Louisiana is a state situated within the southern region of the United States of America. Its state capital is Baton Rouge and leading city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the country with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties. The largest parish by land area is Cameron parish and the largest by population is East Baton Parish.
Some of the urban environments within the state of Louisiana have a strong multicultural, multilingual tradition. Some of the main influences consist of an admixture of 18th century French, Spanish, African and Native American (Indian) cultures. Before the American statehood and influx at the beginning of the 19th century, the territory of current Louisiana State had been a Spanish and French colony. Also, the pattern of development consisted of importing many slaves from Africa in the 18th century, with many from the same West African part, thus concentrating their culture.
In the year 2010, the total gross state product for the state of Louisiana was $213.6 billion, ranking it 24th within the nation. Louisiana's per capita personal income is $30,952, ranking 41st in the United States.
The state's principal agricultural products consist of seafood (it is the biggest producer of crawfish within the world, supplying approximately 90 percent), cotton, soybeans, cattle, sugarcane, eggs and poultry, dairy products, and rice. The seafood business directly supports a projected 16,000 jobs. Industry generates chemical products, petroleum and coal products, processed foods and transportation equipment, and paper products. Tourism is an important factor in the economy, mainly in the New Orleans area.
Located on the Mississippi River between the cities of New Orleans and Baton Rouge is the Port of South Louisiana. This port is the biggest shipping port within the Western Hemisphere and the 4th largest in the world. It is the largest bulk cargo port within the world.
The film trade thrives within the cities of Shreveport and New Orleans, due to financial incentives and aggressive promotion which have build the local film business. During late 2007 and early 2008, a 300,000-square-foot (28,000 m2) film studio was scheduled to open in Treme, with a film training institute and state-of-the-art production facilities. Tabasco sauce, which is marketed by one of the United States' largest producers of hot sauce, the McIlhenny Company, originated on Avery Island.
The tourism and culture sectors of the economy earn practically $5.2 billion per year in the state of Louisiana. Louisiana State also hosts many important cultural events, like the World Cultural Economic Forum, which is held every year in the fall at the New Orleans Memorial Convention Center.