The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the U.S. state of Louisiana:

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 borde ...

– U.S. state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed

parishes A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

, which are local governments equivalent to counties. Some Louisiana urban environments have a strong

multicultural The term multiculturalism has a range of meanings within the contexts of sociology, political philosophy, and colloquial use. In sociology and in everyday usage, it is a synonym for " ethnic pluralism", with the two terms often used interchang ...

and

multilingual Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual speakers in the world's population. More than half of all ...

heritage, influenced by an admixture of 18th century French,

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

, Native American (Indian) and African inhabitants.

General reference

* Names ** Common name:

*** Pronunciation: , ** Official name: State of Louisiana ** Abbreviations and name codes *** Postal symbol: LA *** ISO 3166-2 code: US-LA *** Internet

second-level domain In the Domain Name System (DNS) hierarchy, a second-level domain (SLD or 2LD) is a domain that is directly below a top-level domain (TLD). For example, in , is the second-level domain of the TLD. Second-level domains commonly refer to the organ ...

: .la.us ** Nicknames ***

Bayou In usage in the Southern United States, a bayou () is a body of water typically found in a flat, low-lying area. It may refer to an extremely slow-moving stream, river (often with a poorly defined shoreline), marshy lake, wetland, or creek. They ...

State (previously used on

license plates A vehicle registration plate, also known as a number plate (British English), license plate (American English), or licence plate (Canadian English), is a metal or plastic plate attached to a motor vehicle or trailer for official identificatio ...

) *** Child of the Mississippi *** Creole State ***Fisherman's Paradise ***

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th ...

of America ***

Pelican Pelicans (genus ''Pelecanus'') are a genus of large water birds that make up the family Pelecanidae. They are characterized by a long beak and a large throat pouch used for catching prey and draining water from the scooped-up contents befor ...

State *** Sportsman's Paradise (currently used on license plates) *** Sugar State * Adjectival:

Demonym A demonym (; ) or gentilic () is a word that identifies a group of people (inhabitants, residents, natives) in relation to a particular place. Demonyms are usually derived from the name of the place (hamlet, village, town, city, region, province, ...

: Louisianian

Geography of Louisiana

Geography of Louisiana * Louisiana is: a U.S. state, a

federal state A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governi ...

of the United States of America * Location **

Northern Hemisphere The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the Equator. For other planets in the Solar System, north is defined as being in the same celestial hemisphere relative to the invariable plane of the solar system as Earth's N ...

Western Hemisphere The Western Hemisphere is the half of the planet Earth that lies west of the prime meridian (which crosses Greenwich, London, United Kingdom) and east of the antimeridian. The other half is called the Eastern Hemisphere. Politically, the term W ...

***

Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with t ...

****

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the C ...

*****

Anglo America Anglo-America most often refers to a region in the Americas in which English is the main language and British culture and the British Empire have had significant historical, ethnic, linguistic, and cultural impact."Anglo-America", vol. 1, Micro ...

*****

Northern America Northern America is the northernmost subregion of North America. The boundaries may be drawn slightly differently. In one definition, it lies directly north of Middle America (including the Caribbean and Central America).Gonzalez, Joseph. 20 ...

******

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

*******

Contiguous United States The contiguous United States (officially the conterminous United States) consists of the 48 adjoining U.S. states and the Federal District of the United States of America. The term excludes the only two non-contiguous states, Alaska and Hawai ...

********

Central United States The Central United States is sometimes conceived as between the Eastern and Western as part of a three-region model, roughly coincident with the U.S. Census' definition of the Midwestern United States plus the western and central portions ...

*********

West South Central States The West South Central States form one of the nine Census Bureau Divisions of the United States that are officially designated by the United States Census Bureau. Four states compose the division: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas. Tex ...

******** Western United States ********

Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocea ...

******** Black Belt *********

Deep South The Deep South or the Lower South is a cultural and geographic subregion in the Southern United States. The term was first used to describe the states most dependent on plantations and slavery prior to the American Civil War. Following the w ...

