Arkansas

Arkansas is a state in the United States of America. Its capital and largest city is Little Rock. It is considered part of the South, and is bordered by Oklahoma to the west, Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and its southwestern corner touches Texas. The 2020 census counted 3,013,756 people living in Arkansas.

History
Arkansas became the 25th state to enter the Union in 1836. During the American Civil War, Arkansas was one of the Confederate states. Afterward, during Reconstruction, it was the second state to be reintegrated into the U.S. Native Americans first settled in the state before the arrival of Europeans. Many enslaved Africans and their descendants were forcibly brought to Arkansas during the Transatlantic slave trade.    

Geography

Arkansas has many rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. Arkansas has few natural lakes but many reservoirs such as Bull Shoals Lake, Lake Ouachita, Greers Ferry Lake, Millwood Lake, Beaver Lake, Norfork Lake, DeGray Lake, and Lake Conway.

Arkansas is home to many caves, such as Blanchard Springs Caverns. More than 43,000 Native American living, hunting and tool making sites have been catalogued by the State Archeologist. Arkansas is currently the only U.S. state in which diamonds are mined. This is done by members of the public with primitive digging tools for a small daily fee, not by commercial interests.

Arkansas is home to a bunch of wood Areas adding around . These areas are set for outdoor playing and are open to hunting, fishing, hiking, and camping. No vehicles are able to drive in these areas.

Religion
Arkansas, like most other Southern states, is part of the Bible Belt. It is mostly Protestant. The largest denominations by number of followers in 2000 were the Southern Baptist Convention with 665,307; the United Methodist Church with 179,383; the Roman Catholic Church with 115,967; and the American Baptist Association with 115,916.

Education
Education in Arkansas has been an issue. Part of the problem has been low teacher salaries and small budgets for spending on students. Other problems have been not wanting to integrate, and poor school facilities.

Arkansas has two university systems: Arkansas State University System and University of Arkansas System. Some other public institutions are Arkansas Tech University, Henderson State University, Southern Arkansas University, and University of Central Arkansas. It is also home to 11 private colleges and universities. One of them being Hendrix College, one of the nation's top 100 liberal arts colleges, according to U.S. News & World Report.

Culture
Arkansas is liked for its bauxite mines. Arkansas was also the first U.S. state where diamonds were found. Liked Arkansans are Bill Clinton, who was governor of Arkansas before he became the President of the United States, Sam Walton, the CEO of Wal-Mart, Johnny Cash, a famous guitar player known as "The Man In Black".

Attractions
Arkansas is home to many areas protected by the National Park System. These include:
 Arkansas Post National Memorial at Gillett
 Buffalo National River
 Fort Smith National Historic Site
 Hot Springs National Park
 Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site
 Pea Ridge National Military Park
 President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home National Historic Site
 Clinton House Museum

Related pages
 List of counties in Arkansas
 List of rivers of Arkansas

Notes

References


Category:1836 establishments in the United States
Category:Confederate States of America