Description of Arkansas, US

Arkansas is a component state of the United States. Arkansas ranks 29th of the 50 states in overall area, although it is the smallest state west of the Mississippi River, excluding Louisiana and Hawaii. Missouri lies to its north, Tennessee and Mississippi to its east, Louisiana to its south, Texas to its southwest, and Oklahoma to its west are its neighbors. Early French explorers used the name Arkansas to designate to the Quapaw people, a dominant indigenous population in the region, and the river where they dwelt. The term was possibly a corruption of akansea, the term used by another local indigenous group, the Illinois, to refer to the Quapaw. Little Rock, the state capital, is situated in the state's geographic center.

Arkansas has a wide variety of landscapes. Compare and contrast the rugged Ozark and Ouachita mountains in the north and west with the lush, flat agricultural regions in the east, which are interspersed with numerous rivers. The Arkansas and Red rivers, which form the state's eastern border, are responsible for nearly all of the state's rivers flowing northwest to southeast.

Immigration from other states was discouraged, and the state's population was essentially homogeneous. Despite this, two unique regional cultures and agricultural economies formed as a result. The Ozark and Ouachita mountain regions, which are geographically isolated, have a subsistence farming and small-scale wood-products industry culture. Cotton plantations and large-scale tenant farming are typical of the agricultural system in the lowlands of the Mississippi floodplain in the east and south (or sharecropping).

As a result, the state's population remained relatively homogeneous, and there were little incentives for immigration from other states. In spite of this, two separate regional cultures and agrarian economies developed. Rural communities in the Ozark and Ouachita mountain ranges relied heavily on subsistence farming and small-scale wood-products manufacturing to survive. The Mississippi floodplain's lowlands culture, on the other hand, was built on a traditional Southern agricultural system based on cotton plantations and extensive tenant farming (or sharecropping).

Geographical Description of Arkansas

The highlands in the west and north are roughly divided from the lowlands in the south and east by a line drawn from the southwest corner to the northeast corner of Arkansas. The Ozark Mountains in the north and the Ouachita Province in the south are separated by the Arkansas River basin. The Mississippi River alluvial plain in the east and the Gulf Coastal Plain in the south and extreme southwest comprise the lowlands.

Flat-topped mountains and steep valleys with fast-moving streams define the Ozark Mountain region. The Boston Mountains, on the range's most rugged southern edge, feature the Ozarks' tallest peaks. The Springfield and Salem plateaus to the north have gently sloping landscapes and limestone caverns linked by subsurface drainage. The Arkansas River valley is home to the state's highest point, Mount Magazine, at 2,753 feet (839 metres). Several peaks in the province of Ouachita are over 750 meters high (760 metres). The mountains are made up of worn, folded, and faulted rocks, with ridges extending from east to west over the mountains.

The western Gulf Coastal Plain, which stretches from the Ouachita Mountains to the Gulf of Mexico, is flat to moderately rolling. Rich loams cover portions of the coastal sands and clay that lie beneath it. One-third of the state's eastern section is covered by the Mississippi River alluvial plain, which has flat topography and poor drainage. Mississippi River tributaries, such as the Arkansas, White and St. Francis rivers, as well as the Mississippi River's former channels, dominate the topography. An alluvial plain running from southern Missouri to the northern portion of Crowley's Ridge is 200 miles (320 kilometers) in length. The ridge is made largely of river sands and gravels, with a thin layer of windblown silt covering the entire surface.

Summers in Arkansas can be extremely hot, but the winters are fairly mild. Lows in January in Little Rock are around 30 degrees Fahrenheit (–1 degrees Celsius) and highs around 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius); in July, lows in the 70s (low 20s C) and highs in the low 90s F are the norm (low 30s C). Temperatures, on the other hand, vary depending on altitude and latitude. The average annual rainfall in Arkansas is about 50 inches (1,270 mm), which falls over the course of the year in a fairly even distribution. In contrast, October tends to be the driest month out of the year. The Ozarks in the northwest are the driest part of the state, while the Ouachita Mountains in the southeast are the wettest.

Natural Resources

Arkansas' most valuable natural resources include petroleum, natural gas, and coal. However, bauxite, a key ingredient in the production of aluminum, is found in plenty in the state. Insecticides, water purification, medicines, and flame retardants all use bromine, which is produced in Arkansas.

Wildlife

There are a variety of animal species found in Arkansas, including the elusive eastern spotted skunk. This state has red-tailed hawks, ivory-billed woodpeckers, and indigo buntings. Cricket frogs and Ouachita dusky salamanders can be found in Arkansas. Western pygmy rattlesnakes and eastern collared lizards are only two of the reptiles found in the state.

Hickory, plum, hawthorn, and pine are the most common trees. Only in Arkansas can you find a maple-leaf oak. Wildflowers including American beautyberry, wild bergamot, and orange coneflower can be found in abundance.

Economy of Arkansas

This previously cashless state has subsequently evolved into a state with a varied economy that includes both highland and lowland plantation crops. Gross domestic product (GDP) in 2015 was $119 billion for the state. Six Fortune 500 companies call Arkansas home, including Walmart, Tyson Foods, J.B. Hunt, Dillard's, Murphy USA, and Windstream, in addition to Walmart. It ranked 45th in the nation in 2015 with a per capita income of $39,107. The median household income was $41,371 between 2011 and 2015, which placed the state 49th in the US. Poultry and eggs, soybeans, sorghum, cattle, cotton, rice, pigs, and milk are among the state's agricultural products. Industrial outputs include food processing, electrical equipment, metal fabrication, machinery, and paper products. Crude oil and natural gas are only some of the products that come out of Arkansas's mines. Second-lowest cost of doing business, fifth-lowest cost of residing, 11th-best workforce, 20th-best economic climate, 28th-best educated workforce, 31st-best infrastructure, 32nd-friendliest regulatory environment. Since 2011, Arkansas has climbed 12 places in the list of the greatest states for business. In 2014, it was the most affordable state to live in.

The state's unemployment rate was 4.4% as of June 2021, while the preliminary November 2021 unemployment figure is 3.4%.