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What Are the Main Land Regions of Louisiana?

Once belonging to the French, Louisiana became an American state in the early 1800s. It boasts a rich and colorful history characterized by beautiful French-American architecture, lively cities like New Orleans and some of the most diverse ecosystems in the United States. Recognized by a number of organizations like the Nature Conservancy and the American Bird Conservancy, Louisiana's varied topography contains everything from lush grasslands to extensive pine forests that are home to numerous species or flora and fauna.

East Gulf Coastal Plain
- The East Gulf Coastal Plain covers a large area of land stretching from eastern Louisiana to the western panhandle of Florida. The East Gulf Coastal Plain picks up where the Mississippi Alluvial Valley ends and is characterized as flat in some areas and rolling in others, populated by a number of stream and river bottoms as well as marshlands. Most of the area is dominated by various types of pine trees, while the northern part of the plain has been converted to farmlands where, among other things, corn and soybeans are grown. This area is home to an extensive bird population including the warbler, oriole, sparrow, wren and egret.
West Gulf Coastal Plain
- The West Gulf Coastal Plain covers a large part of northwest Louisiana as well as eastern Texas and the southwestern corner of Arkansas. As with the East Gulf Coastal Plain, this area is dominated by pine trees, with hardwood forest comprising the southern portion. This area ends where the Mississippi Alluvial Valley begins. The pines that dominate the West Gulf Coastal Plain also taper off as the area blends into the grasslands of the Coastal Prairies. Like the East Gulf Coastal Plain, this area is also home to an extensive bird population including the woodpecker, nuthatch, warbler and vireo.
Coastal Prairies
- This area extends south of the West Gulf Coastal Plain to the Gulf of Mexico and covers southeastern coast of Texas. Characterized by lush green grasslands and rolling hills, this area also encompasses saltwater and freshwater marshes and a small part of forest as it tapers off into other areas. Like the East Gulf Coastal Plains, the northern part of the Coastal Prairies are used for agricultural purposes as pasture land and farms that produce rice and sugarcane, among other grain crops. The Louisiana portion of the Coastal Prairies is often referred to as the Cajun Prairie and is considered to be an endangered ecosystem and is home to a number of plant species like golden rod, black eyed susan and red milkweed, as well as animals like Attwater's prairie chicken, red-tailed hawks, and white ibis.
Mississippi Alluvial Valley
- This area encompasses much of eastern Louisiana, eastern Arkansas, the northwestern tip of Mississippi and parts of Tennessee, Missouri and Kentucky. Beginning in Louisiana where the West Gulf Coastal Plain ends, the Mississippi Alluvial Valley is essentially a flood plain created by the Mississippi River that gives way to a valley. This area is the most significant water habitat for mallards in all of North America. Once home to an elaborate system of forests and wetlands, the Mississippi Alluvial Valley now contains less than 20 percent of these ecosystems as they have since been cleared for agricultural use. Home to bird species like the parula, warbler and kite, this area is now protected through the Ducks Unlimited wetlands conservation efforts.

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