AR · Natural State · South · admitted 1836 (#25)
Arkansas map
Arkansas highlighted on the US map, with Little Rock as both capital and largest city. The Mississippi River forms its eastern edge and the Ozarks rise in the northwest.
- Capital
- Little Rock
- Largest city
- Little Rock
- Population (2020)
- 3,011,524
- Area
- 53,179 sq mi
- Counties
- 75
- Time zone
- Central
- Region
- South · West South Central
- Statehood
- June 15, 1836
Where Arkansas is
Arkansas lies on the west bank of the Mississippi River, roughly halfway between the Gulf of Mexico and the Great Lakes. It is about 240 miles north to south and 275 miles east to west. Missouri is to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east across the Mississippi River, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. The Arkansas River cuts diagonally across the state from Fort Smith on the Oklahoma line through Little Rock to the Mississippi. The northwest half is upland (the Ozarks and Ouachitas); the southeast half is flat Delta and Gulf coastal plain.
Major cities
| City | Region of state | Population (2020) |
|---|---|---|
| Little Rock (capital) | Central Arkansas | 202,591 |
| Fayetteville | Northwest Arkansas | 93,949 |
| Fort Smith | Arkansas River Valley (west) | 89,142 |
| Springdale | Northwest Arkansas | 87,609 |
| Jonesboro | Northeast (Delta) | 78,576 |
| North Little Rock | Central Arkansas | 64,591 |
Geography
- Mount Magazine — 2,753 feet, the highest point, standing above the Arkansas River Valley between the Ozarks and the Ouachita Mountains.
- Ozark Plateau — the rugged northwest, with the Boston Mountains, the Buffalo National River and Bull Shoals Lake on the Missouri line.
- Ouachita Mountains — east–west ridges south of the Arkansas River, unusual in North America, with Hot Springs National Park on their eastern edge.
- Arkansas River — crosses the state for about 300 miles and is navigable to Oklahoma through a system of locks. See the Arkansas River map.
- Mississippi River — the entire eastern border; the Delta beside it is the flattest, most fertile part of the state. See the Mississippi River map.
- White, Ouachita and Red rivers — the White drains the Ozarks, the Ouachita the south-central timberlands, and the Red clips the southwest corner. The lowest point is 55 feet on the Ouachita at the Louisiana line.
Borders
The eastern border is the Mississippi River, though old meanders leave small pieces of Arkansas on the Tennessee and Mississippi banks. The Missouri border follows the parallel of 36°30′ except at the northeast corner, where the Missouri Bootheel dips south to the 36th parallel along the St. Francis River. The Louisiana border is the 33rd parallel. The western border with Texas is a short straight line, and the Oklahoma border is a surveyed line running north from the Red River to Missouri, with a small jog at Fort Smith.
Regions of Arkansas
Northwest Arkansas (Fayetteville, Springdale, Bentonville and the Ozarks), the Arkansas River Valley (Fort Smith to Little Rock), Central Arkansas (Little Rock and North Little Rock), the Ouachitas (Hot Springs), the Delta along the Mississippi (Jonesboro, West Memphis, Pine Bluff), and the Timberlands of the south (El Dorado, Texarkana). Crowley's Ridge is a narrow line of hills in the Delta.
Related maps
- Arkansas county map — all 75 counties with seats.
- Blank Arkansas map — outline for printing.
- Printable Arkansas map.
- Little Rock — on the Arkansas River at the edge of the Ouachitas.
- Neighbors: Missouri, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma.
- Region: South · West South Central.
- Time zone: Central.
- Geography: Ozarks, Arkansas River, Mississippi River.