The Louisiana Territory was added to the United States in 1803, more than doubling the size of the nation. This vast acquisition, for a mere $15 million, stretched from the Mississippi River in the east to the Rocky Mountains in the west, from Canada in the north to the Gulf of Mexico in the south.
The Louisiana Territory was a vast expanse of land in central North America that was acquired by the United States from France in 1803.
It stretched from the Mississippi River in the east to the Rocky Mountains in the west, and from the Gulf of Mexico in the south to the Canadian border in the north.
Here's a map with the Louisiana Territory highlighted:
The Louisiana Purchase, as it is often called, doubled the size of the United States and played a key role in westward expansion.
It also included parts of 15 present-day states, including Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, and parts of New Mexico and Texas.
The Louisiana Territory was officially added to the United States in 1803, but it wasn't until 1812 that the first state, Louisiana, was admitted to the Union.