Arkansas Geography
From a geomorphological point of view, the Arkansas territory can be divided into two large natural regions: the western highlands, which cover the Ouchita region and the Ozark Plateau; and the lowlands, which encompass the Mississippi floodplain and the Gulf of Mexico coastal plain. To the northwest of this plain rises the Crowley mountain range, a formation of the (aeolian sediments) that forms a ‘sierra’ 150 meters high and 20 kilometers wide. The coastal plain of the Gulf of Mexico begins south of Little Rock and rises almost imperceptibly to an average height of 90 meters. Much of Arkansas’ agricultural wealth is located in this grassy, coastal plain.
The highlands, Ouchita and the Ozark Plateau, contrast with the rest of the territory described above, being a unit that rises 850 m above sea level. The highest point in the state, Mount Magazine (860 m), is located in this area. The highlands are a forested region, with a sparse and dispersed population. On the Ozark Plateau, an eroded plateau north of the Arkansas Valley, the Boston Mountains stand out, 600-meter hills that wind erosion has divided into staggered sections and then formed steep surfaces.
Hydrography
The Mississippi River, which marks the eastern border of the state, is the main receiver of the waters of most of the river currents that drain the territory of Arkansas: the Little Red, Ouchita, Arkansas and Saint Francis rivers.
It also has numerous lakes, most of them engineering works built in the northern region since 1940.
Climate
Arkansas has a mild climate, with southerly winds preventing excessively cold winters, although temperatures in the southern part are notably higher than in the north (where temperatures have occasionally been recorded below -17 ° C).).
Thus, the average temperatures in winter are 2 ° C, and 27 ° C in summer. Average annual rainfall (rarely in the form of snow) is around 1,200 mm, concentrated between the months of May and December since summer storms are scarce and autumn is generally a dry season, which greatly benefits agricultural activities.
Economy and population
The most important activities in Arkansas are industry, commerce, agriculture and mining. The sectors that employ the most people are, in this order, services, commerce and industry. In terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), this state experiences an annual growth of 4.6% (1995-1996). The largest increase in GDP has occurred in the agricultural sector (9.1%), while the least dynamic sector has been that of construction (4.9%). According to CountryAAH.com, Little Rock, is the capital and largest city of Arkansas.
40% of the land in Arkansas is farms, with an average size of 117 hectares. A third of the production of these farms is dedicated to cultivation, mainly rice (the largest producer in the US) and cotton (the sixth largest producer in the country), although they also produce soybeans, wheat and sorghum. Arkansas is one of the nation’s top producers of chickens, turkeys, and eggs, and has a significant herd of beef cattle. Its fish farms, where mainly barbel and carp are produced, provide strong income to the state.
Arkansas has a wooded area that occupies half of its territory, and which is largely exploited for lumber production, especially softwoods (it is the 10th largest producer of lumber in the US).
Mining Resources
Its most important mineral resources are natural gas and bromine, in addition to having the only diamond mine in the United States.
Industries
Its most prominent industries are food processing (especially rice), electronic equipment, wood treatment, and the production of paper and derivatives.
Population
According to Abbreviationfinder, the total population of the state is 2.6 million, with an annual growth rate of 0.9%. The urban population of this state is estimated at 48.3% (1996), well below the national level (79.9%). 25.8% of Arkansans are under the age of 18, and 14.3% have reached the age of 65. The infant mortality rate is 0.93%, well above the rate in the United States, which makes it the third state with the highest mortality in the population under one year of age.
Arkansas’s population is 82.7% white; 8.9% black; 0.5% American Indian, and 0.7% Asian or Pacific origin. The population classified as Hispanic is 49,473 people, that is, 1.9% of the population; In this group, Hispanics of Mexican origin are the majority (63%).
With a workforce of 1.21 million people, its level of unemployment is low, since Arkansas has an unemployment rate of 4.9% (1998). The median annual per capita income is $ 18,053 (1998), and per household is $ 27,665, about $ 11,000 below the national median, making it the state with the lowest median income per family in the U.S. Despite this, the index of the population living below the poverty index is 14.8%, which places it in the twelfth state with the highest number of official poor. Despite these results, the situation has improved during the last decade since in 1990, Arkansas ranked fourth in the US, when nearly 20% of Arkansans lived below this marginality index.
Famous People
The most outstanding personage of Arkansas in all its history has been Bill Clinton, who governed in this state during two terms. Clinton left his post in 1992, upon becoming president of the United States, a position to which he was re-elected in 1996.
