Louisiana

Louisiana sits 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 during the 18th century, it became U.S. territory as part of the historic Louisiana Purchase in 1803, and was admitted to the union in 1812. Louisiana’s capital city is Baton Rouge. It is also home to the historic port city New Orleans, which is famous for its unique cuisine, jazz and spectacular Mardi Gras festival.

More to Explore

People and Groups

Events

Related Topics

Recommended Articles

  • New Orleans

    New Orleans

    New Orleans has been the chief city of Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico's busiest northern port since the early 1700s.

  • Mardi Gras

    Mardi Gras

    Mardi Gras, also known as Carnival, is a Christian holiday that has roots in pagan festivals, and is famously celebrated in Brazil, Venice and New Orleans.

  • The States

    The States

    Stretching more than 3,000 miles from the Atlantic to the Pacific, the United States of America is comprised of 50 states, each with its own unique traditions and history.

Did You Know?

Some natives of Lousiana consider themselves Cajun or Creole. Cajun refers to a cross-cultural mix of several ethnic groups, including French Creole, Spanish, German and Anglo-American. The word Creole comes from the Spanish word "Criollo," which means "one from the colony."

Date of Statehood: April 30, 1812

Capital: Baton Rouge

Population: 4,533,372 (2010)

Size: 51,988 square miles

Nickname(s): Pelican State; Sportsman’s Paradise

Motto: Union, Justice, Confidence

Tree: Bald Cypress

Flower: Magnolia

Bird: Eastern Brown Pelican

Interesting Facts

  • In 1803, Thomas Jefferson doubled the size of the United States by purchasing the Louisiana Territory—828,000 square miles of land between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains—from France. Louisiana was the first of 13 states, or parts of states, to be carved out of the territory in 1812.
  • Due to slow communications, the Battle of New Orleans was fought two weeks after the Treaty of Ghent was signed on December 24, 1814, ending the War of 1812 between the United States and Great Britain.  General Andrew Jackson, who led between 6,000 and 7,000 troops to victory, emerged from the battle a national hero.
  • At 34 stories high and 450 feet tall, the Louisiana State Capitol is the tallest of all state capitol buildings. On September 8, 1935, Senator Huey Long—who had been instrumental in convincing the public to construct the new building in 1935—was assassinated in one of its corridors.
  • Louisiana is home to a wide diversity of cultures. Two prominent ethnic groups are Cajuns, descendants of a French-speaking group of Acadians from Canada, and Creoles, people with a mixed French, Spanish, Caribbean, African and/or Indian background.
  • Hurricane Katrina hit landfall in southeastern Louisiana on August 29, 2005, as a Category 3 storm. The most destructive natural disaster in U.S. history, it resulted in more than 1,800 deaths—over 1,500 of which were in Louisiana—and close to $100 billion in damages.

 

Fact Check We strive for accuracy and fairness. But if you see something that doesn't look right, contact us!

Advertisement

Related Shows

  • Swamp People

    Swamp People

    Deep in the heart of Louisiana lies America's largest swamp--a million miles of inhospitable bayous, marshes and wetlands where nature rules and humans struggle to tame it.

  • How The States Got Their Shapes

    How The States Got Their Shapes

    We take the shapes of our states for granted, but the map of America could have looked very different.

This Day in History

May 22

Lead Story

Great Emigration departs for Oregon, 1843

A massive wagon train, made up of 1,000 settlers and 1,000 head of cattle, sets off down the Oregon Trail from Independence, Missouri. Known as the "Great…

Shop HISTORY

See More

Classroom Study Guides

  • Save Our History: Voices of Civil Rights (PDF)

    Teacher's guide to the thousands of stories from individuals who lived during the civil rights era for the 1940s - 1960s.

  • King (PDF)

    Teacher's guide to Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, delivered at the March on Washington on August 28, 1963.

  • Modern Marvels: George Washington Carver Tech (PDF)

    Teacher's guide to George Washington Carver's life, his experiments, inventions and novel ideas, showing how this humble and quiet man became a primary contributor to the technological and economic life of the nation.