Louisiana joined the United States of America on April 30, 1812, making it the 18th state of the Union. It is situated in the south of the USA and its shores are washed by the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Neighboring states are Texas, Arkansas and Mississippi. French explorer Sieur de La Salle named the area after the Mississippi River La Louisianne and after King Louis XIV of France. About 5 million inhabitants live on an area of 134,000 km2.
- LIUXERS: Offers a list of schools with federal school code in Louisiana, including contact information, graduation rate, retention rate and transfer rate for each college located within Louisiana.
The majority of the population is white, with the remaining percentage being Indians and blacks. The majority of the population is of the Christian faith, Protestants predominate, and Roman Catholics also have a large presence. There is only a very small percentage of people without a religion in the country.
The axis of the territory is the Mississippi River, the surface is the Mississippi Plain. The Gulf Coast is marshy with a number of lagoon lakes. Other notable rivers include the Red River, Ouachita River, Atchafalaya River, and Sabine River. There are also beautiful lakes, Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas, Toledo Bend Reservoir, Grand Lake, White Lake, Calcasieu Lake and Catahoula Lake.
An important sector of the economy is industry, in which the extraction and processing of natural gas, oil, salt and sulfur leads significantly. There are also chemical, paper, food and engineering industries. People in Louisiana are also heavily involved in agriculture, mainly cotton, soybeans, sugar cane and rice are grown. Cattle breeding, pig breeding and fishing are also important.
According to COUNTRYAAH, the capital is Baton Rouge, but the much larger and better known city is New Orleans. This port city is located in South Louisiana on the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartra. The city is therefore constantly threatened by floods, most recently the catastrophic floods caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 killed around 1,300 people and destroyed a large part of the city. Many residents have left the city and do not have the courage to ever return, due to an uncertain future. Insurance companies refuse to insure property in a flood zone. This tragedy significantly reduced tourism in the city and thus the flow of necessary money, yet the city retained at least part of its unique atmosphere.
In places you will feel as if you are walking in European streets, originally a French colony here. The most famous historical district today is therefore the French Quarter. New Orleans is also known as the city of jazz, which you can hear almost everywhere. The most famous street is Bourbon Street, where people gather to listen to music, dance and drink alcohol on the street (public drinking is prohibited elsewhere in the US). New Orleans is one of the most important port cities in the southern USA.
Cane River Creole National Historical Park
In the Cane River Creole National Historical Park, you can see the original Creole plantations, as well as traditional Creole log cabins. These were preserved here by the ancient inhabitants of the area, who were mainly engaged in agriculture, blacksmithing or carpentry.
The descendants of the original Indians living here, Spanish and French immigrants and slaves from Africa are referred to as Creoles today. However, these people are proud of their ancestors and try to preserve their original culture, which is manifested mainly in architecture, religion, language and local cuisine. Nowadays, a unique mixture of cultures lives here, which are evidence of an earlier colorful settlement.
The entire area around the Cane River is still today a well-known agricultural landscape, dotted with buildings of typical Creole architecture and bringing to the people a rich multicultural heritage. In the past, this region straddled the border between the Spanish and French colonized territories of the New World.
Cane River NHA boasts a number of beautiful historic sites, including seven National Historic Landmarks, three Historic Landmarks, and 24 sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Cane River region covers an area of 35 km2 and many of its monuments are privately owned. Nevertheless, many interesting places are open to the public.
One of the most attractive locations is the town of Natchitoches, which was founded in 1714 by the French colonial army. It is thus the oldest permanent settlement on the territory of Louisiana. Originally it was just a settlement, but gradually it became a prosperous river port and trade center, from where mainly cotton was shipped in large quantities. Today, this town in the southwest of the country is home to around 19,000 inhabitants. In Natchitoches, a large part of historical monuments has been preserved to this day.
In this region, you can come across numerous colonial forts, Creole plantations, churches, historic cemeteries, important archaeological sites and ancient trade centers – in short, rich history is evident at every turn. Moreover, the people who live here today pass on their traditions, customs and culture from generation to generation, thus maintaining the unique character of this place.