**********

Gulf Coast of the United States The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South, is the coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The coastal states that have a shoreline on the Gulf of Mexico are Texas, Louisiana, Missis ...

*********

South Central United States The South Central United States or South Central states is a region in the south central portion of the Southern United States. It evolved out of the Old Southwest, which originally was the western portion of the South. The states of Arkansa ...

* Population of Louisiana: 4,533,372 (2010 U.S. Census) * Area of Louisiana: * Atlas of Louisiana

Places in Louisiana

* Historic places in Louisiana ** National Historic Landmarks in Louisiana ** National Register of Historic Places listings in Louisiana *** Bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Louisiana * National Natural Landmarks in Louisiana * National parks in Louisiana * State parks in Louisiana

Environment of Louisiana

* Climate of Louisiana * Protected areas in Louisiana ** State forests of Louisiana * Superfund sites in Louisiana

Natural geographic features of Louisiana

* Rivers of Louisiana

Regions of Louisiana

* Central Louisiana * Southwestern Louisiana

Administrative divisions of Louisiana

* The 64 parishes of the state of Louisiana ** Municipalities in Louisiana *** Cities in Louisiana ****

State capital Below is an index of pages containing lists of capital cities. National capitals *List of national capitals *List of national capitals by latitude *List of national capitals by population * List of national capitals by area *List of capital citi ...

of Louisiana: **** City nicknames in Louisiana *** Towns in Louisiana **

Census-designated places in Louisiana This article lists census-designated places (CDPs) in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2010 census, there were a total of 169 census-designated places in Louisiana. Census-designated places References See also *List of cities, towns, ...

Demography of Louisiana

Demographics of Louisiana

Geology of Louisiana

* Brown Dense oil and gas play * Louisiana Geological Survey * Haynesville Shale oil and gas play * Paleontology in Louisiana

Government and politics of Louisiana

Politics of Louisiana *

Form of government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is ...

: U.S. state government * United States congressional delegations from Louisiana *

Louisiana State Capitol The Louisiana State Capitol (french: Capitole de l'État de Louisiane) is the seat of government for the U.S. state of Louisiana and is located in downtown Baton Rouge. The capitol houses the chambers for the Louisiana State Legislature, made up ...

* Elections in Louisiana * Political party strength in Louisiana

Branches of the government of Louisiana

Government of Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a U.S. state, state in the Deep South and South Central United States, South Central regions of the United States. It is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 20th-smal ...

Executive branch of the government of Louisiana

Governor of Louisiana A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana The lieutenant governor of Louisiana (french: Lieutenant-Gouverneur de la Louisiane) is the second highest state office in Louisiana. The current lieutenant governor is Billy Nungesser, a Republican. The lieutenant governor is also the commissi ...

Secretary of State of Louisiana The secretary of state of Louisiana (french: Secrétaire d'État de la Louisiane) is one of the elected constitutional officers of the U.S. state of Louisiana and serves as the head of the Louisiana Department of State. The position was created ...

* State departments ** Louisiana Department of Transportation

Legislative branch of the government of Louisiana

Louisiana State Legislature The Louisiana State Legislature (french: Législature d'État de Louisiane) is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is a bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 represe ...

( bicameral) **

Upper house An upper house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house.''Bicameralism'' (1997) by George Tsebelis The house formally designated as the upper house is usually smaller and often has more restric ...

Louisiana Senate The Louisiana State Senate (french: Sénat de Louisiane) is the upper house of the state legislature of Louisiana. All senators serve four-year terms and are assigned to multiple committees. Composition The Louisiana State Senate is compo ...

Lower house A lower house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house. Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has come to wield more power or ot ...

Louisiana House of Representatives The Louisiana House of Representatives (french: link=no, Chambre des Représentants de Louisiane) is the lower house in the Louisiana State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. This chamber is composed of 105 repr ...

