How well do you know Louisiana?
Louisiana has its own food, music, language traditions and even its own way of dividing the state. Six questions, from easy to hard, with explanations.
Did you know?
- Louisiana is the only US state whose legal system is based largely on French and Spanish civil law, going back to the Napoleonic era, rather than English common law.
- The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway in southeastern Louisiana is nearly 24 miles long. It is often listed as the longest continuous bridge over water in the world.
- The Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge, completed in 1932, is about 450 feet tall. It is the tallest state capitol building in the United States.
Bayous, music and a unique culture
Louisiana sits where the Mississippi River meets the Gulf of Mexico. Its wetlands, bayous and river towns shaped a culture unlike any other in the United States, blending French, Spanish, African, Caribbean and Native American influences. That heritage lives on in Louisiana's food, music, festivals, architecture and even its legal system.
A French and Spanish past
Louisiana was a French and then Spanish colony before the United States bought it in 1803. French influence remains in place names, architecture and the Cajun French language still spoken by some families. Louisiana's civil law system also reflects its French and Spanish roots, unlike the common law used in other states.
Bayous and wetlands
Bayous are slow-moving streams and marshy waterways that wind through southern Louisiana. They support fish, birds, alligators and a way of life based on fishing and trapping. Swamp tours let visitors see cypress trees draped in Spanish moss and wildlife up close.
The Mississippi delta
The Mississippi River built southern Louisiana over thousands of years by depositing sediment. Levees now protect towns from floods but also stop new sediment from reaching wetlands. Scientists and engineers are working on projects to divert river water and sediment to rebuild disappearing marshes.
Festivals and food
Louisiana is famous for festivals celebrating food and music, from crawfish festivals to zydeco and jazz events. Dishes such as jambalaya, étouffée, boudin and po'boys reflect local ingredients and traditions, and home cooks take great pride in family recipes.
Zydeco and Cajun music
In rural southwest Louisiana, Cajun music features fiddles and accordions and is often sung in French. Zydeco, developed by Creole musicians, adds rhythm and blues influences and the rubboard, a metal washboard played as percussion. Both styles are central to local dances and celebrations.
Plantations, history and memory
Louisiana's history includes sugar and cotton plantations that depended on the labor of enslaved people. Sites such as the Whitney Plantation now focus on telling the stories of those who were enslaved, using records and personal accounts. Museums across the state help visitors understand this difficult history and its lasting influence on Louisiana's culture.