History and GovernmentFrench explorer Robert de LaSalle named Louisiana in honor of King Louis XIV.Louisiana is the only American state to enter the Union (1812) with a non-English speaking group as its popular majority.The Louisiana Purchase (1803) eventually formed all or part of 15 U.S. states (Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Oklahoma, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming).The city of Natchitoches, formed in 1714, is the oldest permanent settlement in the Louisiana Purchase.Local governmental units in Louisiana are called parishes, not counties like other statesThe term parishes comes from church units set up by the Spanish in 1699.Louisiana has 64 parishes.Louisiana’s government has operated from five different capital cities throughout its history: New Orleans, Donaldsonville, Opelousas, Shreveport and Baton Rouge.Baton Rouge was the site of the only American Revolution battle fought outside the original 13...