Judicial branch of the government of Louisiana

Courts of Louisiana * Supreme Court of Louisiana

Law and order in Louisiana

Law of Louisiana Law in the state of Louisiana is based on a more diverse set of sources than the laws of the other 49 states of the United States. Private law—that is, substantive law between private sector parties, principally contracts and torts—has a ...

* Cannabis in Louisiana * Capital punishment in Louisiana ** Individuals executed in Louisiana *

Constitution of Louisiana The Louisiana Constitution is legally named the Constitution of the State of Louisiana and commonly called the Louisiana Constitution of 1974, and the Constitution of 1974. The constitution is the cornerstone of the law of Louisiana ensuring the ...

* Crime in Louisiana * Gun laws in Louisiana * Law enforcement in Louisiana ** Law enforcement agencies in Louisiana *** Louisiana State Police * Same-sex marriage in Louisiana

Military in Louisiana

Louisiana Air National Guard The Louisiana Air National Guard (LA ANG) is the aerial militia of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is, along with the Louisiana Army National Guard, an element of the Louisiana National Guard. As state militia units, the units in the Louisiana ...

Louisiana Army National Guard The Louisiana Army National Guard (French: Garde nationale de Louisiane) is a component of the Louisiana National Guard, and the state's reserve force within the United States Army. The Constitution of the United States specifically charges the ...

History of Louisiana

History of Louisiana The history of the area that is now the U.S. state of Louisiana, can be traced back thousands of years to when it was occupied by indigenous peoples. The first indications of permanent settlement, ushering in the Archaic period, appear about 5 ...

History of Louisiana, by period

Poverty Point culture The Poverty Point culture is the archaeological culture of a prehistoric indigenous peoples who inhabited a portion of North America's lower Mississippi Valley and surrounding Gulf coast from about 1730 – 1350 BC. Archeologists have identified ...

, 2200 - 700 BCE * Tchefuncte culture, 600 BCE - 200 CE *

Marksville culture The Marksville culture was an archaeological culture in the lower Lower Mississippi valley, Yazoo valley, and Tensas valley areas of present-day Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, and extended eastward along the Gulf Coast to the Mobile Bay ar ...

, 100 BCE to 400 CE *

Fourche Maline culture Fourche ( ) is a town in Perry County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 59 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Little Rock–North Little Rock– Conway Metropolitan Statistical Area. Geography Fourche is located at (34.993 ...

, 300 BCE to 800 CE *

Baytown culture The Baytown culture was a Pre-Columbian Native American culture that existed from 300 to 700 CE in the lower Mississippi River Valley, consisting of sites in eastern Arkansas, western Tennessee, Louisiana, and western Mississippi. The Baytown Si ...

, 300 to 700 CE *

Coles Creek culture Coles Creek culture is a Late Woodland archaeological culture in the Lower Mississippi valley in the Southeastern Woodlands. It followed the Troyville culture. The period marks a significant change in the cultural history of the area. Population ...

, 700 - 1200 *

Plaquemine culture The Plaquemine culture was an archaeological culture (circa 1200 to 1700 CE) centered on the Lower Mississippi River valley. It had a deep history in the area stretching back through the earlier Coles Creek (700-1200 CE) and Troyville cultures ...

, 1200–1400 *

Caddoan Mississippian culture The Caddoan Mississippian culture was a prehistoric Native American culture considered by archaeologists as a variant of the Mississippian culture. The Caddoan Mississippians covered a large territory, including what is now Eastern Oklahoma, Wes ...

, 800 - 1600 * Native groups at time of European settlement *

colony of

Florida Florida is a U.S. state, state located in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia (U.S. state), Geo ...

, 1565–1763 **

Treaty of Paris of 1763 The Treaty of Paris, also known as the Treaty of 1763, was signed on 10 February 1763 by the kingdoms of Great Britain, France and Spain, with Portugal in agreement, after Great Britain and Prussia's victory over France and Spain during th ...

