New Orleans is the largest city in Louisiana, a major United States port and a metropolitan area. The city got its name by the French city Orléans, situated on the Loire River, Centre, France. New Orleans rests in the southeast of Louisiana, straddling the Mississippi River. It is bounded by the parishes of St. Bernard to the east, Jefferson to the west and south, St. Tammany to the north and Plaquemines to the south.