Before the Europeans arrived, Louisiana was already inhabited by Native American tribes such as the Choctaw, the Natchez, the Chitimacha, and the Atakapa. The first Europeans to arrive in Louisiana were Spanish explorers In 1528 and 1543. In 1682, French explorer Robert de La Salle claimed most of interior North America for France and named the region containing the state of Louisiana "The Louisiana Territory" after King Louis XIV.  The city of New Orleans was established by the French in 1718, and it was made the territory's capital in 1722. Slaves were brought from Africa to work the fields of sugarcane and cotton. The United States purchased Louisiana from France in 1803 as part of the Louisiana Purchase, nearly doubling the size of the country. On April 30, 1812, Louisiana was admitted as the 18th state. The last major battle of the war of 1812 with the United States against the British took place in Louisiana.