* French colony of Louisiane, 1699–1764 **

History of slavery in Louisiana Following Robert Cavelier de La Salle establishing the French claim to the territory and the introduction of the name ''Louisiana'', the first settlements in the southernmost portion of Louisiana (New France) were developed at present-day Biloxi ...

, 1706–1865 ** Treaty of Fontainebleau of 1762 *

colony of Tejas, (1721–1773)-1821 **

Los Adaes Los Adaes was the capital of Tejas on the northeastern frontier of New Spain from 1729 to 1770. It included a mission, San Miguel de Cuellar de los Adaes, and a presidio, Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Los Adaes (Our Lady of the Pillar of the Ada ...

, 1721–1773 *

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

Province of

West Florida West Florida ( es, Florida Occidental) was a region on the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico that underwent several boundary and sovereignty changes during its history. As its name suggests, it was formed out of the western part of former S ...

, 1763–1783 **

Treaty of Paris of 1783 A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations, individuals, business entities, and other legal perso ...

(though predominantly

Francophone French became an international language in the Middle Ages, when the power of the Kingdom of France made it the second international language, alongside Latin. This status continued to grow into the 18th century, by which time French was the l ...

) district of Baja Luisiana, 1764–1803 ** Rebellion of 1768 **

Third Treaty of San Ildefonso The Third Treaty of San Ildefonso was a secret agreement signed on 1 October 1800 between the Spanish Empire and the French Republic by which Spain agreed in principle to exchange its North American colony of Louisiana for territories in Tuscany. ...

of 1800 *

colony of Florida Occidental, 1783–1821 **

Republic of West Florida The Republic of West Florida ( es, República de Florida Occidental, french: République de Floride occidentale), officially the State of Florida, was a short-lived republic in the western region of Spanish West Florida for just over months du ...

, 1810 * French district of Basse-Louisiane, 1803 **

Louisiana Purchase The Louisiana Purchase (french: Vente de la Louisiane, translation=Sale of Louisiana) was the acquisition of the territory of Louisiana by the United States from the French First Republic in 1803. In return for fifteen million dollars, or appr ...

of 1803 *Unorganized territory of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

, 1803–1804 *

Territory of Orleans The Territory of Orleans or Orleans Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from October 1, 1804, until April 30, 1812, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Louisiana. History In 180 ...

, 1804–1812 **

Sabine Free State The Neutral Ground (also known as the Neutral Strip, the Neutral Territory, and the No Man's Land of Louisiana; sometimes anachronistically referred to as the Sabine Free State) was a disputed area between Spanish Texas and the United States' new ...

, 1806–1821 **U.S. unilaterally annexes

Florida Parishes The Florida Parishes ( es, Parroquias de Florida, french: Paroisses de Floride), on the east side of the Mississippi River—an area also known as the Northshore or Northlake region—are eight parishes in the southeastern portion of the U.S. sta ...

, 1810 * History of Louisiana#Incorporation into the United States and antebellum years (1803-1860)State of Louisiana since April 30, 1812 **

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

, 1812–1815 ***

Battle of New Orleans The Battle of New Orleans was fought on January 8, 1815 between the British Army under Major General Sir Edward Pakenham and the United States Army under Brevet Major General Andrew Jackson, roughly 5 miles (8 km) southeast of the Frenc ...

, 1815 ** Adams-Onis Treaty of 1819 **

Louisiana in the American Civil War Louisiana was a dominant population center in the southwest of the Confederate States of America, controlling the wealthy trade center of New Orleans, and contributing the French Creole and Cajun populations to the demographic composition o ...

, 1861–1865 ***

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confede ...

, 1861–1865 ** Louisiana in Reconstruction, 1865–1868 **

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 cos ...

, 2005

History of Louisiana, by region

* by city **

History of New Orleans The history of New Orleans, Louisiana, traces the city's development from its founding by the French in 1718 through its period of Spanish control, then briefly back to French rule before being acquired by the United States in the Louisiana ...

***

New Orleans in the American Civil War New Orleans, Louisiana, was the largest city in the South, providing military supplies and thousands of troops for the Confederate States Army. Its location near the mouth of the Mississippi made it a prime target for the Union, both for controll ...

