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| General Information |
| Capital |
Little Rock |
| Statehood |
June 15, 1836 |
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the 25th state |
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| State nickname |
The Natural State |
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| Name for residents |
Arkansans |
| State motto |
Regnat populus |
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(The people rule) |
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| Abbreviation |
AR |
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| Land |
| Total area |
137,733 sq km |
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53,179 sq mi |
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| Rank among states in total area |
28th |
| Land area |
134,874 sq km |
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52,075 sq mi |
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| Highest point |
Magazine Mountain |
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839 m/2,753 ft |
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| Forested land as a share of total area |
56.3 percent (2002) |
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| Federally owned land as a share of land area |
12 percent (2002) |
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| People |
| Population |
2,810,872 (2006 estimate) |
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| Rank among states in population |
32nd |
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| Ten-year population growth |
13.7 percent (1990-2000) |
| Population density |
21 persons per sq km (2006 estimate) |
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54 persons per sq mi (2006 estimate) |
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| Urban population |
52.5 percent (2000) |
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| Largest cities (by population) |
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| Little Rock |
184,564 (2005 estimate) |
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| Fort Smith |
82,481 (2005 estimate) |
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| Fayetteville |
66,655 (2005 estimate) |
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| North Little Rock |
58,803 (2005 estimate) |
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| Jonesboro |
59,358 (2005 estimate) |
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| Ethnic groups |
| Whites |
80 percent (2000) |
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| Blacks |
15.7 percent (2000) |
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| Native Americans |
0.7 percent (2000) |
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| Asians |
0.1 percent (2000) |
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| Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders |
0.1 percent (2000) |
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| Mixed heritage or not reporting |
2.8 percent (2000) |
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| Hispanics (of any race) |
3.2 percent (2000) |
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| Health and Education |
| Life expectancy |
74.3 years (1989-1991) |
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| Infant mortality rate |
8 deaths per 1,000 live births (2002) |
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| Residents per physician |
493 people (2004) |
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| Residents per hospital bed |
287 people (2004) |
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| Share of population not covered by health insurance |
16.4 percent (2004) |
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| Number of students per teacher (K-12) |
14.7 (2003) |
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| Government spending per student (K-12) |
$7,275 (2002-2003) |
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| Share of students attending private school |
5.9 percent (1999) |
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| Share of people over age 25 with high school diploma |
79.2 percent (2004) |
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| Government |
| State government |
| Governor |
Mike Beebe |
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(term ends January 2011) |
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| Legislature |
Senate, 35 members |
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House of Representatives, 100 members |
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| National representation |
| Members of the U.S. Senate |
2 |
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| Members of the U.S. House of Representatives |
4 |
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| Electoral votes |
6 |
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| Economy |
| Gross state product (GSP) |
$87 billion (2005 approximate) |
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| Income per capita |
$25,724 (2004) |
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| GSP by economic sector |
| Agriculture, forestry, and fishing |
3.9 percent (2004) |
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| Industry |
| Construction |
4.5 percent (2004) |
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| Manufacturing |
18.4 percent (2004) |
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| Mining |
0.4 percent (2004) |
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| Transportation and utilities |
7.1 percent (2004) |
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| Services |
| Finance, insurance, and real estate |
13.7 percent (2004) |
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| Government |
12.8 percent (2004) |
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| Information technology |
4 percent (2004) |
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| Retail trade |
7.4 percent (2004) |
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| Wholesale trade |
6.6 percent (2004) |
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| Other services |
21 percent (2004) |
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| Employment |
| Number of workers |
1,365,000 (2006 estimate) |
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| Unemployment rate |
5.3 percent (2006 estimate) |
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| Share of workers in unions |
4.8 percent (2005) |
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| Energy, Communications, and Transportation |
| Electricity production |
| Share from geothermal, solar, and wind |
3.7 percent (2005 estimate) |
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| Share from hydroelectric |
6.4 percent (2005 estimate) |
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| Share from nuclear |
28.6 percent (2005 estimate) |
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| Share from thermal |
61.2 percent (2005 estimate) |
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| Daily newspaper circulation per 1,000 people |
163 newspapers per 1,000 people (2005 estimate) |
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| Share of households with Internet access |
42.4 percent (2003 estimate) |
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| Number of library books circulated per resident |
4.3 books per person (2002) |
| Length of highways |
158,691 km (2004) |
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98,606 mi (2004) |
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| Length of interstate highways |
1,056 km (2004) |
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656 mi (2004) |
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| Length of railroad tracks |
4,332 km (2004) |
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2,692 mi (2004) |
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| Airports |
9 (2007) |
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| Sources |
| The Association of American Railroads (www.aar.org), Bureau of Economic Analysis (www.bea.doc.gov), Bureau of Labor Statistics (www.bls.gov), Census Bureau (www.census.gov), Energy Information Administration (www.eia.doe.gov), Federal Aviation Administration (www.faa.gov), Federal Highway Administration (www.fhwa.dot.gov), Forest Service (www.fs.fed.us), General Services Administration (www.gsa.gov), National Agricultural Statistics Service (www.usda.gov/nass), National Center for Education Statistics (nces.ed.gov), National Center for Health Statistics (www.cdc.gov/nchs), National Telecommunications and Information Administration (www.ntia.doc.gov). |
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