This article is about the U.S. state of Arkansas. For the river, see Arkansas River. For other uses, see Arkansas (disambiguation).
State of Arkansas
Flag of Arkansas State seal of Arkansas
Flag Seal
Nickname(s): The Natural State (current)
The Land of Opportunity (former)
Motto(s): Regnat populus (Latin)
Map of the United States with Arkansas highlighted
Demonym Arkansan
Arkansawyer[1]
Capital
(and largest city) Little Rock
Largest metro Little Rock Metropolitan Area
Area Ranked 29th - Total 53,179 sq mi
(137,733 km2) - Width 239 miles (385 km) - Length 261 miles (420 km) - % water 2.09 - Latitude 33° 00′ N to 36° 30′ N - Longitude 89° 39′ W to 94° 37′ W
Population Ranked 32nd - Total 2,949,131 (2012 est)[2] - Density 56.4/sq mi (21.8/km2)
Ranked 34th
Elevation
- Highest point Magazine Mountain[3][4][a][b]
2,753 ft (839 m) - Mean 650 ft (200 m) - Lowest point Ouachita River at Louisiana border[4][a]
55 ft (17 m)
Before statehood Arkansas Territory
Admission to Union June 15, 1836 (25th)
Governor Mike Beebe (D)
Lieutenant Governor Vacant
Legislature General Assembly - Upper house Senate - Lower house House of Representatives
U.S. Senators Mark Pryor (D)
John Boozman (R)
U.S. House delegation 4 Republicans (list)
Time zone Central: UTC −6/−5
Abbreviations AR, Ark US-AR
Website www.arkansas.gov
Arkansas (Listeni/ˈɑrkənsɔː/ ar-kən-saw) is a state located in the Southern region of the United States.[7][8] Its name is of Siouan derivation, denoting the Quapaw Indians.[9] The state's diverse geography ranges from the mountainous regions of the Ozark and the 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. Known as "the Natural State", the diverse regions of Arkansas offer residents and tourists a variety of opportunities for outdoor recreation.

Arkansas is the 29th largest in square miles and the 32nd most populous of the 50 United States. The capital and most populous city is Little Rock, located in the central portion 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 also an important population, education, and economic center. The largest city in the eastern part of the state is Jonesboro.

The Territory of Arkansas was admitted to the Union as the 25th state on June 15, 1836.[10] Arkansas withdrew from the United States and joined the Confederate States of America during the Civil War. Upon returning to the Union, the state would continue to suffer due to its earlier reliance on slavery and the plantation economy, causing the state to fall behind economically and socially. White rural interests continued to dominate the state's politics until the Civil Rights movement in the mid-20th century. Arkansas began to diversify its economy following World War II and now relies on its service industry as well as aircraft, poultry, steel and tourism in addition to cotton and rice.

The culture of Arkansas is observable in museums, theaters, novels, television shows, restaurants and athletic venues across the state. Despite a plethora of cultural, economic, and recreational opportunities, Arkansas is often stereotyped as a "poor, banjo-picking hillbilly" state, a reputation dating back to early accounts of the territory by frontiersmen in the early 1800s. Arkansas's enduring image has earned the state "a special place in the American consciousness",[11] but it has in reality produced such prominent figures as William Fulbright, Bill Clinton, Douglas MacArthur, Sam Walton[12] and Johnny Cash.[13]