Capital: Little Rock
Largest City: Little Rock
Counties: 75
State motto: Regnat Populus (The People Rule)
State nickname: The Natural State Neighboring states: Missouri, Louisiana, Tennessee, Mississippi, Texas, Oklahoma
Interesting Facts:
- The first European to visit present-day Arkansas was Hernando de Soto in 1541, and the first permanent European settlement was Arkansas Post, settled in 1686.
- Arkansas became part of the U.S. through the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and achieved statehood in 1819. Arkansas Post was the first state capital, until 1821 when it was moved to Little Rock.
- Before the arrival of Europeans, Arkansas was inhabited by Native American tribes including the Arkansa (Quapaw), Caddo, Choctaw, and Osage.