Bayou
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2008-06-20T04:09:26Z
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:''This article is about a water landform. For other uses, see [[Bayou (disambiguation)]]''
[[Image:Big Cypress Bayou.JPG|thumb|150px|Big Cypress Bayou in Jefferson, Texas off [[U.S. Route 59]].]]
[[Image:LABayou.jpg|right|thumb|150px|A bayou at the [[Sabine River]] at the [[Louisiana]] rest stop.]]
A '''bayou''' (pronounced {{IPA|[ˈbaɪ oʊ]}} or {{IPA|[ˈbaɪ uː]}}) is a small, slow-moving [[stream]] or creek, or a lake or pool ('''bayou lake''') that lies in an abandoned channel of a stream. Bayous are usually located in relatively flat, low-lying areas, for example, in the [[Mississippi River]] [[River delta|delta]] region of the southern [[United States]]. A bayou is frequently a slackwater [[anabranch]] or minor braid of a [[braided channel]], that is moving with less velocity than the [[mainstem (hydrology)|mainstem]]. Many bayous are the home of [[crawfish]], certain species of [[shrimp]], other [[shellfish]], and [[catfish]].
The word was first used by the [[English people|English]] in [[Louisiana]] and is thought to originate from the [[Choctaw]] word ''bayuk'', which means "small stream." The first settlements of [[Acadian]]s in southern Louisiana were near [[Bayou Lafourche]] and [[Bayou des Ecores]], which led to a close association of the bayou with [[Cajun]] culture.
Bayou Country is most closely associated with [[Cajun]] and [[Louisiana Creole people|Creole]] cultural groups native to the [[Gulf Coast]] region generally stretching from Houston, [[Texas]], to [[Mobile, Alabama]], with its center in [[New Orleans, Louisiana]].
An alternate spelling "buyou" has also been used, as in the "Pine Buyou" used in a description by Congress in 1833 of Arkansas Territory.
Bayous are many times the settings of horror movies since they are commonly seen as quite spooky and mysterious. With the trees and unknown creatures that lurk in the murky waters, it creates a sense of suspense. Some famous horror movies that are associated or take place in bayous include ''[[The Skeleton Key]]'', ''[[Hatchet (film)|Hatchet]]'', and ''[[The Reaping]]''.
==See also==
* [[Wetland]]
* [[Slough (wetland)|Slough]]
* [[Swamp]]
* [[Hurricane on the Bayou]]
===Famous bayous===
* [[Bayou_Bartholomew|Bayou Bartholomew]]
* [[Bayou Lafourche]]
* [[Cypress Bayou]]
* [[Devil's Bayou]] (fictional)
* [[Big Bayou Canot train disaster|Big Bayou Canot]]
[[Category:Fluvial landforms]]
[[Category:Wetlands and bayous of Louisiana| ]]
[[Category:Landforms of Texas]]
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[[fr:Bayou]]
[[io:Bayo]]
[[ja:バイユー (地形)]]