Monday, February 9, 2015

Louisiana


We just learned about the state of Kentucky.

Louisiana is a state on the southern part of the USA. It has many nicknames:
Bayou State - because there are many slow marshy rivers and swamps called bayous in Louisiana.
Child of the Mississippi - because the Mississippi river ends in Louisiana and goes out into the Atlantic Ocean.
Creole State - because people who lived in Louisiana before it was part of the US were called creoles.
Pelican State - because the pelican is the symbol on the state seal.
Sportsman's Paradise - because there is so much fishing in Louisiana.
Sugar State - because sugar was a very important crop.

The state motto is: Union, Justice, Confidence.

(from: wikipedia - louisiana)

The flag of Louisiana has the state motto on it, and also a picture of a mother pelican poking herself in the chest, making herself bleed so she can feed her babies.

This might seem strange, but it is based on an old legend about a pelican whose children were starving and she did not have enough food to feed them so she cut herself so her babies could live.

This story is used in Christianity to be a symbol like Jesus who died on the cross so his followers could live eternally.


(from: wikipedia - flag of louisiana)

Louisiana catches more crayfish than anywhere else in the world, and the US eats more crayfish than any other country!
Crayfish are sometimes called crawfish, crawdads, freshwater lobsters, or mudbugs.

(from: wikipedia - procambarus clarkii)

Louisiana is the birth place of jazz music, as many of the most famous jazz musicians are from Louisiana, like Louis Armstrong.

(from: wikipedia - louis armstrong)

New Orleans is a very famous city in Louisiana, right on the Mississippi.
Many people go there to visit the old buildings, listen to music and eat many different types of food.
Cajun food was a type of food invented by people who used to be from Canada, but were kicked out and went to live in New Orleans.

(from: wikipedia - new orleans)

There are many swamps in Louisiana, with lots of alligators, snakes and turtles.

(from: wikipedia - honey island swamp)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Afghanistan