Arkansas is in the southern United States, with an area of 53,179 square miles and a population of 3 million. It has various geographical features, including mountains, valleys, rivers, and forests.
Iconic aspects of Arkansas topography include the Ozark Plateau and the Ozark Mountains, located in northern Arkansas. Rolling hills and valleys characterize this region, with elevations ranging from 55 to 2,753 feet above sea level. The highest point in the state is Magazine Mountain, an attraction frequented by rock-climbing enthusiasts. The Arkansas River Valley dominates the western part of the state. This valley runs from Fort Smith, near Oklahoma, to Little Rock and contains some of the most fertile lands in the state.
The Ouachita Mountains stretch across central Arkansas and include Magazine Mountain, Hot Springs Mountain (1,040 ft), and Mount Magazine (2,753 ft). Tectonic activity formed these mountains from sedimentary rocks during ancient mountain-building events. To their east lies the Hot Springs Area and Eastern Ridges and Valleys region, which consists of low ridges interspersed with isolated valleys such as the Petit Jean Valley near Russellville.
There are extensive lowland forests and prairies in eastern Arkansas, such as Crowley's Ridge State Park near Paragould. The Mississippi Delta Region lies just south of this region, stretching along both sides of the Mississippi River. This region includes several small towns, such as Helena-West Helena near Clarksdale, where blues music originated in America.
The Mississippi River system consists of several major tributaries, including the Missouri River—which runs through five states before joining with the Mississippi—and the Ohio River—which rises in Pennsylvania before merging with the Mississippi at Cairo, Illinois. All three rivers eventually empty into the Gulf of Mexico on America's southeastern coast, providing an essential waterway for transportation throughout much of America's southern region.
The State of Arkansas is divided into 75 counties. In alphabetical order, these counties are: Arkansas County, Ashley, Baxter, Benton, Boone, Bradley, Calhoun, Carroll, Chicot, Clark, Clay, Cleburne, Cleveland, Columbia, Conway, Craighead, Crawford, Crittenden, Cross, Dallas, Desha, Drew, Faulkner, Franklin, Fulton, Garland, Grant, Greene, Hempstead, Hot Spring, Howard, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Lafayette, Lawrence, Lee, Lincoln, Little River, Logan, Lonoke, Madison, Marion, Miller, Mississippi, Monroe, Montgomery, Nevada, Newton, Ouachita, Perry, Phillips, Pike, Poinsett, Polk, Pope, Prairie, Pulaski, Randolph, Saint Francis, Saline, Scott, Searcy, Sebastian, Sevier, Sharp, Stone, Union, Van Buren, Washington, White, Woodruff, and Yell.
With an area of 137,732 sq. km, the State of Arkansas is the 29th largest and the 33rd most populous state in the USA. Located in Pulaski County, in the central part of the state is Little Rock – the capital, the largest and the most populous city of Arkansas. Little Rock also serves as the administrative, cultural, economic, and transportation center of Arkansas.
The State of Arkansas is located in the south-central region of the United States. It is bordered by the state of Missouri in the north; by Tennessee and Mississippi in the east, by Louisiana in the south, by Texas in the southwest and by Oklahoma in the west.
Regional Maps: Map of North America
The above blank map represents the State of Arkansas, located in the south-central region of the United States. The above map can be downloaded, printed and used for geography education purposes like map-pointing and coloring activities.
The above outline map represents the State of Arkansas, located in the south-central region of the United States.
Legal Name | State of Arkansas |
---|---|
ISO 3166 Code | US-AR |
Capital City | Little Rock |
Major Cities |
|
This page was last updated on January 10, 2023