Louisiana Fun Facts
Louisiana is a southeastern state that’s a true “melting pot” of cultures: French, African, French-Canadian, and modern American.
It’s famous for its unique Creole and Cajun culture, food, jazz music, and Mardi Gras festival.
You can also find fishing, state parks, and wartime exhibits.
Quick Facts
Capital: Baton Rouge
Population: 4.7 million
Nickname: Pelican State, Bayou State, Creole State
Key Cities: New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Shreveport, Metairie
Postal Abbreviation: LA
Major Industries: Oil, natural gas, commercial fishing, chemicals, agriculture
History
How did Louisiana get its name: Louisiana was named by the French explorer Robert Cavalier Sieur de La Salle in 1683. He named it “La Louisianne” in honor of Louis XIV, the King of France.
Date admitted to the Union: Thursday, April 30, 1812
Geography
Size: 52,271 sq. miles
Lowest point: New Orleans at -8 feet
Highest point: Driskill Mountain at 535 feet
Counties: 64 (called parishes)
Famous locations: New Orleans’ French Quarter, Atchafalaya Swamp, Louisiana Purchase Gardens and Zoo, National WWII Museum, Melrose Plantation
Famous Louisianans
Reese Witherspoon- actress
Tim McGraw- singer
Terry Bradshaw- football player
Louis Armstrong- jazz musician
Ellen DeGeneres- actress/television host
Tyler Perry- actor/filmmaker
Fun Facts
Louisiana has one of the largest alligator populations in the United States. There are about two million alligators in the wild and another 300,000 on alligator farms.
In fact, there’s about half as many alligators as there are people in the state. Yikes!
Rayne, Louisiana is nicknamed the “Frog Capital of the World” and has an annual frog festival.
The festival includes a pageant for high school students, lots of frog leg snacks, and frog races and jumping competitions.
The frogs dress in their best tuxedos and top hats.
A Six Flags amusement park in Louisiana that was abandoned after Hurricane Katrina has been used to film scenes for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, Jurassic World, and others.
Louisiana’s capitol building is the tallest in the United States. It has 34 floors and is 450 feet tall.
The world-famous Mardi Gras festival is celebrated in New Orleans each year.
The population of New Orleans is just over 384,000, but about 1.4 million people flock to the city to celebrate.
The official colors of Mardi Gras are purple for justice, gold for power, and green for faith.
Louisiana has also played an important role in the history of music.
New Orleans is sometimes called the “birthplace of jazz,” and one of the world’s most famous jazz musicians, Louis Armstrong, is from Louisiana.
The first opera in the United States was also performed in New Orleans in 1796.
