Louisiana is the 18th state of the United States of America, admitted to the Union on April 30, 1812.

Louisiana is richly endowed with such nonrenewable minerals as oil, natural gas, sulfur, and salt.

In addition to mining, the state has flourishing agricultural, lumbering, and fishing industries. These activities provide the basis for much of the manufacturing in Louisiana.

A succession of Native American cultures occupied the area of Louisiana beginning as long as 12,000 years ago. Many were local societies sustained by hunting and gathering or subsistence agriculture, but others, such as the Poverty Point Culture centered along Bayou Macon in NorthEastern Louisiana, had regional influence and trading networks.

The French were the original European colonizers of Louisiana, beginning in the early 18th century. After a period of Spanish control, it reverted to France. During this colonial period other European and African cultures were introduced into the area.

Most of Louisiana was bought by the United States in 1803 as part of the Louisiana Purchase; the rest came as a result of the West Florida Rebellion of 1810.

Initially, in the colonial period, the locality was known as Louisiane. This name was given by the French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, who journeyed down the Mississippi River in 1682 and claimed a vast area for France, naming it for the French king, Louis XIV.

The Spanish version of the name was Luisiana. From these forms evolved the present name of Louisiana.

The most popular nickname for Louisiana is the Pelican State, after the native coastal bird. Other nicknames are the Creole State, after the descendants of early French and Spanish settlers, and the Bayou State, for the many lush, slow-moving waterways found in the state.

Following are Louisiana’s major cities.

• New Orleans, is the principal port of Louisiana, and one of the two leading commercial, industrial and transportation centers in the state.
• Baton Rouge, the seat of East Baton Rouge Parish, serves as the state capital of Louisiana. It is the other of the two leading industrial centers, with emphasis on oil refining and the manufacture of chemicals and chemical products.
• Shreveport, the seat of Caddo Parish, is the leading commercial center in NorthWestern Louisiana. It is also an industrial center where oil refining is a major activity.

Other important cities include

• Lafayette, the seat of Lafayette Parish, primarily a commercial center in South central Louisiana.
• Lake Charles, the seat of Calcasieu Parish, the leading commercial center in SouthWestern Louisiana.
• Across the Red River is Bossier City, in Bossier Parish, growing as a service center and also home to Barksdale Air Force Base.
• Monroe, the seat of Ouachita Parish, the commercial center for the important cotton-growing area in Northern Louisiana.
• Alexandria, the seat of Rapides Parish, also a commercial center for central Louisiana.