencesYiannopoulos, A.N., The Civil Codes of Louisiana (reprinted from Civil Law System: Louisiana and Comparative law, A Coursebook: Texts, Cases and Materials, 3d Edition; The standard history of the state, though only through the Civil War, is Charles Gayarré's History of Louisiana (various editions, culminating in 1866, 4 vols., with a posthumous and further expanded edition in 1885).See alsoList of official symbols of Louisiana List of people from Louisiana List of festivals in Louisiana Music of LouisianaExternal linksFind more information on Louisiana by searching Wikipedia's sister projects:
Dictionary definitions from Wiktionary |
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