Louisiana: State o the Unitit States o Americae

It is the 31st maist extensive an the 25t maist populous o the 50 United States. Louisiana is mairchit bi Arkansas tae the north, Mississippi tae the east, the Gulf o Mexico tae the sooth, an Texas tae the wast. A muckle pairt o its eastren boondary is demarcatit bi the Mississippi River. Louisiana is the anerly U.S. state wi poleetical subdiveesions termed pairishes, that are equivalent tae coonties. The state's caipital is Baton Rouge, an its mucklest ceety is New Orleans.

Muckle o the state's launds war formed frae sediment washed doun the Mississippi River, leavin enormous deltas an vast auries o coastal mairsh an swamp. Thir conteen a rich soothren biota; teepical ensaumples include birds sic as ibis an egrets. Thare are an aw mony species o tree frogs, an fish such as sturgeon an paidlefish. In mair elevatit areas, fire is a naitural process in the laundscape, an haes produced extensive auries o langleaf pine forest an wet savannas. Thir support an exceptionally muckle nummer o plant species, includin mony species o orchids an carnivorous plants. Louisiana haes mair Native American tribes nor ony ither soothren state, includin fower that are federally recognised, ten that are state recognised, an fower that hae nae received recogneetion.

Some Louisiana urban environments hae a multicultural, multilingual heritage, bein sae strangly influenced bi a mixtur of 18t-century French, Haitian, Spaingie, Native American, an African culturs that they are conseedert tae be exceptional in the US. Afore the American purchase o the territory in 1803, the current Louisiana State haed been baith a French colony an for a brief period, a Spaingie one. In addeetion, colonists importit numerous African fowk as sclaves in the 18t century. Mony cam from fowks o the same region o Wast Africae, sicweys concentratin thair cultur. In the post-Ceevil War environment, Anglo-Americans increased the pressur for Anglicisation, an in 1921, Inglis wis for a time made the sole leid o instruction in Louisiana schuils afore a policy o multilingualism wis revived in 1974. Thare haes niver been an offeecial leid in Louisiana, an the state constitution enumerates "the richt o the fowk to preserve, foster, an promote thair respective historic, lingueestic, an cultural oreegins."

State govrenment

• Louisiana state govrenment wabsteid