La. Admin. Code tit. 48 § I-10301

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 9, September 20, 2024

Section I-10301 - Geographic and Climatic Characteristics

A. Louisiana lies at the south end of the Mississippi River Valley, and with the exception of Florida and Texas, extends farther south than any other continental state in the United States. The state is bounded on the north by Arkansas, on the west by the Sabine river and Texas, on the east by the Pearl and Mississippi rivers and the state of Mississippi, and on the south by the Gulf of Mexico.

B. Louisiana ranks 31st in land size among the 50 states with 48,523 square miles of land and water. Over 4,000 square miles of this total area are water-3,500 square miles in lakes and 650 square miles in rivers, bayous, and streams. The state measures nearly 300 miles, at its widest part, from east to west, and about 275 miles from north to south. Diagonally, from the northwestern corner of Caddo parish to the mouth of the Mississippi, the distance is approximately 400 airline miles.

C. There is wide variation in land elevation and in soil types in Louisiana. The lowlands include plains along the gulf coast, southwestern prairies, and land along major rivers. Rolling, hilly areas of the northwest and southwest are called the uplands.

D. There are three sections of Louisiana uplands, which range in altitude from lower levels of one hundred feet to higher levels of over 500 feet. The Florida parishes uplands lie east of the Mississippi river and north of Lake Pontchartrain. This area slopes from north to south and averages about 200 feet in altitude.

E. The uplands in the north and northwest sections of the state lie roughly between the Red and Ouachita river valleys. There are points in this area that reach over 500 feet. The west Louisiana uplands lie west of the Red river and north and northeast of the Calcasieu river. The entire area is crisscrossed with bluffs and ravines.

F. The lowland areas have an elevation normally less than 50 feet above sea level. This area may also be divided into three sections. The gulf coastal plain lies west of the Atchafalaya river. Coastal marshes of this area are protected from the Gulf of Mexico by beaches, composed of sand and soil held together by undergrowth and a few trees. The Mississippi river plain is narrow in the north, but widens as one moves southward. Higher portions of this plain are called frontlands, then backlands, and finally swamps. Throughout this area are numerous lakes, lagoons, and marshes. The third lowland area is the prairie section of southwest Louisiana. This section is fairly level, sparsely timbered, and cut by numerous streams and bayous.

G. The Mississippi is Louisiana's most important river and from the viewpoint of political history is the most important river of the Western Hemisphere. It has served to carry much of the inland commerce of the entire central portion of the United States.

H. The Red River is the second most important Louisiana waterway. Rising in northwestern Texas, it enters Louisiana near the northwestern corner of the state. It was an important water highway during the colonial period and greatly contributed to the economic and commercial life of the state.

I. At this time approximately 55 percent of the land area of the state is timberland. Furniture, lumber, and paper manufacture, all dependent on the state's forest resources, produce over 500 million dollars in revenue each year and employ over 40,000 workers.

J. An unusual combination of diversified natural resources occurs in Louisiana. Rich alluvial soils and a favorable climate produce a great variety of agricultural products and valuable forests; salt, sulfur, oil and natural gas are the primary mineral resources; lakes, rivers, and the Gulf provide fresh-water fish and seafood, as well as sand, gravel, and shells; game and fur-bearing animals abound.

K. Most of Louisiana has a semitropical climate. The average temperature is 60 degrees in the north and 71 degrees in the extreme southern part. Louisiana has frequent rains with the average yearly rainfall over 57.0 inches. But despite its rainfall, Louisiana is a "sunshine" state since over one-half of the days are sunny and warm. The growing season in the south is 320 days; in the north 220 days.

L. As with other coastal states, Louisiana has had its share of violent weather. Hurricanes form in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, and such storms occasionally hit the coastal areas and carry for some distance inward.

La. Admin. Code tit. 48, § I-10301

Promulgated by the Department of Health and Human Resources, Office of Management and Finance, LR 13:246 (April 1987).

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with P.L. 93-641 as amended by P.L. 96-79, and R.S. 36:256(b).