Louisiana is one of the states of the United States of America and is situated in the southern part of the country. It is called Etat de Louisiane in French, and the official name is the State of Louisiana. The city of Baton Rouge is the capital of the state, and the city and metropolitan area of New Orleans is the largest in the state. With respect to population, the largest parish is the Jefferson Parish, and with respect to land area the largest parish is the Cameron Parish. Parishes are local governments which are the same as counties, and the state of Louisiana is the only state which is divided into parishes. There are a lot of different cultures and languages in the cities of Louisiana. The most influential cultures are African, Spanish, and French cultures of the eighteenth century. Louisiana was initially a part of New France, and this is the reason why there are so many people here who speak Louisiana Creole French and Cajun French.

The climate of Louisiana is classified as being a humid subtropical climate. The summer seasons are long and the weather in hot and humid. The winter season on the other hand is short and the weather is mild. The climate is influenced to a major extent by the Gulf of Mexico, and this is how it gets its subtropical characteristics. The level of precipitation is frequent and almost constant throughout the year, but there is a little more rain in the summer season as compared to other seasons of the year.

The first site in the world where oil drilling was carried out over water was the state of Louisiana. This took place on the Caddo Lake which is situated in the north western part of the state. The major contributors to the economy of Louisiana are the gas and oil industries, and also the refining and transport industries which are its subsidiaries.