Arkansas
State of Arkansas
Flag of Arkansas
Seal
Nickname(s): The Natural State (current)
The Land of Opportunity (former)
Motto(s): Regnat populus (Latin)
Official
language(s)
English
Demonym
Arkansan
Capital
Little Rock
Largest city
Little Rock
Largest metro
area
Little Rock Metropolitan
Area
Area
Ranked 29th in the US
- Total
53,179 sq mi
(137,002 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 in the US
- Total
2,855,390 (2008 est.)[1]
2,673,400 (2000)
- Density
51.34/sq mi (19.82/km²)
Ranked 34th in the US
Elevation
- Highest point
Mount Magazine[2]
2,753 ft (840 m)
- Mean
650 ft (198 m)
- Lowest point
Ouachita River[2]
55 ft (17 m)
Admission to
Union
June 15, 1836 (25th)
Governor
Mike Beebe (D)
Lieutenant
Governor
Bill Halter (D)
U.S. Senators
Blanche Lincoln (D)
Mark Pryor (D)
U.S. House
delegation
3 Democrats, 1
Republican (list)
Time zone
Central: UTC-6/DST-5
Abbreviations
AR Ark. US-AR
Website
www.arkansas.gov
Arkansas (
/ˈɑrkənsɔː/ ; AR-kən-saw)[3] is a
state located in the southern region of the
United States. Arkansas shares a border with
six states, with its eastern border largely
defined by the Mississippi River. Its diverse
geography ranges from the mountainous re-
gions of the Ozarks and the Ouachita Moun-
tains, which make up the U.S. Interior High-
lands, to the eastern lowlands along the Mis-
sissippi River. The capital and most populous
city is Little Rock, located in the central por-
tion of the state.
Name
The name Arkansas derives from the same
root as the name for the State of Kansas. The
Kansas tribe of American Indians are closely
associated with the Sioux tribes. The word is
a French pronunciation of a Quapaw (a re-
lated "Kaw" tribe) word meaning "land of
downriver people" or "people of the south
wind". The pronunciation of Arkansas was
made official by an act of the state legislature
in 1881 after a dispute between the two U.S.
Senators from Arkansas. One wanted to pro-