The Louisiana Almanac is a regularly updated

reference work A reference work is a work, such as a paper, book or periodical (or their electronic equivalents), to which one can refer for information. The information is intended to be found quickly when needed. Such works are usually ''referred'' to f ...

, published by the

Gretna, Louisiana Gretna is the second-largest city in, and parish seat of, Jefferson Parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. "Gretna, Louisiana (LA) Detailed Profile" (notes), ''City Data'', 2007, webpage: C-Gretna "Census 2000 Data for the State of Loui ...

based

Pelican Publishing Company Pelican Publishing Company is a book publisher based in Gretna, a suburb of New Orleans. Formed in 1926, Pelican is the largest independent trade book publisher located in the U.S. South. Pelican publishes approximately 60 titles per year and ...

. New editions have usually been produced every two to six years, but the most recent edition, the nineteenth, was published in 2012.

Book synopsis

The Louisiana Almanac is a mesh of

statistical data In the pursuit of knowledge, data (; ) is a collection of discrete values that convey information, describing quantity, quality, fact, statistics, other basic units of meaning, or simply sequences of symbols that may be further interpreted. ...

historical information Historical documents are original documents that contain important historical information about a person, place, or event and can thus serve as primary sources as important ingredients of the historical methodology. Significant historical documen ...

, and often obscure

trivia Trivia is information and data that are considered to be of little value. It can be contrasted with general knowledge and common sense. Latin Etymology The ancient Romans used the word ''triviae'' to describe where one road split or forked ...

relating to the

State of Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is border ...

. Resources are provided in the following categories: general information, tourism, weather and climate, geography, population, sports, history, government, agriculture, economy, health, and transportation. Although often placed where relevant, maps, charts, and graphs are often printed poorly and can be difficult to interpret.

Chapters

The 2006-2007 edition was divided into thirty-one chapters (excluding a foreword, index and list of acknowledgments) and totals 757 pages. *General Information (pgs. 7-28): Contains generally basic information included in most almanacs, including calendars, astronomical data, and tables of weights and measures *Touring and Recreation (pgs. 29-91): Includes tourism-related information, largely devoted to state parks and various popular tourist attractions and historic places throughout Louisiana *Museums, Exhibition Spaces, and Historic Sites (pgs. 92-105): Entire section is composed of a large chart detailing the locations and contact information of museums and other important sites in Louisiana. *Fairs, Festivals, and Celebrations (pgs. 106-119): Chapter consists of a list of festivals held within Louisiana, each sorted chronologically by month, with the exception of

Mardi Gras Mardi Gras (, ) refers to events of the Carnival celebration, beginning on or after the Christian feasts of the Epiphany (Three Kings Day) and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday, which is known as Shrove Tuesday. is French for "Fat ...

, which is detailed of its own accord *History of Louisiana (pgs. 120-159): Contains a rather brief history of Louisiana (and the area that would later become Louisiana) beginning from the earliest known Indian settlement and including the state's various flags, the notes to the official state song, and related items. *Important Dates in Louisiana History (pgs. 160-181): Chronicles significant dates in the history of the area including present-day Louisiana from Hernando de Soto's 1541 discovery of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

to the impact of

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

in 2005. *Louisiana Superlatives (pgs. 182-197): Consists entirely of various (often obscure) "firsts," "bests," and "worsts" in Louisiana history. *Louisiana Weather and Climate (pgs. 198-217): Has a variety of weather-related information including all of the following: record temperature extremes, annual rainfall totals, historical hurricane landings, a guide to hurricane preparation and other related subtopics. *Hurricanes Katrina and

Rita Rita may refer to: People * Rita (given name) * Rita (Indian singer) (born 1984) * Rita (Israeli singer) (born 1962) * Rita (Japanese singer) * Eliza Humphreys (1850–1938), wrote under the pseudonym Rita Places * Djarrit, also known as Rita, a ...

(pgs. 218-225):

References

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External links

Louisiana Almanac, 2012 Edition
Almanacs