Louisiana
Louisiana's colorful history includes government under 10 different flags since 1541, including Spain, France and Great Britain. In 1803, Louisiana joined the United States. The federal government recognized Louisiana's importance by sending Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe to negotiate the Louisiana Purchase with Napoleon. The United States ultimately purchased Louisiana for $11,250,000, adding a vital geographic position at the mouth of the Mississippi River to sail U.S. vessels bound for the Atlantic coast and Europe down the Mississippi River. Louisiana's maritime assets were, and are, vitally important to the United States.
Louisiana is in the extreme southern region of the United States. The lower part of Louisiana is defined by the Gulf of Mexico and the Mississippi River. The lower half of Louisiana consists primarily of major port cities, swamps, coastal marshlands, beaches and barrier islands, while the northern portion is fertile land, prairie and woodlands.
Louisiana has more navigable waterways than any other state in the nation. The Mississippi River runs for 600 miles. The Red River, the Ouachita River and a number of other smaller rivers, streams, and canals combine to form a 4,000-mile system of navigable waterways. Louisiana also has political jurisdiction over the approximately three-mile-wide portion of sub-sea land of the inner continental shelf in the Gulf of Mexico.
Louisiana is rich in petroleum and natural gas deposits, found in abundance in both onshore and offshore waters. Vast petroleum and natural gas reserves are found offshore in the federally administered Outer Continental Shelf in the Gulf of Mexico. Louisiana is also a major importer of crude oil from around the world, typically shipping in about one-fifth of all foreign crude oil processed in the United States. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port is the only port in the United States capable of accommodating deep draft tankers. Oil Seaports and Oil Import Sites include Morgan City, New Orleans, Lake Charles, Baton Rouge, Gramercy and St. Rose.
Louisiana's abundance of ports is due in part to its expansive waterway system. These ports provide a significant and positive economic impact in the form of jobs and tax revenues. The majority of the ports in Louisiana are shallow-draft inland or shallow-draft coastal ports. These shallow draft ports serve as cargo ports, ports for servicing the offshore oil and gas industry, and for commercial fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. The six deep draft ports in Louisiana are used to transfer large quantities of cargo, according to the Port Association of Louisiana.
Every year, the Lower Mississippi River experiences high water. Berth owners at Mississippi River ports check predictions by the National Weather Service Hydrologic Information Service for uncommonly high water as more ships will require helper tugs to maneuver into the berths.
Louisiana's unique and vibrant culture can be seen from the State Capital of Baton Rouge to New Orleans, the state's largest city. Some Louisiana cities have a multicultural, multilingual heritage, with French, Spanish and African influences. The one aspect that remains the same throughout the state is the importance of the waterways and maritime activities. Together, they influence everything from the cuisine to the weather to the economic condition of the state. Louisiana has a humid subtropical climate with long, hot, humid summers and short, pleasantly mild winters. These subtropical characteristics are due in large part to the influence of the Gulf of Mexico, which is less than 200 miles away from any point in Louisiana. Numerous waterways and maritime activity in Louisiana guarantee that its heritage will continue as an important asset to the nation.
