Louisiana Geography Study Guide
1. Study your Louisiana map.
 Know where the following places are located:
i. Cities – New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Monroe & Shreveport
ii. Lakes – Pontchartrain, Borgne & Maurepas
iii. Rivers – Mississippi, Pearl, Red, & Atchafalaya
iv. Cultural Regions - North, Central, Acadiana, Florida Parishes & Greater New Orleans
2. Study the vocabulary :
 reservoir, delta, coastal marsh, barrier islands, coastal erosion, salt domes, humid sub-tropical, faults,
sediment, spillway, distributary, brackish, storm surge & natural levees.
3. Louisiana’s Motto – Union Justice and Confidence, Bird – brown Pelican, Flower – Magnolia and Tree – Cypress
4. The coastal marshes are found along the southern coast.
5. Why are barrier islands important in hurricane protection? Name 1 example of a barrier island.
 First line of defense from storms. Ship Island & Grand Isle
6. Why is coastal erosion dangerous for Louisiana? What methods are being used to halt erosion?
 Loss of land. Government protection, artificial sediment creation, planting grass along the coast,
pumping sand into the barrier islands, etc.
7. How do hurricanes affect erosion?
 Hurricanes speed up the process of erosion.
8. Where are salt domes located? What formed them? Name one example of a salt dome in Louisiana.
 Located in SW Louisiana. Created from the Ancient sea that once covered Louisiana. Avery Island is a famous
example.
9. What is the difference between physical & cultural geography? Name 1 example of each relevant to Louisiana.
 Physical – study of landforms, oceans, weather and climate.
 Cultural – study of how people live their life and adapt to different places on earth.
o Physical Example – Lake Pontchartrain & Cultural Example – Eating Crawfish, language, being Catholic
10. Why are levees helpful and hurtful for Louisiana?
 Helpful – stop flooding and Hurtful – can break and bad for the wetlands . They do not allow sediment to
build up.
11. What and where is the highest point in Louisiana?
 Driskill Mountain in North Louisiana.
12. Describe where the Florida Parishes are located using the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain.
 East of the Mississippi River and North of Lake Pontchartrain
13. What region is St. Tammany Parish in?
 Florida Parishes
14. What is the hurricane classification system? Strongest hurricane? Weakest hurricane? What is the lowest wind
speed for a storm to be considered a hurricane?
 Saffir Simpson, Category 5 = strongest and Category 1 = weakest. 74mph to be a hurricane.
15. What resources / wildlife can be found in the Atchafalaya Basin?
 Resources = crawfish. Wildlife = Louisiana Black Bear
16. Explain how spillways work. Which 2 spillways are in Louisiana?
 Diverts water away from a river to prevent flooding. Morganza and Bonnet Carre
17. Which part of the hurricane is the most dangerous?
 Eyewall or Storm Surge