Louisiana

Louisiana (State)

Area: 47,752 sq. mi.

Population: 4,351,000

Capital: Baton Rouge

Popular name: Pelican State

The southern state of Louisiana (named after King Louis XIV of France) occupies the western part of the Gulf Coast plain and the riverine meadowland and delta of the Mississippi (which alone accounts for a third of the state's area). Much of the land, lying at an average height of only 100 ft above sea level, has to be protected by levees from flooding; only in the north-west does it rise to around 525 ft. The climate is subtropical, with hot and sultry summers, mild winters and occasional devastating hurricanes. History The Mississippi delta region, first discovered in 1530 by two Spaniards, Cabeza de Vaca and Panfilo de Narvaez, was occupied in the name of France by the Sieur de la Salle in 1682. After the French failure to prevent the westward extension of the British colonies, in 1762, the territory west of the Mississippi as far north as the Canadian frontier fell to Spain and the territory east of the river to Britain, passing in 1783 to the United States. In 1801 France recovered the Spanish part of the territory and in 1803 sold it to the United States (the "Louisiana Purchase"). On April 30th 1812 Louisiana was admitted to the Union as the 18th state. During the Civil War, in 1862, the Northern states captured much of Louisiana, which supported the Confederates. After the war it remained a state with sharp social and racial tensions.

Economy The main crops grown on the productive soils of the Mississippi delta and along the Red River are cotton, sugarcane, soya beans and rice. Cattle rearing and fishing in the well stocked coastal waters are increasing in importance. The basis of the state's industry is provided by its rich resources of oil, natural gas, sulphur and rock salt, which supply the petrochemical and aluminum smelting plants along the Mississippi between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. New Orleans, Louisiana's largest city and the second most important seaport in the United States, is the tourist center of the state, whose particular charm lies in its Creole and French heritage.