** History of Baton Rouge ** History of Shreveport ** History of Metairie, Louisiana * by parish ** History of Orleans Parish, Louisiana (Orleans Parish has the same boundaries as the city of New Orleans) ** History of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana

History of Louisiana, by subject

Culture of Louisiana

Culture of Louisiana * Museums in Louisiana * Religion in Louisiana ** The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Louisiana **

Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana The Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana is the diocese of the Episcopal Church in the eastern part of the state of Louisiana. The see city is New Orleans. History Christ Church, New Orleans, (now the Cathedral Church of the Diocese of Louisiana) ...

* Scouting in Louisiana * State symbols of Louisiana ** Flag of the State of Louisiana ** Great Seal of the State of Louisiana Seal of Louisiana

The arts in Louisiana

Music of Louisiana The music of Louisiana can be divided into three general regions: rural south Louisiana, home to Creole Zydeco and Old French (now known as cajun music), New Orleans, and north Louisiana. The region in and around Greater New Orleans has a uniqu ...

* Theater in Louisiana

Sports in Louisiana

Economy and infrastructure of Louisiana

Economy of Louisiana * Communications in Louisiana ** Newspapers in Louisiana **

Radio stations in Louisiana The following is a list of Federal Communications Commission–licensed radio stations in the American state of Louisiana, which can be sorted by their call signs, frequencies, cities of license, licensees, and programming formats. List of rad ...

** Television stations in Louisiana * Health care in Louisiana ** Hospitals in Louisiana * Transportation in Louisiana ** Airports in Louisiana ** Roads in Louisiana ***

State highways in Louisiana List LA 1 to LA 99 LA 100 to LA 199 LA 300 to LA 399 ...

Education in Louisiana

Education in Louisiana * Schools in Louisiana ** School districts in Louisiana *** High schools in Louisiana ** Colleges and universities in Louisiana *** University of Louisiana (disambiguation) ***

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisian ...

References

External links

*
Louisiana Geographic Information CenterLouisiana Endowment for the HumanitiesLouisiana Weather and Tides
* ;Ecoregions

;Geology links
Geology

Generalized Geologic Map of Louisiana, 2008

Generalized Geology of Louisiana
(text to Generalized Geologic Map of Louisiana)
Loess Map of Louisiana

Other Louisiana Geological Maps

Louisiana Geofacts
;Government
Official State of Louisiana websiteLouisiana State Databases
– Annotated list of searchable databases produced by Louisiana state agencies and compiled by the Government Documents Roundtable of the American Library Association.
Census Statistics on Louisiana
;Federal politics
Energy Profile for LouisianaUSGS real-time, geographic, and other scientific resources of Louisiana
*:

Steve Scalise Stephen Joseph Scalise (; born October 6, 1965) is an American politician who is the United States House of Representatives Minority Whip and representative for . Scalise is in his eighth House term, having held his seat since 2008. The district ...

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*: Cedric Richmond �
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Campaign Website
*: Jeff Landry �
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*: John C. Fleming – *:

Rodney Alexander Rodney McKinnie Alexander (born December 5, 1946) is an American politician and member of the Republican Party who served as the Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs from September 30, 2013, until June 3, 2014. Previously he ...

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Bill Cassidy William Morgan Cassidy (born September 28, 1957) is an American physician and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Louisiana, a seat he has held since 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he served in the Louisiana ...

Charles Boustany Charles William Boustany Jr. (; born February 21, 1956) is an American politician, physician, and former congressman from Lafayette, Louisiana, who served as the U.S. representative from Louisiana's 3rd congressional district from 2005 to 2017 ...

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Website
;News media
The Times-Picayune
major Louisiana newspaper
WWL-TV
Louisiana television station ;Tourism
Official site of Louisiana tourismOfficial site of the New Orleans Convention & Tourism BureauOfficial site of New Orleans Plantation Country tourism
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