Louisiana is the only state in the United States that does not have counties; instead, it is divided into 64 parishes.

Louisiana has the highest incarceration rate in the United States.

The state nickname, “The Pelican State,” is derived from the state bird, the brown pelican.

Louisiana is the birthplace of jazz music, with its origins in New Orleans.

Louisiana is home to the largest freshwater swamp in the United States, the Atchafalaya Basin.

The state’s official language is English, but many residents also speak French, Spanish, and Creole.

Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. that has a system of civil law, which is based on the French and Spanish legal codes.

The Louisiana Purchase, in which the United States acquired the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803, nearly doubled the size of the United States at the time.

The state’s capital, Baton Rouge, is named after the French phrase for “red stick,” which refers to the red pole that marked the boundary between two Native American tribes.

Louisiana is home to the world’s longest bridge over water, the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway.

The Louisiana State Capitol building in Baton Rouge is the tallest capitol building in the United States, standing 450 feet (137 meters) tall.

The Louisiana Superdome, located in New Orleans, is the largest enclosed stadium in the world.

The city of Lafayette, Louisiana is known as the “Hub City” because of its location at the intersection of major highways and railways.

Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. that still has a legal system of napoleonic code.

Louisiana is the birthplace of zydeco music, a genre that blends Creole music with blues and rhythm and blues.

The Louisiana State University football team has won three national championships and has produced a number of NFL players.

Louisiana is home to the world’s largest population of American alligators.