The State of Louisiana is bordered to the west by Texas; to the north by Arkansas; to the east by Mississippi; and to the south by the Gulf of Mexico. The state may properly be divided into two parts, the uplands and the alluvial. The alluvial region includes low swamp lands, coastal marshlands and beaches, and barrier islands that cover about 52,000 km². This area lies principally along the Gulf of Mexico and the Mississippi River, which traverses the state from north to south for a distance of about 1,000 km and empties into the Gulf of Mexico; the Red River; the Ouachita River and its branches; and other minor streams or bayous. The breadth of the alluvial region along the Mississippi is from 15 to 100 km, and along the other rivers the alluvial region averages about 15 km across.

The Mississippi River flows along a ridge formed by its own deposits, from which the lands decline toward the low swamps beyond at an average fall of 3 meters per km. The alluvial lands along other streams present similar features.

Louisiana has a subtropical climate. Rainfall and humidity decrease, and daily temperature variations increase, with distance from the Gulf of Mexico. The normal daily temperature in New Orleans is 20°C, ranging from 11°C in January to 28°C in July.

New Orleans has sunshine more than 60% of the time, and the average annual rainfall (1971–2000) was 163cm. Snow falls occasionally in the north, but rarely in the south, and the southern end facing the Gulf of Mexico.  

Due to its’ geographical location, with a temperate climate, abundant rainfall and sunshine, it is definitely an ideal environment for strong crop growth. In fact, Louisiana is the third largest rice-growing state in the United States.