From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Arkansas (pronounced [ˈɑɹkn̩ˌsɑː]) 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 regions of the Ozarks and the Ouachita Mountains, which make up the U.S. Interior Highlands, to the eastern lowlands along the Mississippi River. The capital and most populous city is Little Rock, located in the central portion of the state.
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 related "Kaw" tribe) word meaning "land of downriver people" or
"people of the south wind". The pronunciation of Arkansas (ar-kan-saw)
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
pronounce the name ar-kán-sas and the other wanted ár-kan-saw.[2]
Geography
- See also: List of Arkansas counties, List of cities in Arkansas, List of Arkansas townships, and List of Arkansas native plants
The Mississippi River forms most of Arkansas's eastern border, except in Clay and Greene counties where the St. Francis River forms the western boundary of the Missouri Bootheel,
and in dozens of places where the current channel of the Mississippi
has meandered from where it had last been legally specified.[3] Arkansas shares its southern border with Louisiana, its northern border with Missouri, its eastern border with Tennessee and Mississippi, and its western border with Texas and Oklahoma.
Arkansas is a land of mountains and valleys, thick forests and
fertile plains. The so-called Lowlands are better known by names of
their two regions, the Delta and the Grand Prairie. The Arkansas Delta is a flat landscape of rich alluvial soils formed by repeated flooding
of the adjacent Mississippi. Further away from the river, in the
southeast portion of the state, the Grand Prairie consists of a more
undulating landscape. Both are fertile agricultural areas.
The Delta region is bisected by an unusual geological formation known as Crowley's Ridge.
A narrow band of rolling hills, Crowley's Ridge rises from 250 to
500 feet (150 m) above the surrounding alluvial plain and underlies
many of the major towns of eastern Arkansas.
Northwest Arkansas is part of the Ozark Plateau including the Boston Mountains, to the south are the Ouachita Mountains and these regions are divided by the Arkansas River; the southern and eastern parts of Arkansas are called the Lowlands. All of these mountains ranges are part of the U.S. Interior Highlands region, the only major mountainous region between the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachian Mountains.[4][5] The highest point in the state is Mount Magazine in the Ozark Mountains; it rises to 2,753 feet (839 m) above sea level.
Arkansas is home to many caves, such as Blanchard Springs Caverns. It is also the first U.S. state in which diamonds were found[6] (near Murfreesboro). Arkansas has the only operating diamond mine in the United States.
Arkansas is home to many areas protected by the National Park System. These include:[7]
The Trail of Tears National Historic Trail also runs through Arkansas.[7]
Climate
Arkansas generally has a humid subtropical climate, which borders on humid continental in some northern highland areas. While not bordering the Gulf of Mexico,
Arkansas is still close enough to this warm, large body of water for it
to be the main weather influence in the state. Generally, Arkansas has
very hot, humid summers and mild, slightly drier winters. In Little
Rock, the daily high temperatures average around 90 °F (32 °C) in the
summer and close to 50 °F (10 °C) in winter. Annual precipitation
throughout the state averages between about 40 and 60 inches (1,000 to
1,500 mm); somewhat wetter in the south and drier in the northern part
of the state.[8] Snowfall is not uncommon, but certainly not excessive in most years as the average snowfall is around 5 inches (13 cm).[9]
Despite its subtropical climate, Arkansas is known for occasional extreme weather. Between both the Great Plains and the Gulf States, Arkansas receives around 60 days of thunderstorms. As a part of Tornado Alley,
tornadoes are not an uncommon occurrence in Arkansas, and a few of the
most destructive tornadoes in U.S. history have struck the state. While
being sufficiently away from the coast to be safe from a direct hit
from a hurricane, Arkansas can often get the remnants of a tropical system which dumps tremendous amounts of rain in a short time and often spawns smaller tornadoes.
High water pouring down the White River
caused historic flooding in cities along its path in eastern Arkansas.
The river could top levels recorded in a devastating flood in 1982.
Arkansas emergency management told early estimates for statewide damage
to homes, businesses and infrastructure was at $2 million, though that
figure was expected to grow.
| Monthly Normal High and Low Temperatures For Various Arkansas Cities |
| City |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
| Fort Smith |
48/28 |
55/33 |
64/41 |
73/49 |
80/59 |
88/67 |
93/71 |
93/70 |
85/63 |
75/50 |
61/40 |
51/31 |
| Little Rock |
50/31 |
56/35 |
64/43 |
73/50 |
81/59 |
89/68 |
93/72 |
92/70 |
85/64 |
|
Classical
from 
