Arkansas

35°N 92°W / 35°N 92°W / 35; -92 (State of Arkansas)

Arkansas
State
State of Arkansas
Flag Seal
Nicknames:  The Natural State (current) Land of Opportunity (former)
Motto:  Regnat populus (Latin: The People Rule)
Anthem: "Arkansas", "Arkansas (You Run Deep in Me)", "Oh, Arkansas", and "The Arkansas Traveler"
Map of the United States with Arkansas highlighted
Country	United States
Before statehood	Arkansas Territory
Admitted to the Union	June 15, 1836 (25th)
Capital (and largest city)	Little Rock
Largest county or equivalent	Pulaski
Largest metro and urban areas	Central Arkansas
Government
• Governor	Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R)
• Lieutenant Governor	Leslie Rutledge (R)
Legislature	Arkansas General Assembly
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	House of Representatives
Judiciary	Arkansas Supreme Court
U.S. senators	John Boozman (R) Tom Cotton (R)
U.S. House delegation	4 Republicans (list)
Area
• Total	53,179 sq mi (137,732 km2)
• Land	52,035 sq mi (134,771 km2)
• Water	1,143 sq mi (2,961 km2)  2.15%
• Rank	29th
Dimensions
• Length	240 mi (386 km)
• Width	270 mi (435 km)
Elevation	650 ft (200 m)
Highest elevation (Mount Magazine[1][2][a][b])	2,753 ft (839 m)
Lowest elevation (Ouachita River at Louisiana border[2][a])	55 ft (17 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	3,011,524[5]
• Rank	34th
• Density	57.9/sq mi (22.4/km2)
• Rank	34th
• Median household income	$49,500[6]
• Income rank	48th
Demonym	Arkansan Arkansawyer Arkanite[7]
Language
• Official language	English[8]
Time zone	UTC−06:00 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−05:00 (CDT)
USPS abbreviation	AR
ISO 3166 code	US-AR
Traditional abbreviation	Ark.
Latitude	33° 00′ N to 36° 30′ N
Longitude	89° 39′ W to 94° 37′ W
Website	arkansas.gov

State symbols of Arkansas

List of state symbols
Flag of Arkansas
Seal of Arkansas
Living insignia
Bird	Mockingbird
Butterfly	Diana fritillary
Flower	Apple blossom
Insect	Western honeybee
Mammal	White-tailed deer
Tree	Pine tree
Vegetable	South Arkansas vine ripe pink tomato
Inanimate insignia
Beverage	Milk
Dance	Square dance
Food	Pecan
Gemstone	Diamond
Mineral	Quartz
Rock	Bauxite
Soil	Stuttgart
State route marker
State quarter
Released in 2003
Lists of United States state symbols

Arkansas (/ˈɑːrkənsɔː/ ^ⓘ AR-kən-saw^[c]) is a landlocked state in the South Central region of the Southern United States.^[9][10] It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma to the west. Its name derives from the Osage language, and refers to their relatives, the Quapaw people.^[11] The state's diverse geography ranges from the mountainous regions of the Ozark and Ouachita Mountains, which make up the U.S. Interior Highlands, to the densely forested land in the south known as the Arkansas Timberlands, to the eastern lowlands along the Mississippi River and the Arkansas Delta.

Arkansas is the 29th largest by area and the 34th most populous state, with a population of just over three million at the 2020 census.^[5] The capital and most populous city is Little Rock, in the central part of the state, a hub for transportation, business, culture, and government. The northwestern corner of the state, including the Fayetteville–Springdale–Rogers Metropolitan Area and Fort Smith metropolitan area, is a population, education, and economic center. The largest city in the state's eastern part is Jonesboro. The largest city in the state's southeastern part is Pine Bluff.

Previously part of French Louisiana and the Louisiana Purchase, the Territory of Arkansas was admitted to the Union as the 25th state on June 15, 1836.^[12] Much of the Delta had been developed for cotton plantations, and landowners there largely depended on enslaved African Americans' labor. In 1861, Arkansas seceded from the United States and joined the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. On returning to the Union in 1868, Arkansas continued to suffer economically, due to its overreliance on the large-scale plantation economy. Cotton remained the leading commodity crop, and the cotton market declined. Because farmers and businessmen did not diversify and there was little industrial investment, the state fell behind in economic opportunity. In the late 19th century, the state instituted various Jim Crow laws to disenfranchise and segregate the African-American population. White interests dominated Arkansas's politics, with disenfranchisement of African Americans and refusal to reapportion the legislature; only after the federal legislation passed were more African Americans able to vote. During the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, Arkansas and particularly Little Rock were major battlegrounds for efforts to integrate schools.

Following World War II in the 1940s, Arkansas began to diversify its economy and see prosperity. During the 1960s, the state became the base of the Walmart corporation, the world's largest company by revenue, headquartered in Bentonville. In the 21st century, Arkansas's economy is based on service industries, aircraft, poultry, steel, and tourism, along with important commodity crops of cotton, soybeans and rice.

Arkansas's culture is observable in museums, theaters, novels, television shows, restaurants, and athletic venues across the state. Notable people from the state include politician and educational advocate William Fulbright; former president Bill Clinton, who also served as the 40th and 42nd governor of Arkansas; general Wesley Clark, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander; Walmart founder and magnate Sam Walton;^[13] singer-songwriters Johnny Cash, Charlie Rich, Jimmy Driftwood, and Glen Campbell; actor-filmmaker Billy Bob Thornton; poet C. D. Wright; physicist William L. McMillan, a pioneer in superconductor research; poet laureate Maya Angelou; Douglas MacArthur; musician Al Green; actor Alan Ladd; basketball player Scottie Pippen; singer Ne-Yo; Chelsea Clinton; actress Sheryl Underwood; and author John Grisham.

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