Facts About Louisiana

Abbreviation                  LA

Admitted to Union         April 30, 1812 (18th state)

Capital         Baton Rouge

Climate        Subtropical

Flag             A pelican feeding its young against a field of blue.

Federal Delegation         Two U.S. Senators
Seven members of the U.S. House of Representatives
Nine Electoral Votes

Government                

State Constitution of 1974 provides for 3 branches of government:Executive, Judicial,  Legislative.
The Executive Branch is headed by the governor who is elected for a four year term.
The Judicial branch is headed by the Louisiana Supreme Court.
The Legislative branch consists of 39 State Senators and 105 State Representatives. All are elected for four year terms.

Motto                         Union, Justice, Confidence

Major Metropolitan Areas      The following data is from the 1990 census.

Metro Name         City    Metro Area   Rank  -------------     ------   ----------   --

New Orleans       496,938   1,238,816    32

Baton Rouge       219,531     528,264    71

Shreveport        198,525     334,341   111 Lafayette          94,440     208,740   153

Houma-             30,495     182,842   166

Thibodaux          14,035        

Lake Charles       70,580     168,134   175

Monroe             54,909     142,191   201

Alexandria         49,188     131,556   210

Nickname                                        Pelican

State Political Subdivisions            64 parishes (analogous to counties in other states)

Population                                      4,315,000 (1994 Census Bureau estimate)