Lying on the Gulf of Mexico, it is bordered by Arkansas, Mississippi, and Texas. It covers 47,716 sq mi (123,584 sq km); its capital is Baton Rouge. It can be divided physically into the Mississippi River flood plain and delta and the low hills of the Gulf of Mexico coastal plain. It is the only U.S. state to be governed under the Napoleonic Code. Indian occupancy in the area probably spanned 16,000 years; at the time of European settlement the region was inhabited by the Caddo and Choctaw.
No other state has a more varied or colorful past than Louisiana. The state has been governed under 10 different flags beginning in 1541 with Hernando de Soto's claim of the region for Spain. La Salle later claimed it for Bourbon France and over the years Louisiana was at one time or another subject to the Union Jack of Great Britain, the Tricolor of Napoleon, the Lone Star flag of the Republic of West Florida and the fifteen stars and stripes of the United States. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Louisiana became an independent republic for six weeks before joining the Confederacy.
Louisiana’s climate is subtropical, a natural result of its location on the Gulf of Mexico. As it also lies at the mouth of the vast Mississippi-Missouri river valley, roughly halfway between the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans, the state is also affected by continental weather patterns. Hot, humid summers, tempered by frequent afternoon thunder showers, alternate with mild winters. Louisiana is subject to tropical storms, and the hurricane season extends for six months, from June through November.
| Abbreviation | LA |
| Admitted to Union | April 30, 1812 (18th state) |
| Capitol | Baton Rouge |
| Climate | Subtropical |
| State Seal | A pelican and her nest, surrounded by the state motto "Union, Justice, Confidence" and the words "State of Louisiana" |
| Flag | A pelican feeding its young against a field of blue |
| Official Colors | Blue, White, and Gold |
| Federal Delegation | Two U.S. Senators, Seven members of the U.S. House of Representatives, Nine Electoral Votes |
| Government | State Constitution of 1974 provides for 3 branches of government: Executive, Judicial, and Legislative. The Executive Branch is headed by the governor who is elected for a four year term. The Judicial branch is headed by the Louisiana Supreme Court. The Legislative branch consists of 39 State Senators and 105 State Representatives. All are elected for four year terms. |
| Motto | Union, Justice, Confidence |
| Nickname | Pelican State |
| Political Subdivisions | 64 parishes (analogous to counties in other states) |
| Population | 4,468,976 (2000 Census estimate) |
| State Bird | Eastern Brown Pelican |
| State Dog | Catahoula Leopard Dog |
| State Flower | Magnolia |
| State Insect | Honey Bee |
| State Seal | A pelican and her nest, surrounded by the state motto "Union, Justice, Confidence" and the words "State of Louisiana" |
| State Songs | "Give Me Louisiana" (Doralise Fontane) "You Are My Sunshine" (Jimmie Davis) |
| State Tree | Bald Cypress |
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