New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a city near the mouth of the Mississippi River, in Louisiana.
History
New Orleans was first settled by France. It became part of the United States in 1807, through the Louisiana Purchase.
The last battle of the War of 1812 was fought successfully defending the city from an attack from the Royal Navy.
As the upper reaches of the Mississippi was developed New Orleans became an important port.
Geography
New Orleans lies in the Mississippi River's delta, with the original settlement being built on a small section of high land. Most of the city is built on former swamp land. And early developers surrounded the expanding city with dikes. Pumping out groundwater had the unfortunate side-effect of lowering the ground level, so much of the city is below sea level, making breaches of the dikes a potential disaster.