Arkansas, one of the West South Central states of the United States. It is
bounded on the north and northeast by Missouri, on the east by Tennessee and
Mississippi, on the south by Louisiana, on the southwest by Texas, and on the
west by Oklahoma.
Arkansas, with an area of 137,741 sq km (53,182 sq mi), is the 28th largest
state in the United States; 8.2 percent of the land is owned by the federal
government. Arkansas's extreme dimensions are about 355 km (about 220 mi)
both from north to south and from east to west. Elevations range from 17 m
(55 ft) along the Ouachita River, near the Louisiana border, to a maximum of
839 m (2753 ft) at Magazine Mountain. The mean elevation is about 200 m (about
650 ft).
The physical landscape of Arkansas consists of heavily wooded mountains in
much of the north and west and plateaus and low-lying plains in the east and
south. The Ozark Plateau covers much of northern Arkansas, from the Oklahoma
border to the Ozark escarpment on the east. It is a land of rugged hills
and valleys and of upland forests interspersed with rich farmland. Above
the southern section of the plateau rise the Boston Mountains. The Arkansas
Valley separates the Ozark Plateau from the Ouachita Mountains. Although the
valley is primarily a lowland, some mountains rise from its floor. It is a
prosperous farming and mining area. The Ouachita Mountains to the south are
composed of east-to-west ridges that are separated by narrow valleys. The
region is a major source of timber and is also known for its hot springs.
The West Gulf Coastal Plain cuts a wide swath through southwestern Arkansas.
It is part of the great coastal plain that extends north from the Gulf of
Mexico. Soils of clay loams mixed with gravel make the area relatively fertile
for farming and for the commercial growth of pine trees. The Mississippi
Alluvial Plain occupies approximately the eastern one-third of the state.
Rich alluvial soils have been deposited here over thousands of years by the
Mississippi River during flood stages. Levees have been constructed to protect
the farmland of the area from flooding.
The Mississippi River and its tributary, the Arkansas River, drain most of
the state. The majority of rivers in Arkansas flow east or southeast to
either of these and include the Little Missouri, Ouachita, Saline, and Red
rivers in the south and the Saint Francis, Black, and White rivers in the
north. A number of oxbow lakes (freshwater lakes occupying old river channels)
have been formed along the Mississippi River; Lake Chicot is the largest of
these. Most of the large lakes of Arkansas, however, were artificially created.
They include Dardanelle Reservoir on the Arkansas River and Lakes Ouachita,
Catherine, and Hamilton in the Ouachita Mountains. Bull Shoals Lake and Lakes
Beaver and Table Rock are located in the Ozark Plateau.
Forests cover about one-half of the total land area of Arkansas. Pine forests
are found mainly in the southwestern part of the state; eastern areas are
covered by a great variety of hardwoods, including ash, buckeye, hackberry,
hawthorn, hickory, maple, oak, and cherry. Arkansas is also known for its
flowering trees and shrubs, such as dogwood, azalea, and redbud, and for its
wildflowers and ferns.
The mountains of the state are the habitat of a variety of small mammals,
including mink, raccoon, skunk, weasel, and woodchuck. The plains are home
to deer, rabbit, fox, and bobcat. Birds thrive throughout the state; species
include pheasant, duck, goose, turkey, and such songbirds as cardinal, robin,
mockingbird, phoebe, and whippoorwill. Among the freshwater fish here are
bass, catfish, perch, and sturgeon.
Arkansas is rich in mineral resources, chiefly petroleum and natural gas in
the southwest, coal in the Arkansas Valley, and bauxite near Little Rock. The
state also contains commercial quantities of granite, gypsum, marble, mercury,
soapstone, vanadium, and bromine. Murfreesboro in the southwest is known as
a source of diamonds.
Farming accounts for about 4 percent of the annual gross state product. The
combination of a long growing season, plentiful rainfall, and rich alluvial
soils has helped to make the state a national leader in the production of rice,
soybeans, and cotton; these crops are grown primarily in the Mississippi Valley
and the lowlands of the tributary rivers. Significant quantities of wheat, hay,
sorghum, spinach, peaches, and tomatoes are also grown. Arkansas is an
important producer of cattle, hogs, eggs, and turkeys and ranks first in the
nation in the production of commercial broiler chickens. Livestock and
livestock products account for about 60 percent of the state's farm income.
Arkansas has about 46,000 farms, averaging 136 hectares (335 acres).
The state's timber resources are considerable. The principal types of lumber
are oak, hickory, cypress, and especially pine, which is harvested increasingly
from tree farms maintained by large corporations. About two-thirds of the
annual timber cut is pine; the remainder consists of hardwoods.
The mining industry accounts for about 1 percent of the gross state product.
Arkansas usually ranks first in the nation in the production of bromine.
Bauxite deposits, which are concentrated in central Arkansas, are no longer
mined commercially. Significant quantities of natural gas, coal, petroleum,
limestone, barite, and silica are mined, as well as small quantities of
industrial diamonds.
Since 1960 manufacturing employment has grown steadily, providing, in the early
1990s, about 243,000 jobs. Manufacturing accounts for about one-fourth of the
gross state product. Most of the principal manufactured items are fabricated
from the state's diverse raw materials; these items include food products,
petrochemicals, paper and wood products, apparel, and textiles. Electronic
equipment is also a major manufacture. The principal industrial areas are
found in or near the major cities. The region of Little Rock and North Little
Rock is the state's industrial heart. Other important manufacturing centers
are Fort Smith, Pine Bluff, El Dorado, and Fayetteville.
Arkansas has a network of about 124,177 km (about 77,162 mi) of federal, state,
and local roads, including 872 km (542 mi) of interstate highways. The state
is served by a system of 3986 km (2477 mi) of railroad track. Railroads handle
freight almost exclusively. An extensive inland waterway network comprises
parts of four rivers: the Mississippi, Arkansas, White, and Ouachita. Year-
round barge service is available on all four rivers. The McClellan-Kerr
Arkansas River Navigation System provides a navigable channel between the
Mississippi River and Tulsa, Oklahoma. Little Rock, on the Arkansas River,
is a port of entry; Fort Smith and Pine Bluff are also river ports. Arkansas
has about 96 public airports; the principal ones are located in Little Rock,
Hot Springs, Fort Smith, and Fayetteville.
In the mid-1990s Arkansas had 74 AM and 88 FM radio stations and 17 television
stations. The state's first radio station, WOK, in Pine Bluff, was licensed
in 1920. KATV, in Little Rock, Arkansas's first commercial television station,
began operation in 1953. The state's first newspaper, the Arkansas Post, was
published in 1819. By the early 1990s Arkansas had 29 daily newspapers with a
total daily circulation of about 476,000. Influential dailies included the
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in Little Rock and the Southwest Times Record in
Fort Smith.
The electricity-generating plants of Arkansas have a total capacity of 9.6
million kilowatts and produce about 38.4 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity
annually. About 30 percent of the electricity is generated in nuclear power
plants, about 54 percent in conventional steam-powered plants fueled by coal.
