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The Maestri Bridge, or Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, carries US Route 11 over Lake Pontchartrain in south eastern Louisiana.
Image: Navin75

___ Reference Maps of Louisiana (LA)

About Louisiana

Time Zone Central:
UTC −6/DST−5
Clock shows DST

Where in the United States is Louisiana? Location map of Louisiana in the US.

Louisiana is one of the 50 states in the US, located in West South Central region of the USA, between Texas and Mississippi, and south of Arkansas, it has 3,000 miles (4,800 km) of twisty, meandering shorelines along the Gulf of Mexico in south.

The Sabine River forms two thirds of the border with Texas, the Mississippi and the Pearl River define sections of the border with the state of Mississippi.

Short History

Topographic Regions Map of Louisiana. (Click the map to enlarge)

Ancient groups of indigenous peoples inhabited the area of today Louisiana since at least 5,500 years ago. Archeologists have identified more than 100 sites as belonging to this mound-builder culture, which also formed a large trading network throughout the eastern part of what is now the United States.
The Watson Brake archaeological site in present-day Ouachita Parish is considered the oldest earthwork mound complex in North America, dating back about 5400 years ago.

First European explorers came to visit Louisiana in 1528 when Spanish conquistadors led by Panfilo de Narváez located the mouth of the Mississippi River. In the late 17th century, French and French Canadian expeditions established footholds on the Mississippi River and the Gulf Coast.
Almost the entire area of Louisiana was acquired by the US with the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Louisiana was admitted to the union on 30 April 1812 as the 18th state.

Area

Agricultural country near Poverty Point in Louisiana.
Image: Google Map

With a total area of 135,658 km² (52,378sq mi) ^[1], the Pelican State (Louisiana's official nickname) is about half the size of Colorado or somewhat larger than Greece.
There are no counties in Louisiana, the U.S. state of Louisiana is divided into 64 parishes.

Louisiana's landscape is mostly flat, the highest point is Driskill Mountain, a hill with an elevation of 163 m (535 ft) is the highest natural summit in the state, located 80 km (50 mi) east of Shreveport.

The state's geography offers a coastal marsh, the wetlands of Louisiana, a water-saturated coastal swamp region of bayous (more or less standing water) and cheniers (ridges) in the southern part of the state.
But the wetlands of Louisiana in the Mississippi Floodplain, have suffered severely from human interference in the last decades.

City Park in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Image: Susan Yin

Other features of Louisiana's landscape are the Red River Valley; the Terraces; and the Hills.

Lakes
Largest lake is Lake Pontchartrain (not really a lake but an estuary), other major lakes are Calcasieu Lake, the Grand and the White lakes, and the Toledo Bend Reservoir on the Sabine River between Texas and Louisiana. The Sabine Lake is a salt water estuary shared by Texas and Louisiana.

Rivers
Important rivers are the Mississippi, the Red River, Ouachita River, Atchafalaya River, and the Sabine River.

Islands
Largest island in Louisiana is the marshy uninhabited Marsh Island southwest of the Atchafalaya Delta.

World Heritage Site
Louisiana has one amazing UNESCO World Heritage Site, known as the Monumental Earthworks of Poverty Point

. The site is a vast area of earthen architecture built by an ancient indigenous hunter-gatherer society which inhabited the area of the lower Mississippi Valley. The site consists of a complex of earthen monuments, constructed 3,700-3,100 years ago in the Late Archaic period. It is the oldest earthworks of this size in the Western Hemisphere.

Poverty Point World Heritage Site
The Story of Poverty Point World Heritage Site by Louisiana Office of Tourism.

Panorama from the top of Mound A at Poverty Point Historic Park. This is supposed to be a 3,000 year old giant earthen bird, with the south wing to the left, the north wing to the right, and the bird's body in the center.
Image: Michael Homan

Population

Rendered image of the Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge, the state capital. Opened in 1932, the Art Deco building houses the bicameral State Legislature of Louisiana. At 137 m (450 ft), it is the tallest capitol in the United States.
Image: Google

Louisiana has a population of 4.7 million people (est. 2018) ^[2]; state capital is Baton Rouge.
Largest cities are New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Shreveport, Metairie (part of the New Orleans Metropolitan Area), Lafayette, and Lake Charles.

Busiest airports in the state are Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (IATA code: MSY), and Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport (Ryan Field; IATA code: BTR).

Cities and Towns in Louisiana

New Orleans Central Business District and Mercedes-Benz Superdome, Louisiana

New Orleans CBD and Mercedes-Benz Superdome, Louisiana.
Image: Nowhereman86

The map shows the location of following cities and towns in Louisiana:

Largest city is New Orleans (391,500)
Second largest city is Baton Rouge (capital city, 227,500), Shreveport (195,000), Metairie (138,500), Lafayette (127,600)
Population figures in 2017

Other cities and towns in Louisiana:
Abbeville, Alexandria, Bastrop, Bogalusa, Bossier City, Bunkie, Chalmette, Crowley, De Ridder, Eunice, Ferriday, Franklin, Hammond, Houma, Jennings, Kenner (part of New Orleans metro), Kinder, Lake Charles, Leesville, Mansfield, Minden, Monroe, Morgan City, Natchitoches, New Iberia, Oakdale, Opelousas, Ruston, Slidell, Springhill, St. Francisville, Sulphur, Tallulah, Thibodaux, Tullos, Ville Platte, Winnfield, and Winnsboro.

ExxonMobil oil refinery in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, seen from the Capitol tower. The refinery alongside the riverbank of the Mississippi is the fourth-largest oil refinery in the United States.
Image: Adbar

The detailed map below is showing the US state of Louisiana with boundaries, the location of the state capital Baton Rouge, major cities and populated places, streams and lakes, interstate highways, principal highways, and railroads.