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