Arkansas

Arkansas

Arkansas is located in the southern region of the United States and bordered by Missouri to the north, Mississippi and Tennessee to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Oklahoma to the west. The capital and most populous city is Little Rock, located in the central portion of the state.

Arkansas has an interesting history. During the Civil War, the state fought on the Confederate side. However, in 1864 and 1865, the state had both Confederate and Union governments. A dispute over the governorship almost led to a civil war inside Arkansas in 1874. In 1957, President Eisenhower deployed United States troops to Little Rock, the state capital, to ensure that African American students were admitted to a public high school in the state. Bill Clinton was born in the state and later became its governor. Arkansas gets its name from an Indian word meaning, "land of downstream people."

Arkansas' forests provide the raw materials for the lumber, wood product, pulpwood, and paper industries that have become important to the state. However, the farms of the Mississippi Floodplain and Gulf Coast Plain are the state's most important industries. Arkansas has traditionally been an agricultural state because of its mild climate, long growing season, fertile soil, and abundant rainfall. Today, manufacturing makes up one-third of Arkansas' gross product. Fort Smith and Little Rock are two important manufacturing regions in the state. Food processing is the leading manufacturing industry in Arkansas. More chickens are raised in Arkansas than any other state and it leads the country in the production of rice. Several large store chains have their headquarters in Arkansas.

International students who study in Arkansas will appreciate the beautiful view of the Ozarks and the Old Main, a two-towered brick building listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Old Main is the oldest building on campus and currently houses the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. One college overlooks the Ozarks Mountains, the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. The University of Arkansas, founded in 1871, was built on the site of a hilltop farm.  Arkansas Baptist College is another higher learning institution affiliated with a church and is a private, liberal arts college.Arkansas's many colleges and universities prepare students for the professional world, especially in business, and the state is home to several Fortune 500 companies, including Wal-Mart.

List of colleges and universities in Arkansas

Official Website for the State of Arkansas

                                             Print PDF