Louisiana

Louisiana Travel Guide: Atchafalaya Basin
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:AtchafalayaBasinPanorama.jpg
Author: Chrismiceli


Louisiana is a state facing the Gulf of Mexico in the southern region of the United States. Its capital is Baton Rouge while its biggest city is New Orleans. Louisiana covers an area of 51,885 sq mi (135,382 sq km). It is bordered to the west by Texas, to the north by Arkansas, to the east by Misssissippi, and to the south by the Gulf of Mexico. The state is predominantly lowland, with the highest natural point being the Driskill Mountain, which is only 535 ft (163 m) above sea level. The lowest part of Louisiana is the city of New Orleans, which is -7 ft (-1.6 m) below sea level.

Magazine Street, New Orleans
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Magazine6Nov07Winnies.jpg
Author: Infrogmation of New Orleans


Louisiana has a population of 4.4 million people. Unlike other states in US, the counties in Louisiana are called parish. There are all together 64 parishes, with the most populous being Jefferson Parish while the largest Cameron Parish.

Louisiana has been inhabited by Native Americans long before the arrival of the first Europeans in the 16th century. Pre-Columbian cultures such as Poverty Point have left their remains in the state, traced back to 1500 BC. The Spanish under Panfilo de Narváez was the first to arrive in Louisiana, in 1528. However it was only in the late 17th century that the French arrived and established their settlements there. The area was named after King Louis XIV of France by French explorer Robert Cavelier de La Salle in 1682.

In 2005, Louisiana was badly hit by the hurricane Katrina, with the city of New Orleans being the worst affected. Fortunately most of the tourist areas are on higher ground and escaped the brunt of the disaster.

Bald Cypress Swamp, Louisiana
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cypresses.jpg
Author: Jan Kronsell

Travel to Louisiana

Interstate highways I-10 and I-20 crosses Louisiana from east to west. I-10 enters Louisiana from Beaumont in Texas, passing the first major town being Lake Charles, and continues on to Baton Rouge and New Orleans, before exiting the state to Mississippi. I-20 from Dallas, Texas, enters Louisiana at Waskom and continues to Shreveport. It exits to Jackson, Mississippi.

Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) is the main airport in the state, receiving flights from all over the country as well as from the United Kingdom and selected destinations in Europe. From the airport you can catch a taxi to downtown New Orleans for $33. Major hotels also operate shuttle buses from the airport.

Travel within Louisiana

The most practical way to explore Louisiana is by car.

Shreveport Municipal Auditorium
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shreveport-municipal-auditorium-1995.jpg
Author: Dtobias

Cities in Louisiana

Places of Interest in Louisiana

National Monuments in Louisiana

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Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.

While I try my best to provide you information as accurate as I can get it to be, I do apologize for any errors and for outdated information which I am unaware. Nevertheless, I hope that what I have described here will be useful to you.