The state of Louisiana consists of low country on the coastal plain of the Gulf of Mexico and the Mississippi alluvial plain. Louisiana rises in uplands near Arkansas only to some 163 m (535 feet). The rainy coastal country contains marshes and fertile delta lands, while inland, rolling pine hills and prairies can be found.
The Mississippi dominates the state's many waterways, but there are other important rivers too, including the Red River, the Ouachita, the Atchafalaya and the Calcasieu. The coast is threaded by many slow-moving bayous, such as the Teche, the Macon and the Lafourche. Louisiana boasts numerous lagoons such as Lake Ponchartrain, oxbow lakes made by Mississippi River cutoffs and other lakes where the slow streams are clogged. A variety of recreational facilities makes the state an excellent holiday destination. Some of its lakes (e.g. Pontchartrain) have been highly developed as resort areas and there is superb hunting and fishing throughout much of the region.
Louisiana is in the south of the United States. It is bordered by Texas to the west, Kansas to the north and Mississippi in the east. The state capital is Baton Rouge, but New Orleans is its largest city. Other important places include Lafayette and Shreveport.
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