Louisiana is one of the states in the southern region of the United States of America. Texas borders Louisiana to the west, while Mississippi borders Louisiana to the east. Louisiana borders Arkansas to the north and the Gulf of Mexico to the south. Baton Rouge serves as Louisiana’s capital, while New Orleans is the largest city and the largest metro area. Louisiana occupies 51,855 square miles, ranking 31st in the United States. Twenty-fifth in the United States, Louisiana’s population is approximately 4,293,204.
In the southern parts of Louisiana, Cajuns and Creoles make up the majority of the population. Louisiana also has the greatest percentage of African-Americans of all the U.S. states. Most of Louisiana’s population is made up of whites of Southern U.S. background, but the rest of the population is mainly from French-speaking backgrounds, whether from Haiti or Canada.
The gross state product was $168 billion for Louisiana in 2005, ranking 24th in the nation. Fourty-first in the country, Louisiana’s per-capita personal income is $30,952. Principal agricultural products in Louisiana include seafood, cotton, soybeans, cattle, sugarcane, poultry, eggs, dairy products, and rice. Industrial products include chemical products, petroleum and coal products, food processing, transportation equipment, and paper products. Crude oil and natural gas reserves also appear in Louisiana. Tourism also plays a big role in the economy.
Louisiana’s economy and infrastructure is still in the process of rebuilding following several destructive hurricanes between August, 2005 (Katrina) and September, 2008 (Gustav).