Spaniard
Hernando de Soto was among the early European explorers to visit the territory
in the mid-16th century, but it was a Frenchman, Henri de Tonti, who in 1686 founded
the first permanent white settlement—the Arkansas Post. In 1803 the area
was acquired by the U.S. as part of the Louisiana Purchase.
Part
of the Territory of Missouri from 1812, the area became a separate entity in 1819
after the first large wave of settlers arrived. The next several decades were
marked by the development of the cotton industry and the spread of the Southern
plantation system west into Arkansas. Arkansas joined the Confederacy in 1861,
but from 1863 the northern part of the state was occupied by Union troops.
Food
products are the state's largest employing sector, with lumber and wood products
a close second. Arkansas is also a leader in the production of cotton, rice, and
soybeans. It also has the country's only active diamond mine; located near Murfreesboro,
it is operated as a tourist attraction.
Hot
Springs National Park and Buffalo National River in the Ozarks are major state
attractions. Blanchard Springs Caverns, the Historic Arkansas Museum at Little
Rock, the William J. Clinton Birthplace in Hope, and the Arkansas Folk Center
in Mountain View are also of interest.
Coming!
See
more on Arkansas: Encyclopedia: Arkansas Encyclopedia: Geography Encyclopedia:
Economy Encyclopedia: Government Encyclopedia: History Monthly Temperature
Extremes
Accredited
Colleges and Universities
Selected
famous natives and residents:
G. M. “Broncho Billy” Anderson
actor; Maya Angelou author and poet; Daisy Bates social reformer; Dee
Brown author; Helen Gurley Brown editor; Dale Bumpers governor and senator;
Glen Campbell singer; Hattie Caraway first elected woman senator; Johnny
Cash singer; Eldridge Cleaver social activist; William Jefferson Clinton
former president; William Darby founder of the Darby Rangers Dizzy Dean
baseball player; Orval Faubus governor; John Gould Fletcher poet; J.
William Fulbright former senator; John Grisham author; Tess Harper actress;
John H. Johnson publisher; E. Fay Jones architect; Scott Joplin composer;
Alan Ladd actor; Douglas MacArthur general; Patsy Montana singer;
Isaac C. Parker judge; Albert Pike pioneer teacher and lawyer; Dick
Powell actor; Mary Steenburgen actress; Billy Bob Thornton actor; Sam
Walton founder of Wal-Mart; William C. Warfield concert singer and actor.
Capital:
Little Rock
State
abbreviation/Postal code: Ark./AR
Governor:
Mike Huckabee, R (to Jan. 2007)
Lieut.
Governor: Winthrop Rockefeller, R (to Jan. 2007)
Senators:
Mark Pryor, D (to Jan. 2009); Blanche Lambert Lincoln, D (to Jan. 2011)
U.S.
Representatives: 4
Secy.
of State: Charlie Daniels, D (to Jan. 2007)
Atty.
General: Mike Beebe, D (to Jan. 2007)
Treasurer:
Gus Wingfield, D (to Jan. 2007)
Organized
as territory: March 2, 1819
Entered
Union (rank): June 15, 1836 (25)
Present
constitution adopted: 1874
Motto:
Regnat populus (The people rule)
State
symbols: flower apple blossom (1901) tree pine (1939) bird mockingbird
(1929) insect honeybee (1973) song “Arkansas” (1963)
Nickname:
The Natural State
Origin
of name: From the Quapaw Indians
10
largest cities (2003 est.): Little Rock, 184,053; Fort Smith, 81,562; Fayetteville,
62,078; North Little Rock, 59,687; Jonesboro, 57,435; Pine Bluff, 53,905; Springdale,
52,471; Conway, 47,840; Rogers, 42,795; Hot Springs, 36,770
Land
area: 52,068 sq mi. (134,856 sq km)
Geographic
center: In Pulaski Co., 12 mi. SW of Little Rock
Number
of counties: 75
Largest
county by population and area: Pulaski, 365,913 (2004); Union, 1,039 sq mi.
State
parks: 51
Residents:
Arkansan
2004
resident population est.: 2,752,629
2000
resident census population (rank): 2,673,400 (33). Male: 1,304,693 (48.8%);
Female: 1,368,707 (51.2%). White: 2,138,598 (80.0%); Black: 418,950 (15.7%); American
Indian: 17,808 (0.7%); Asian: 20,220 (0.8%); Other race: 40,412 (1.5%); Two or
more races: 35,744 (1.3%); Hispanic/Latino: 86,866 (3.2%). 2000 percent population
18 and over: 74.6; 65 and over: 14.0; median age: 36.0.
