Smithsonian.com

Over millennia, the Mississippi River carried layers of sediment downstream to form a vast delta, with swamps, bayous and natural levees. Much of this region became Louisiana, home to a unique American culture. There, Spanish, French and African-American food, music and language combined to create a distinctive way of life.

New Orleans, often called the Crescent City, sits on a bend in the Mississippi, and its fortunes and tragedies have forever been tied to the river. A vital hub of trade with one of the busiest ports in the country, the city surrounded by water has also suffered terrible floods.

Though New Orleans was devastated in 2005 by Hurricane Katrina, its historic French Quarter came through mostly unscathed, and other parts of the city are being reconstructed, some with the help of volunteers from around the country. Through everything, Louisiana remains a extraordinary place.