List of parishes in Louisiana
| Parishes of Louisiana | |
|---|---|
| Category | Second-level administrative division |
| Location | State of Louisiana |
| Number | 64 Parishes |
| Populations | Greatest: 453,022 (East Baton Rouge Parish) Least: 3,844 (Tensas Parish) Average: 71,840 |
| 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 |
|
The U.S. state of Louisiana is divided into 64 parishes (French: paroisses; Spanish: parroquias), making it the only state besides Alaska to call its primary subdivisions something other than "counties." Louisiana's usage of the term "parish" for a geographic region or local government dates back to the French colonial and Spanish colonial periods and is connected to ecclesiastical parishes.
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.