Arkansas
Arkansas | |
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State of Arkansas | |
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 (25) |
Capital (and largest city) | Little Rock |
Largest metroandurbanareas | 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 | 29 |
Dimensions | |
• Length | 240 mi (386 km) |
• Width | 270 mi (435 km) |
Elevation | 650 ft (200 m) |
Highest elevation | 2,753 ft (839 m) |
Lowest elevation | 55 ft (17 m) |
Population (2020) | |
• Total | 3,013,756[3] |
• Rank | 34 |
• Density | 56.4/sq mi (21.8/km2) |
• Rank | 34 |
•Median household income | $49,500[4] |
• Income rank | 48th |
Demonym | Arkansan Arkansawyer Arkanite[5] |
Language | |
•Official language | English |
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 | www |
Arkansas state symbols | |
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Living insignia | |
Bird | Mockingbird |
Butterfly | Diana fritillary |
Flower | Appleblossom |
Insect | Western honeybee |
Mammal | White-tailed deer |
Tree | Pine tree |
Inanimate insignia | |
Beverage | Milk |
Dance | Square dance |
Food | Pecan |
Gemstone | Diamond |
Mineral | Quartz |
Rock | Bauxite |
Soil | Stuttgart |
Other | South Arkansas vine ripe pink tomato(state fruit and vegetable) |
State route marker | |
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State quarter | |
![]() Released in 2003 | |
Lists of United States state symbols |
Arkansas,nicknamed theLand of OpportunityorThe Natural State,is a state in theUnited States of America.Itscapitaland largest city isLittle Rock.The 2020 census counted 3,013,756 people living in Arkansas.[3]
History[change|change source]
Arkansas became the 25th state to enter the Union in 1836. During theAmerican Civil War,Arkansas was one of theConfederatestates, however, it was the second state to be put back in to the U.S. in theReconstruction.Native Americansfirst settled in the state before the arrival of Europeans.African Americanslaves were imported to Arkansas for slavery.
Geography[change|change source]
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View from the summit of Petit Jean Mountain, in theArkansas River Valley,from Mather Lodge inPetit Jean State Park.
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TheOuachita Riverruns through theOuachita National Forest.
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Blanchard Springs CavernsinStone Countyis a popular tourist destination.
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TheBuffalo National River,one of many attractions that give the state's nicknameThe Natural State.
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Flatside Wilderness Area, Ouachita Mountains, Arkansas
Arkansas has many rivers, lakes, andreservoirs.Arkansas has few natural lakes but many reservoirs such asBull Shoals Lake,Lake Ouachita,Greers Ferry Lake,Millwood Lake,Beaver Lake,Norfork Lake,DeGray Lake,andLake Conway.[6]
Arkansas is home to many caves, such asBlanchard Springs Caverns.More than 43,000 Native American living, hunting and tool making sites have been catalogued by the State Archeologist. Arkansas is currently the only U.S. state in which diamonds are mined. This is done by members of the public with primitive digging tools for a small daily fee, not by commercial interests.[7][8]
Arkansas is home to a bunch of wood Areas adding around 150,000 acres (610 km2). These areas are set for outdoor playing and are open to hunting, fishing, hiking, and camping. No vehicles are able to drive in these areas.
Religion[change|change source]
Arkansas, like most other Southern states, is part of theBible Belt.It is mostly Protestant. The largest denominations by number of followers in 2000 were theSouthern Baptist Conventionwith 665,307; theUnited Methodist Churchwith 179,383; the Roman Catholic Church with 115,967; and theAmerican Baptist Associationwith 115,916.[9]
Education[change|change source]
Education in Arkansas has been an issue. Part of the problem has been low teacher salaries and small budgets for spending on students. Other problems have been not wanting tointegrate,and poor school facilities.[10]
Arkansas has two university systems:Arkansas State University SystemandUniversity of Arkansas System.Some other public institutions areArkansas Tech University,Henderson State University,Southern Arkansas University,andUniversity of Central Arkansas.It is also home to 11 private colleges and universities. One of them beingHendrix College,one of the nation's top 100liberal artscolleges, according to U.S. News & World Report.[11]
Culture[change|change source]
Arkansas is liked for itsbauxitemines. Arkansas was also the first U.S. state where diamonds were found. Liked Arkansans areBill Clinton,who wasgovernorof Arkansas before he became thePresidentof the United States,Sam Walton,the ceo ofWal-Mart,Johnny Cash, a famous guitar player known as "The Man In Black", and Rodger Bumpass, Who is the voice Squidward Tentacles on the Nickelodeon show SpongeBob SquarePants.
Attractions[change|change source]
Arkansas is home to many areas protected by theNational Park System.These include:[12]
- Arkansas Post National MemorialatGillett
- Buffalo National River
- Fort Smith National Historic Site
- Hot Springs National Park
- Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site
- Pea Ridge National Military Park
- President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home National Historic Site
- Clinton House Museum
Related pages[change|change source]
Notes[change|change source]
- ↑1.01.1Elevation adjusted toNorth American Vertical Datum of 1988.
- ↑The Geographic Names Index System (GNIS) of theUnited States Geological Survey(USGS) indicates that the official name of this feature is Magazine Mountain, not "Mount Magazine".
References[change|change source]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- ↑"Mag".NGS data sheet.U.S. National Geodetic Survey.
- ↑2.02.1"Elevations and Distances in the United States".United States Geological Survey.2001. Archived fromthe originalon October 15, 2011.RetrievedOctober 21,2011.
- ↑3.03.1Bureau, US Census (April 26, 2021)."2020 Census Apportionment Results".The United States Census Bureau.RetrievedApril 27,2021.
- ↑"US Census Bureau QuickFacts".RetrievedApril 30,2022.
- ↑Blevins 2009, p. 2.
- ↑Smith, Richard M. (1989).The Atlas of Arkansas.The University of Arkansas Press. p. 25.ISBN978-1-55728-047-3.
- ↑"Crater of Diamonds: History of diamonds, diamond mining in Arkansas".Craterofdiamondsstatepark.com.Archivedfrom the original on August 21, 2010.RetrievedJuly 30,2010.
- ↑"US Diamond Mines – Diamond Mining in the United States".Geology.com.Archivedfrom the original on July 24, 2010.RetrievedJuly 30,2010.
- ↑"The Association of Religion Data Archives | Maps & Reports".Thearda.com. Archived fromthe originalon May 10, 2008.RetrievedJuly 30,2010.
- ↑Goodwyn, Lawrence; Books, Time-Life.The Shouth Central States Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas.Taylor & Francis. p. 122.
- ↑"National Liberal Arts College Rankings".U.S. News & World Report. 2012. Archived fromthe originalon August 21, 2016.RetrievedSeptember 3,2012.
- ↑"Arkansas".National Park Service.RetrievedJuly 15,2008.