Arkansas Fun Facts
Information About Arkansas, Arkansas Geography, and Arkansas Schools

Arkansas is known as the Natural State, and the state song is “ Arkansas, Oh Arkansas.” The capital of Arkansas is Little Rock, which is also the largest city. The abbreviation for Arkansas is AR. Arkansas’s state motto is “Regnat Populus” which means "The People Rule."

People who live in Arkansas are known as Arkansans. Arkansas is ranked 33rd in population.

One of Arkansan’s state symbols is the state bird, the Mockingbird. The Mockingbird’s scientific name literally means “mimic of many tongues,” because the Mockingbird is known for mimicking the calls of other birds. Arkansas’s state flower is the Apple Blossom and the state tree is the Pine Tree.

Arkansas is bordered by Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas. The Mississippi River runs past its border. Arkansas received its statehood on June 15, 1836.

Arkansas is known for its agriculture of chickens, soybeans, rice, and cotton. Popular industries include paper and wood products, and electronic equipment. Mining industries in Arkansas focus on aluminum and diamonds.

There were 457,349 K12 students in the Arkansas public schools in 1996. Out of those students 37,370 were first grade students. There were also 26,681 K12 public school teachers in the Arkansas public schools system. There were a total of 1,104 Arkansas public schools in 1996. (Source: IES National Center for Education Statistics)