Arkansas

(ar-kān'sďs,) a river of the U. States, which rises in the Rocky Mountains, near the dividing line between Utah and the Indian Ter., and, after a devious course-for the most part E.S.E. - of abt. 2,170 m., falls into the Mi i ippi (of which it is the second longest tributary) in Lat. 33° 55′ N., Lon. 91° 10′ W. It is navigable at all seasons for abt. 600 m. above its confluence with the Mi i ippi. Arkansas, a S.W. State of the Amer. Union, bounded N. by Mi ouri, E. by the Mi i ippi, S. by Louisiana and Texas, and W. by Texas and the Indian Ter. It lies between N. Lat. 33° and 36° 30′, and between W. Lon. 89° 45′ and 94° 40′. Length, N. to S., 242 m.; breadth, from 170 to 229 m. Area, 52,198 sq. m., or 33,406,720 acres. The E. portion of the State lies low, and maybe described as a marshy plain, watered by many lagoons, and subject, for the most part, to annual inundations of the Mi i ippi and its feeders. The centre is intersected by the Ozark Mts., dividing the State into two unequal portions, each po e ing distinct climatic features. The principal rivers are the Arkansas, which pa es through the State from W. to E.; the White, the St. Francis, the Red, the Washita. All these rivers being navigable, fill, to a great extent, the place of inland roads. The climate is damp and unhealthy in the E. part; but in the middle and W. it is comparatively salubrious. The hilly regions of the State afford an abundance of timber of various kinds. The minerals ofA. comprise iron, coal, lead, zinc, salt, gypsum, and manganese. Its soil is various in quality, and the State contains abt. 2,000,000 acres of improved land. Cotton and maize form the principal crops.cles Live-stock is largely reared. As a cotton-State, A. is second only to Louisiana, and it carries on an extensive trade with New Orleans. The principal centres of pop. and trade are Little Rock (cap.), Arkansas Post, Van Buren, Camden, Fort Smith. Education is well cared for throughout the State, and all religious denominations are represented by churches adequate to their respective numbers. The govt. a imilates with that of the other States of the Union. Pop. 484,471. [s. 47]