New Or ‧ le ‧ ans /ˌnjuː ɔːˈliːənz $ ˌnuː ˈɔːrliənz/ BrE AmE
a city in Louisiana in the southern US, next to the Mississippi River. It was originally a French city, and its style of cooking, old buildings, and traditions were influenced by French ↑ culture . It is famous for the way it celebrates ↑ Mardi Gras every year and also for the music played there. New Orleans is regarded as the place where ↑ jazz music was originally developed. In 2005 the city was badly damaged by Hurricane Katrina and about 1300 people were killed.