Port of South Louisiana facts for kids
The Port of South Louisiana (French: Port de la Louisiane du Sud) is a really important place for ships! It stretches for about 87 kilometers (54 miles) along the mighty Mississippi River. This huge port is located between two big cities in Louisiana: New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Its main office is in a town called LaPlace, Louisiana.
This port is super important for moving grain, like corn, soybeans, and wheat, from the middle of the United States (the Midwest). In fact, it handles about 60% of all the raw grain that the U.S. sends to other countries!
Where is the Port of South Louisiana?
The Port of South Louisiana, along with the ports of New Orleans and Baton Rouge, covers a huge area. They stretch for about 277 kilometers (172 miles) along both sides of the Mississippi River. Imagine that!
There used to be a special waterway called the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet Canal. It was about 108 kilometers (67 miles) long and connected New Orleans to the Gulf of Mexico. However, it's now closed off by a rock wall. The main path for ships up the Mississippi River, from New Orleans to Baton Rouge, is very deep. It's about 14.6 meters (48 feet) deep, which is great for large ships.
Overall, the water in the river, canals, and side channels can be anywhere from 3.6 meters (12 feet) to 14.6 meters (48 feet) deep. After Hurricane Katrina, a special government group called the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration used boats with sonar. Sonar uses sound waves to "see" underwater. They used it to check for damage to the ports. This helped port leaders decide when it was safe to open the ports again.
What Goods Pass Through the Port?
These three ports – South Louisiana, New Orleans, and Baton Rouge – are very important for the economy of the United States. The Port of South Louisiana is one of the busiest in the world for the total amount of goods it handles. It ranks third globally! New Orleans is fourth, and Baton Rouge is fifteenth.
When we look at the total value of goods, New Orleans ranks 12th, South Louisiana 16th, and Baton Rouge 27th among all world ports. About 6,000 ships pass through the Port of New Orleans every year. That's a lot of ships!
These ports are a major gateway for U.S. farm products. As of 2005, about 55% to 70% of all corn, soybeans, and wheat exported from the U.S. passed through these three ports. Big boats called barges carry these grains down the Mississippi River to the ports. There, the grains are stored and then loaded onto large ships to be sent to other countries. Besides grain, these ports also receive many goods from other countries. These imports include things like steel, rubber, coffee, and fresh fruits and vegetables.
