State | Arkansas |
State Capital | Little Rock |
Largest City | Little Rock |
Coordinates | 34.8°N 92.2°W |
Nickname(s) | The Natural State (current), The Bear State (former) |
Postal Abbreviation | AR |
Area | 53,180 sq. mi (137,733 sq. km) |
Highest Point | Mount Magazine, 2,753 ft (839 m) |
Neighboring States | Missouri, Louisiana, Tennessee, Mississippi, Texas, Oklahoma |
Number of Counties | 75 |
Population | 3,013,825 (2018) |
Date of Entering the Union | June 15, 1836 |
State Anthem | “Arkansas”, “Arkansas (You Run Deep in Me)”, “Oh, Arkansas”, and “The Arkansas Traveler” |
Governor | Asa Hutchinson (Republican) |
Lieutenant Governor | Tim Griffin (Republican) |
U.S. Senators | John Boozman (Republican), Tom Cotton (Republican) |
U.S. House Delegation | 4 Republicans |
GDP (Millions of Dollars) | 1,28,419 |
Demonym | Arkansan, Arkansawyer, Arkanite |
Time Zones | UTC-06:00 (Central), Summer (DST) UTC-05:00 (CDT) |
Arkansas, the 25th state of the USA, is located in the southeastern part of the country. Texas borders it to the southwest, Louisiana to the south, Oklahoma to the west, Mississippi to the east, Tennessee to the east, and Missouri to the north.
This state is spread across a total area of 53,180 sq. mi (137,733 sq. km), out of which 52,035 sq. mi (134,771 sq. km) is land area and 1,143 sq. mi (2,961 sq. km) is water area.
Almost half of the state is around 500 ft (152 m) above sea level. Signal Hill on Mount Magazine (located in the northwest part of Arkansas) above sea level is the highest elevation point of the state at 2,753 ft (839 m). The Ouachita River on the border of Union and Ashley Counties is the lowest elevation point at 55 ft (17 m) above sea level.
Some of the major mountains in this state are Mount Magazine, Rich Mountain, Poteau Mountain and Black Fork Mountain. The longest rivers in the state are Mississippi River, Arkansas River, Red River, Ouachita River and White River. Some of the major lakes are Ouachita, Millwood, Bull Shoals, and Beaver.
The landform in this state changes dramatically from northwest to southeast. A part of the Ozark Plateau is found in the state. This lowland consists of heavily forested low mountains or hills and deep valleys. Multiple small rivers and streams are found in these landscapes.
The Arkansas River is located south of the Ozarks. The Ozarks Valley, along with the river, cut a dramatic path across this state. The highest elevation point in the Magazine Mountain is located in this landform. In the eastern ridges and valleys of the Ouachita Mountains, hot springs are found. The largest spring in this state, Mammoth Spring, is located in the far northern part of the state. Nine million gallons of water per hour flows through this National Natural Landmark, thereby forming a scenic 10-acre lake.
On the fringes of the Ouachitas and Ozarks, the Mississippi Delta Region’s almost flat landscape dominate the eastern and far-southern areas of Arkansas. Mississippi River is the most important river in the country flowing from northwestern Minnesota towards the south to the Gulf of Mexico. Mississippi River, along with its major tributaries such as the Ohio River and the Missouri River form the third largest river system in the world, whose length is 2,339 mi (3,765 km).
The climate in Arkansas is primarily humid subtropical in nature, characterized by hot or humid summers and mild or cold winters.
During summer, the climate remains warm and humid. The average high temperature of this state during July (the warmest month of summer) revolves around 33.9°C (93°F). However, the temperature can go up to 37.8°C (100°F) or sometimes even 43.3°C (110°F) in the southern part of this state.
During winter, the high temperature in January can go down to 10.6°C (51°F) and even to 0°C (32°F) in some places. The spring season is comfortable, but frost and freezes can take place occasionally. In the east and southern parts, the weather remains mild and sunny during autumn. While the weather stays the driest during autumn, it remains the wettest during winter in Arkansas.
The rainfall level varies from one region to the other. The Ozark and Ouachita Mountains gets more rainfall than the rest. The average annual rainfall ranges within 40 inches (1016 mm) and 60 inches (1524mm). The fall season is the best time to visit Arkansas.
The total Gross Domestic Product of this state was US$ 128,418.9 million in 2018, a significant increase from US$ 97,058.9 million in 2009. This state exported $6,447,011,932 value of items and imported $11,523,361,409 value of items, resulting in a negative balance of trade of -$5,076,349,477.
The major export items of Arkansas are aircraft, industrial machinery, arms and ammunition, electrical machinery, cereals, organic chemicals, etc. The major import items are industrial machinery, aircraft, electrical machinery, footwear, toys and sports equipment, etc. This state was the 37th largest exporter state in the US in 2018. The value of export increased at a rate of 12% during 2008-2018 (from US$671 million in 2008 to US$6.4 billion in 2018).
The unemployment rate has dropped significantly in the last decade. The unemployment rate peaked at 8.5% during Jan-May 2011. However, it came down to 3.5% in October 2019 (lower than the national average of 3.6%). The maximum number of unemployed was 115,811 in March 2011. However, it has now come down to 47,794 in October 2019. The poverty rate in Arkansas was 16.4% (478,365 in absolute numbers) in 2018.
The transport system in this state is mainly dependent upon roadways and airways, followed by the railways. There are 16,442.90 miles (26,462.28 km) long Interstates, US Highways, and the Arkansas Department of Transportation maintains state Highways in the state and them.
While US Route 67 is the longest (296.95 miles or 477.89 km) from Texarkana to Missouri, Arkansas Highway 806 and Arkansas Highway 885 are the shortest (0.09 miles or 0.14 km) routes.
There are mainly six types of railways available in the state: Class I Railroads, Regional Railroads, Shortline and Terminal Railroads, Commuter Railroads, Heritage and Scenic Railroads, and Industrial Rail Operations.
The major airports of this state are Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport (in Fayetteville), Fort Smith Regional Airport (in Fort Smith), Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport (in Little Rock), Texarkana Regional Airport (in Texarkana), etc.
The official nickname of Arkansas is “The Natural State”. The nickname was officially adopted in 1995 by the legislature to highlight the abundance of natural beauty including picturesque mountains, dense woodland, valleys, fertile plains, clear lakes, and abundant wildlife. The adoption of this new name is intended to promote tourism here in this state.
Other nicknames of this state were Land of Opportunity, The Wonder State, The Razorback State, The Hot Springs State, The Bowie State, The Bear State, and The Toothpick State.
Most popular tourist spots in this state are Hot Springs National Park, Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site, William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum, Buffalo National River, Arkansas Air Museum, Mammoth Spring State Park, Crater of Diamonds State Park, Thorncrown Chapel, Mount Magazine State Park, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Garvan Woodland Gardens, Blanchard Springs Caverns, etc.
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