Introduction to Geography of Arkansas
Arkansas, one of the Southern states of the United States. It lies just west of the Mississippi River and is bordered by Tennessee. Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, and Missouri.
Arkansas in briefGeneral informationStatehood: June 15, 1836, the 25th state.State abbreviations: Ark. (traditional); AR (postal).State capital: Little Rock, the capital of Arkansas since 1821. Arkansas Post was the capital from 1819 to 1821.State motto: Regnat Populus (The People Rule).Popular name: The Natural State.State anthem: "Arkansas." Words and music by Eva Ware Barnett.Symbols of ArkansasState bird: Mockingbird.State flower: Apple blossom.State tree: Pine tree.State flag and seal: On the Arkansas state flag, left, adopted in 1913, the diamond-shaped design represents Arkansas as a major diamond-producing state. On the state seal, right, adopted in 1907, a shield against the breast of an American eagle displays a steamboat, a beehive, a plow, and a sheaf of wheat-all symbols of industrial and agricultural wealth. The Goddess of Liberty stands above the eagle. The Angel of Mercy and the Sword of Justice stand on the sides.Land and climateArea: 53,183 mi2 (137,742 km2), including 1,107 mi2 (2,867 km2) of inland water.Elevation: Highest--Magazine Mountain, 2,753 ft (839 m) above sea level. Lowest--Ouachita River in Ashley and Union counties, 55 ft (17 m) above sea level.Record high temperature: 120 °F (49 °C) at Ozark on Aug. 10, 1936.Record low temperature: –29 °F (–34 °C) in Benton County on Feb. 13, 1905.Average July temperature: 81 °F (27 °C).Average January temperature: 40 °F (4 °C).Average yearly precipitation: 49 in (124 cm).PeoplePopulation: 2,673,400.Rank among the states: 33rd.Density: 50 per mi2 (19 per km2), U.S. average 78 per mi2 (30 per km2).Distribution: 53 percent urban, 47 percent rural.Largest cities in Arkansas: Little Rock (183,133); Fort Smith (80,268); North Little Rock (60,433); Fayetteville (58,047); Jonesboro (55,515); Pine Bluff (55,085);EconomyChief productsAgriculture: beef cattle, broilers, cotton, eggs, rice, soybeans.Manufacturing: fabricated metal products, food products, primary metal products.Mining: bromine, crushed stone, natural gas, petroleum.GovernmentState governmentGovernor: 4-year term.State senators: 35; 4-year terms.State representatives: 100; 2-year terms.Counties: 75.Federal governmentUnited States senators: 2.United States representatives: 4.Electoral votes: 6.Sources of informationFor information about tourism, write to: Department of Parks and Tourism, One Capitol Mall, Little Rock, AR 72201. The Web site at http://www.arkansas.com also provides information.For information on the economy, write to: Arkansas Department of Economic Development, One Capitol Mall, Little Rock, AR 72201. The Web site at http://www.1800arkansas.com also provides information.The state's official Web site at http://www.state.ar.us also provides a gateway to much information on Arkansas's economy, government, and history.Physical Geography
Arkansas is one of the Southern States of the United States.LandArkansas lies in two of the principal physiographic regions of the United States: the Central Uplands in the north and west, the Gulf Coastal Plain in the south and east.
The Central Uplands, shared with Missouri and Oklahoma, divide in Arkansas into two sections: the Ozark Plateau and the Ouachita Mountains. Separating these two sections is the broad valley of the Arkansas River.
The Ozarks are made up of geologically old rock formations, in which erosion has formed many ravines and deep valleys. The terrain is generally rough, especially along the plateau's southern edge in the Boston Mountains. Here, hard rocks have resisted the effects of weathering, and elevations are higher than elsewhere on the plateau, reaching a maximum of nearly 2,600 feet (790 m) above sea level.
South of the broad valley of the Arkansas River are the Ouachita Mountains. Steeply folded ranges here resemble some of the ridges and valleys of the Appalachians. Magazine Mountain, rising 2,753 feet (839 m) above sea level, is an outlier of the Ouachitas, the highest point in the state.
The Gulf Coastal Plain area of Arkansas is low and flat, ranging from 55 feet (17 m), the lowest elevation in the state, to about 350 feet (107 m) above sea level. It is one of the most northerly parts of the Coastal Plain—at the state's northern boundary the Gulf coast is 500 miles (800 km) to the south. The only break in the seemingly flat land is Crowley's Ridge, a low but distinct landform in the northeast. Rich alluvial soils occur along the Mississippi and some of its tributaries, providing the most fertile and productive land in the state.
