Louisiana

Union, justice, and confidence. This is the motto of the U.S. State of Louisiana, a state of cultural diversity united by people of justice and confidence. Admitted on the 30th of April 1812 as the 18th state of the United States of America, Louisiana is a melting pot of French, Spanish, African, British, German, Irish and Italian cultures, as brought by the explorations and expeditions of European nations during the 18th century. The state derived its name from Louis XIV, the King of France who sent René-Robert Cavelier and Sieur de La Salle to America to discover and acquire new French territories

Situated in the southernmost region of the country, Louisiana is bordered by the Gulf of Mexico. The states of Arkansas, Mississippi, and Texas are to its north, east, and west, respectively. Unlike other states of the United States, Louisiana is divided into 64 parishes instead of counties. This is so because Louisiana was established by French and Spanish colonizations, which both promoted the Roman Catholic religion and divided the land into ecclesiastical units. After the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, the government initially divided Orleans Territory into twelve counties, however this division did not work well so the state was partitioned again into parishes.

Louisiana's principal industry is agriculture. It also profits from its energy industry, as the waters of the state are abundant in crude oil and natural gas. The capital of the state is Baton Rouge, while the largest and most cosmopolitan city is New Orleans. As of 2005, there are more than 4,000,000 Louisianans living in the state.