Louisiana’s marshy Mississippi Valley is one of the most attractive areas of the USA. New Orleans, its largest city, is one of the country’s major tourist destinations. It is famed for Dixieland jazz, architecture, superb cuisine and its unique French Quarter. The city also boasts a wide choice of museums and galleries. Other places to see in the State include Lafayette, a city of magnificent gardens and the start of the 40km (25-mile) Azalea Trail; the Atchafalaya Basin, the largest and most remote swamp in the USA; the huge salt domes of Avery; and Alexandria, surrounded by forests and parks. The 138m-high (452ft) marble and limestone Capitol Building is situated in Baton Rouge.

Louisiana can be split into three distinct regions: the southern region, dominated by the Acadian culture and Gulf Coast; the northern uplands, harboring mainly an anglo-protestant population and forested natural areas; and the central region where the landforms and cultures of the north and south meet. The general topography of the state consists of 400 foot uplands in the north that slope southward through a heavily forested central region to the Gulf of Mexico, where New Orleans lies at two feet below sea level. The Gulf of Mexico lies to the south and holds many natural resources that support the economy of the state. The largest waterway within Louisiana is the Mississippi River. It forms the eastern border and the delta sediments on which New Orleans rests.

Water-oriented activities are most popular in Louisiana containing 4,000 square miles of waterways, lakes and bayous. Gulf Coast water access can satisfy the most hard-core angler and boating enthusiast. The National Forest lands support facilities for hiking, camping and canoeing.