Louisiana

Capital: Baton Rouge · South · Pelican State

State Statistics

Population4.66M
GDP$285.0B
Area135,659 km²
CapitalBaton Rouge
Largest CityNew Orleans
Political LeanUnknown

About Louisiana

Louisiana is one of the most culturally distinctive states in the United States, a place where French, Spanish, African, and Native American traditions fused into a singular Creole and Cajun identity unlike anything else in North America. The state is defined by water — the mighty Mississippi River, the vast Atchafalaya swamp, Gulf Coast marshes, and hundreds of bayous — and by the energy industry that makes it an economic powerhouse. Louisiana is the only US state that still operates under a Napoleonic civil law tradition and divides its territory into parishes rather than counties, a legacy of its French colonial past.

Major Cities

New Orleans

Population: 384K

New Orleans is the cultural soul of Louisiana and one of the most unique cities in the United States, blending French, Spanish, African, and American influences into a singular Creole identity. The...

Baton Rouge

Population: 228K

Baton Rouge is Louisiana's capital and an industrial powerhouse anchoring the Chemical Corridor along the Mississippi River. Home to LSU and a major ExxonMobil refinery complex, the city balances a...

Shreveport

Population: 188K

Shreveport is Louisiana's third-largest city, situated in the northwest corner of the state along the Red River near the Texas and Arkansas borders. The city hosts Barksdale Air Force Base, home to...

Notable Universities

UniversityCityTypeFoundedStudents
Louisiana State UniversityBaton RougePublic Research University185336K
Tulane UniversityNew OrleansPrivate Research University183414K
Loyola University New OrleansNew OrleansPrivate Jesuit University19124K
University of New OrleansNew OrleansPublic Research University19589K
Explore Louisiana in the interactive map →