Arkansas is a Southern state known for its natural beauty and for being the home of the 42nd president of the United States, Bill Clinton. Aptly nicknamed “The Natural State”, Arkansas is a region of natural diversity with many national and state parks, mountain ranges, lakes, rivers, caverns, forests and much more.

Spaniard Hernando de Soto, in 1541, was among the early European explorers to visit the territory, 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.

Arkansas supports a surprisingly large number of universities for its size, including the University of Arkansas and the State University of Arkansas systems and a number of private liberal arts colleges.

The University of Arkansas’s flagship campus is located at Fayetteville, where you can study hundreds of different subjects at both undergraduate and graduate level. UA-Fayetteville is renowned for its agricultural, architecture and creative writing programs. Other campuses in the system include the Universities of Arkansas at Fort Smith, Little Rock, Monticello and Pine Bluff.

The State University of Arkansas system, a separate public university system, has campuses at Jonesboro, Beebe, Mountain Home and Paragould. There is also a wide selection of private universities and colleges in the state, including Hendrix College, Central Baptist College and John Brown University.

The population of Arkansas is mainly centred near the middle of the State in the metropolitan area of Little Rock, the State capital. Little Rock catapulted to fame when the state’s former governor, Bill Clinton, ran for president in 1992. Born and raised in Arkansas, the former president’s two terms in office are commemorated at the William J. Clinton Presidential Centre and Park in downtown Little Rock. Part of this complex is the William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum, a modern building designed by Polshek Partnership of New York.

Hot Springs National Park, and Buffalo National River in the Ozarks are major state attractions. Blanchard Springs Caverns, the Arkansas Territorial Restoration at Little Rock, and the Arkansas Folk Center in Mountain View are of interest

Nickname: The Natural State

Origin of name: From the Quapaw Indians

10 largest cities (2005 est.): Little Rock, 184,564; Fort Smith, 82,481; Fayetteville, 66,655; Springdale, 60,096; Jonesboro, 59,358; North Little Rock, 58,803; Pine Bluff, 52,693; Conway, 51,999; Rogers, 48,353; Hot Springs, 37,847

Land area: 52,068 sq mi. (134,856 sq km)

Geographic center: In Pulaski Co., 12 mi. NW of Little Rock

Number of counties: 75

Largest county by population and area: Pulaski, 366,463 (2005); Union, 1,039 sq mi.

State parks: 51

Residents: Arkansan

2005 resident population est.: 2,779,154

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.

Little Rock

State abbreviation/Postal code: Ark./AR

Governor: Mike Beebe, D (to Jan. 2011)

Lieut. Governor: Bill Halter, D (to Jan. 2011

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. 2011)

Atty. General: Dustin McDaniel, D (to Jan. 2011)

Treasurer: Martha A Shoffner , D (to Jan. 2011)

Organized as territory: March 2, 1819

Entered Union (rank): June 15, 1836 (25)

Present constitution adopted: 1874

Motto: Regnat populus (The people rule)

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