Parishes of Louisiana | |
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Category | Second-level administrative division |
Location | State of Louisiana |
Number | 64 Parishes |
Populations | Greatest: 448,467 (East Baton Rouge Parish) Least: 3,764 (Tensas Parish) Average: 71,465 |
Areas | Largest: 2,429 square miles (6,290 km2) (Plaquemines Parish) Smallest: 203 square miles (530 km2) (West Baton Rouge Parish) Average: 781 square miles (2,020 km2) |
Government | |
Subdivisions |
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The U.S. state of Louisiana is divided into 64 parishes (French: paroisses, Spanish: parroquias), and the remaining 48 other states are divided into counties, while Alaska is divided into boroughs and census areas. Louisiana's usage of the term "parish" for a geographic region or local government dates back to the French colonial and Spanish colonial periods.
Thirty-eight parishes are governed by a council called a police jury. The remaining 26 have various other forms of government, including: council-president, council-manager, parish commission, and consolidated parish/city.[1]