Shreveport

City and former river port in northwest Louisiana, USA, on the Red River; population (2999) 200,100. Lying close to a rich oil-field, which also yields sulphur and natural gas, it has become the centre of a large refining and chemical industry complex. Cotton is processed from the surrounding agricultural area, and textiles, machinery, telephone equipment, vehicles, wood products, and glass are also manufactured. Founded in 1834, it was named after Henry Shreve, a riverboat captain who reached the site in 1833 and cleared a 256 km-/160 mi-logjam. Oil was discovered in 1906. The river has silted up, and is no longer navigable.

It is the seat of a campus of the Louisiana State University (1965), which contains the Pioneer Heritage Center. Other cultural features include the Louisiana State Museum, R W Norton Art Gallery, and an opera company.