Arkansas History and Government

Also known as the "Natural State," Arkansas is known for its areas of forest wilderness that have remained virtually unchanged since de Soto entered them in 1541. The mighty Arkansas River flows between the Ouachita and Ozark Mountain ranges, which are blanketed by thick forests of pine and broadleaf trees. Acquired from the French during the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, Arkansas was organized as a territory in 1819 and became a state in 1836. The state capital is Little Rock.

The state's name is derived from a Quapaw word meaning "land of downriver people." The pronunciation (AR-kan-saw) was made official by the state legislature in 1881. To this day, it's still illegal to mispronounce the name, as the law specifically states "the variation ar-KAN-sas is an innovation to be discouraged."