Capital: Baton Rouge
Population: 4,468,976
Governor: Kathleen Blanco (D, to January 2008)
Entered the Union: April 30, 1812 as the 18th state
Motto: Union, Justice, and Confidence
Nickname: Pelican State, Sportsman's Paradise, Creole State, and Sugar state
Flower: Magnolia
Bird: Pelican
Song: Give Me Louisiana and You Are My Sunshine
Sports: Teams New Orleans Saints (Football)
Origin of Name: Named in honor of Louis XIV of France
Major Industries: Manufacturing, minerals, petroleum products, Fishing, Tourism
Historical Sites: French Quarter (New Orleans), Plantation Homes, Cajun country (Mississippi delta region), Chalmette National Historical Park
Points of Interest: Jean Lafitte National Historical Park & Preserve, Kisatchie National Forest, Confederate Museum(New Orleans), Superdome (New Orleans)
Bordering States: Lousiana borders Arkansas, Mississippi, and Texas.
Source: State of Louisiana
Population, 2006 estimate: 4,287,768
Population, percent change, April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2006: -4.1%
Population, 2000: 4,468,976 281,421,906
Persons under 5 years old, percent, 2006: 7.0%
Persons under 18 years old, percent, 2006: 25.4%
Persons 65 years old and over, percent, 2006: 12.2%
Female persons, percent, 2006: 51.4%
White persons, percent, 2006 (a): 65.4%
Black persons, percent, 2006 (a): 31.7%
American Indian and Alaska Native persons, percent, 2006 (a): 0.6%
Asian persons, percent, 2006 (a): 1.4%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, percent, 2006 (a): NA
Persons reporting two or more races, percent, 2006: 0.9%
Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin, percent, 2006 (b): 2.9%
White persons not Hispanic, percent, 2006: 62.8%
Living in same house in 1995 and 2000, pct 5 yrs old & over: 59.0%
Foreign born persons, percent, 2000: 2.6%
Language other than English spoken at home, pct age 5+, 2000: 9.2%
High school graduates, percent of persons age 25+, 2000: 74.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher, pct of persons age 25+, 2000: 18.7%
Persons with a disability, age 5+, 2000: 880,047
Mean travel time to work (minutes), workers age 16+, 2000: 25.7
Housing units, 2006: 1,830,073
Homeownership rate, 2000: 67.9%
Housing units in multi-unit structures, percent, 2000: 18.7%
Median value of owner-occupied housing units, 2000: $85,000
Households, 2000: 1,656,053
Persons per household, 2000: 2.62
Median household income, 2004: $35,216
Per capita money income, 1999: $16,912
Persons below poverty, percent, 2004: 19.2%
Source: U.S.Census Bureau
(a) Includes persons reporting only one race.
(b) Hispanics may be of any race, so also are included in applicable race categories.
Total Gross Domestic Product by State: 180,336
Private industries: 159,901
Agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting: 1,288
Crop and animal production (Farms): 787
Forestry, fishing, and related activities: 501
Mining: 23,491
Oil and gas extraction: 18,799
Mining, except oil and gas: 273
Support activities for mining: 4,419
Utilities: 4,850
Construction: 7,385
Manufacturing: 38,273
Durable goods: 6,953
Wood product manufacturing: 674
Nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing: 469
Primary metal manufacturing: 390
Fabricated metal product manufacturing: 1,050
Machinery manufacturing: 905
Computer and electronic product manufacturing: 88
Electrical equipment and appliance manufacturing: 94
Motor vehicle, body, trailer, and parts manufacturing: 1,167
Other transportation equipment manufacturing: 1,681
Furniture and related product manufacturing: 102
Miscellaneous manufacturing: 334
Nondurable goods: 31,320
Food product manufacturing: 1,571
Textile and textile product mills: 49
Apparel manufacturing: 19
Paper manufacturing: 1,431
Printing and related support activities: 162
Petroleum and coal products manufacturing: 16,780
Chemical manufacturing: 10,860
Plastics and rubber products manufacturing: 448
Wholesale trade: 8,211
Retail trade: 11,591
Transportation and warehousing, excluding Postal Service: 5,856
Air transportation: 245
Rail transportation: 454
Water transportation: 846
Truck transportation: 1,341
Transit and ground passenger transportation: 166
Pipeline transportation: 321
Other transportation and support activities: 2,025
Warehousing and storage: 457
Information: 4,143
Publishing including software: 531
Motion picture and sound recording industries: 154
Broadcasting and telecommunications: 3,235
Information and data processing services: 223
Finance and insurance: 6,171
Federal Reserve banks, credit intermediation and related services: 3,209
Securities, commodity contracts, investments: 487
Insurance carriers and related activities: 2,408
Funds, trusts, and other financial vehicles: 66
Real estate and rental and leasing: 13,222
Real estate: 10,661
Rental and leasing services and lessors of intangible assets: 2,561
Professional and technical services: 6,921
Legal services: 2,276
Computer systems design and related services: 534
Other professional, scientific and technical services: 4,112
Management of companies and enterprises: 2,086
Administrative and waste services: 3,908
Administrative and support services: 3,219
Waste management and remediation services: 689
Educational services: 1,193
Health care and social assistance: 10,515
Ambulatory health care services: 5,719
Hospitals and nursing and residential care facilities: 4,090
Social assistance: 706
Arts, entertainment, and recreation: 2,456
Performing arts, museums, and related activities: 674
Amusement, gambling, and recreation: 1,781
Accommodation and food services: 4,811
Accommodation: 1,716
Food services and drinking places: 3,095
Other services, except government: 3,531
Government: 20,436
Federal civilian: 2,096
Federal military: 2,675
State and local: 15,665
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
Longitude: 89°W to 94°W
Latitude: 29°N to 33°N
Length / Width: Louisiana is about 380 miles long and 130 miles wide.
Geographic Center: The geographic center of Louisiana is located in Avoyelles Parish, 3 miles SE of Marksville.
Borders: Louisiana is bordered by Arkansas on the north and the Gulf of Mexico on the south. Mississippi borders Louisiana on the east and Texas borders Louisiana on the west.
Total Area: Louisiana covers 51,843 square miles, making it the 31st largest of the 50 states.
Land Area: 43,566 square miles of Louisiana are land areas.
Water Area: 8,277 square miles of Louisiana are covered by water.
Highest Point: The highest point in Louisiana is Driskill Mountain at 535 feet above sea level.
Lowest Point: The lowest point in Louisiana is 8 feet "below" sea level in New Orleans. This is the second lowest place in the country. Only Death Valley, in California is lower; 282 below sea level!
Mean Elevation: The Mean Elevation of the state of Louisiana is only 100 feet above sea level.
Major Rivers: Atchafalaya River, Mississippi River, Ouachita River, Red River, Sabine River
Major Lakes: Calcasieu Lake, Catahoula Lake, Grand Lake, Lake Maurepas, Lake Pontchartrain, Toledo Bend Reservoir, White Lake
Source: U.S. Geological Survey
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