Nicknames: The Natural State, The land of Opportunity

Capitol: Little Rock

Motto: Regnat populus; The people rule

Song: Oh, Arkansas; music and words by: Terry Rose and Gary Klaff

Flower: Appleblossom, Pyrus coronaria

Tree: Loblolly Pine, Pinus taeda

Bird: Mockingbird

Gained Statehood: June 15, 1836

Name Origin: French interpretation of a Sioux word "acansa," meaning "downstream place."

Arkansas' "Southern Hospitality" is more than just a phrase - it's a way of life. In Arkansas, you'll find a rich past in Museums and State Parks and national historic sites as well as abundant cultural resources.

Artifacts left in mounds and bluffs indicate that people have been living in the region that is now Arkansas for thousands of years. The ancestors of the Indians were first to inhabit the region. As the eastern lands were settled, more Indians moved to sparsely inhabited Arkansas. The Indians who lived here included the Folsom people, Bluff Dwellers, Mound Builders, Caddos, Quapaws, Osage, Choctaw and Cherokee. In 1541, the Spanish explorer Hernando De Soto was the first European to set foot in Arkansas. He led an unsuccessful, yearlong expedition for gold. One hundred and thirty-one years later, two Frenchmen named Marquette and Joliet visited Arkansas briefly. In 1682, at the mouth of the Mississippi, LaSalle claimed the Mississippi Valley for France, but was later assassinated by two of his companions. In 1686, Henri De Tonti set out from Fort St. Louis on the Illinois River to meet LaSalle at the mouth of the Mississippi. After he failed to locate LaSalle, De Tonti, the "Father of Arkansas", established the first European settlement in Arkansas, called Arkansas Post, with six residents. In 1762, the entire Louisiana Territory was ceded to Spain, and Spanish governors offered free land and no taxes to encourage settlers to inhabit the area. In 1799, there were approximately 386 white people living in Arkansas. In 1803, the Louisiana Purchase was acquired by the United States, and, in 1819, Arkansas was organized as a territory.

G. M. "Broncho Billy" Anderson, Maya Angelou, Daisy Bates, Dee Brown, Helen Gurley Brown, Dale Bumpers, Glen Campbell, Hattie Caraway , Johnny Cash, Eldridge Cleaver, William Jefferson Clinton, William Darby, Dizzy Dean, Orval Faubus, John Gould Fletcher, J. William Fulbright, John Grisham, Tess Harper, John H. Johnson, E. Fay Jones, Scott Joplin, Alan Ladd, Douglas MacArthur, Patsy Montana, Isaac C. Parker, Albert Pike , Dick Powell, Mary Steenburgen, Billy Bob Thornton, Sam Walton, William C. Warfield