WaterArkansas lies in the drainage basin of the Mississippi River. With few exceptions, the entire eastern boundary of Arkansas is formed by the Mississippi. Within the state, the largest river is the Arkansas, running from Fort Smith to the Mississippi in the southeast. Other tributaries of the Mississippi include the White and St. Francis rivers, both of which originate in the Ozarks. In the south, the Saline and Ouachi- ta rivers rise in the Ouachitas and flow southeastward, roughly paralleling the course of the Arkansas. The Red River runs through the southwestern corner of the state.
Natural lakes are few. The largest are crescent-shaped oxbow lakes formed by the shifting of the Mississippi River.
Mineral springs are numerous, particularly in the Ozarks and Ouachitas. The largest and best-known are those in Hot Springs National Park, at Hot Springs.
Many large artificial lakes and reservoirs have been created by damming the rivers. They include Lake Ouachita on the Ouachita River, Lake Dardanelle on the Arkansas River, and Greers Ferry Lake on the Little Red River. Bull Shoals Lake, Norfork Lake, and Beaver Lake are on or near the White River.
ClimateArkansas has a humid climate with hot summers and mild to cold winters. Temperatures average about 80° F. (27° C.) nearly everywhere in July and from 36° F. (2° C.) in the northwest to 44° F. (7° C.) in the south during January. Summer highs of more than 90° F. (32° C.) occur throughout the state. Temperatures often dip well below freezing during winter.
Precipitation is fairly abundant, ranging from 45 inches (1,140 mm) annually in the north to 52 inches (1,320 mm) in the south. Snowfall is scant throughout the state.
VegetationRoughly 55 per cent of Arkansas is wooded; timber is one of the state's chief resources. Almost all the forests are of commercial quality. Loblolly and shortleaf pines predominate in the south, but give way to hardwoods elsewhere in the state. Oaks, hickories, maples, and hawthorns are among the many hardwoods found in the state.
Interesting facts about ArkansasPivot Rock, near Eureka Springs, balances on a base only one-fifteenth as large as its top.The Basin Park Hotel in Eureka Springs is seven stories tall, but every floor is a "ground" floor. The hotel is built against a hillside, and each story opens onto the hill at a different height."The Hanging Judge," Isaac Parker, brought law and order to the frontier from his courtroom in Fort Smith. He served from 1875 until his death in 1896 as judge of the federal court's Western District of Arkansas. Parker was widely known for his harshness. He sentenced 160 men to death, 79 of whom were hanged.The city of Texarkana is divided by the Arkansas-Texas state line. Texarkana has two city governments—one for the Arkansas side and one for the Texas side. The Texarkana post office building stands in both states. Its address is "Texarkana, Arkansas-Texas."The largest federal trout hatchery in the United States is the Norfork National Fish Hatchery in Mountain Home. Each year, this hatchery raises over 2 million trout from eggs until they are about 9 inches (23 centimeters) long. The fish are placed in streams in Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma.The first jockey to win 100 stakes races worth $100,000 or more was Bill Shoemaker. He won his 100th stakes race at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs on March 30, 1974.Economy
The Arkansas quarter features images of rice stalks, a diamond, and a mallard duck flying above a lake. Arkansas is a leading grower of rice. The diamond represents Crater of Diamonds State Park, near Murfreesboro. The duck and lake refer to the state’s nickname, the “Natural State.”Until about 1900 Arkansas had an economy based almost entirely on the cultivation of a single crop—cotton. Agricultural change came in the first half of the 20th century with the growing of rice and soybeans and the commercial raising of poultry and livestock. World War II caused a boom in mining, especially of bauxite, the ore of aluminum. In the postwar years manufacturing activities and service industries became the chief sources of employment. A large tourist industry also contributes substantially to the economy.
Economic growth has steadily raised the standard of living in Arkansas; however, per capita income remains relatively low by national standards.
ManufacturingFor many years manufacturing in Arkansas consisted largely of the processing of farm commodities, forest products, and minerals. Since the mid-1950's the state has sought to attract new enterprises. By the 1980's a variety of manufacturing concerns had been established. In the early 1990's manufacturing employed about a fifth of the state's workers.
Food processing has long been the state's largest manufacturing industry. Major products include processed poultry, milled rice, and canned vegetables. Other important manufacturing industries produce electrical appliances, electronic devices, machinery, construction materials, paper and paper goods, and plastic and rubber products.
Little Rock and adjoining North Little Rock are two of the state's chief manufacturing centers.
AgricultureRoughly 40 per cent of the land in Arkansas is used for agriculture. Livestock and livestock products are the main sources of farm income.
The growing of commercial crops is most heavily concentrated on the Mississippi lowlands and in the Arkansas River valley. Here, large mechanized farms produce the major share of the state's chief crops—rice, soybeans, and cotton. Arkansas leads the nation in rice output and is a top producer of cotton. In addition, the state's mild climate is well suited to the growing of a great variety of other middle-latitude crops. There is a considerable amount of land in wheat, corn, hay, and vegetables.
Dairying and the raising of beef cattle and hogs are widespread activities, particularly in the upland areas. An Arkansas specialty is the raising of poultry, especially broilers. In broiler production Arkansas usually ranks first among the states. The poultry industry is concentrated in the west.
Mining and ForestryThe chief mineral produced is natural gas, which comes mainly from fields in southern Arkansas. These fields also produce petroleum. Arkansas is also one of the world's largest producer of bromine, which is mined and processed in the southwestern part of the state. Quartz, sand and gravel, gypsum, and clays are also mined.
Arkansas' forests provide wood for several manufacturing industries. Most of the forested land is privately owned. Large-scale commercial forestry is carried on mainly south of the Arkansas River in the southwestern part of the state, where many tree farms raise fast-growing species of pine. Hardwoods come mainly from forests in the eastern part of the state.
TransportationArkansas is served by several major railways. Two Interstate highway routes meet at Little Rock; a third crosses the easternmost corner of the state.
Except in the more mountainous areas, Arkansas is well served by highways.
The Mississippi is navigable by barge along its entire length at the eastern edge of Arkansas. A huge federal project completed in the 1970's has made the Arkansas River navigable by barges from Oklahoma to the Mississippi.
Adams Field, in Little Rock, is the state's principal airport.
The People
The growth rate in Arkansas was 13.7 per cent from 1990 to 2000. The population density in 2000 was 51.3 persons per square mile (19.8 per km2), roughly two-thirds that of the United States as a whole. Whites made up 80 per cent of the population and blacks, the largest nonwhite group, 15.7 per cent.
Annual events in ArkansasJanuary-AprilThoroughbred racing at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs (late January-April); Jonquil Festival in Old Washington State Park (March); Horse Festival in Fayetteville (March-April); Arkansas Folk Festival in Mountain View (April); Springfest in Fayetteville (April).May-JuneWar Eagle Fair in War Eagle (May); Riverfest in Little Rock (May); Old Fort Days Rodeo in Fort Smith (May-June); Miss Arkansas Pageant in Hot Springs (June); Pink Tomato Festival in Warren (June).July-SeptemberPeach Festival in Clarksville (July). Rodeo of the Ozarks in Springdale (July); Grape Festival in Altus (late July); White River Water Carnival in Batesville (August); Hope Watermelon Festival (August); Arkansas State Fiddler’s Championship in Mountain View (September); Four States Fair and Rodeo in Texarkana (September).October-DecemberKing Biscuit Blues Festival in Helena (October); National Wild Turkey Calling Contest and Turkey Trot Festival in Yellville (October); Rice Festival in Weiner (October); Ozarks Arts and Crafts Fair in War Eagle (October); Original Ozark Folk Festival in Eureka Springs (October); Ozark Trail and Trout Festival in Heber Springs (October); Arts, Crafts, and Design Fair in Little Rock (November); World’s Championship Duck Calling Contest in Stuttgart (November); Lights of the Delta in Blytheville (December).Education
Public schools were established in Arkansas by legislation passed in 1868. The state department of education is headed by a director, appointed by the state board of education and approved by the governor. School attendance is compulsory for children aged 5 to 17.
The University of Arkansas, a land-grant institution, was founded as Arkansas Industrial University in 1871. The present name was adopted in 1899. The main campus is at Fayetteville. There are branch campuses at Little Rock, Pine Bluff, and Monticello. Also at Little Rock is the Medical Sciences Campus. The Graduate Institute of Technology is on the Little Rock campus.
Government
The State Capitol of Arkansas is in Little Rock, the capital since 1821.Arkansas is governed under a constitution adopted in 1874, its fifth. The General Assembly consists of a Senate of 35 members, elected to four-year terms, and a House of Representatives of 100 members, elected for two years. The Assembly meets in odd-numbered years.
The executive officers, elected for four-year terms, include the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, treasurer, auditor, attorney general, and land commissioner. Judicial power is vested in a supreme court of seven justices, a court of appeals, and in district, circuit, and other lower courts. All judges are elected.
Arkansas is divided into 75 counties. It sends two senators and four representatives to the U.S. Congress.