What is "arkansas"

organized as a U.S. territory 1819 (admitted as a state 1836), named for the Arkansas River, which was named for a Siouan tribe.\n\nThe spelling of the term represents a French plural, Arcansas, of a name applied to the Quapaw people who lived on the Arkansas River; their name was also written in early times as Akancea, Acansea, Acansa (Dickinson, 1995). This was not the name used by the Quapaws themselves, however. The term /akansa/ was applied to them by Algonquian speakers; this consists of /a-/, an Algonquian prefix found in the names of ethnic groups, plus /kká:ze, a Siouan term refering to members of the Dhegiha branch of the Siouan family. This stem is also the origin for the name of the Kansa tribe and of the state of Kansas; thus the placenames Arkansas and Kansas indirectly have the same origin.

[William Bright, "Native American Placenames of the United States," 2004]

Arkansas is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. Its name is of Siouan derivation from the language of the Osage denoting their related kin, the Quapaw Indians. The state's diverse geography ranges from the mountainous regions of the Ozark and the Ouachita Mountains, which make up the U.S. Interior Highlands, to the densely forested land in the south known as the Arkansas Timberlands, to the eastern lowlands along the Mississippi River and the Arkansas Delta. Known as "the Natural State", Arkansas has many diverse regions that offer residents and tourists a variety of opportunities for outdoor recreation.

Arkansas is the 29th largest in square miles and the 33rd most populous of the 50 United States. The capital and most populous city is Little Rock, located in the central portion of the state, a hub for transportation, business, culture, and government. The northwestern corner of the state, including the Fayetteville–Springdale–Rogers Metropolitan Area and Fort Smith metropolitan area, is also an important population, education, and economic center. The largest city in the eastern part of the state is Jonesboro. The largest city in the southeastern part of the state is Pine Bluff.

The Territory of Arkansas was admitted to the Union as the 25th state on June 15, 1836. Arkansas withdrew from the United States and joined the Confederate States of America during the Civil War. Upon returning to the Union, the state would continue to suffer due to its earlier reliance on slavery and the plantation economy, causing the state to fall behind economically and socially. White rural interests continued to dominate the state's politics until the Civil Rights movement in the mid-20th century. Arkansas began to diversify its economy following World War II and now relies on its service industry as well as aircraft, poultry, steel and tourism in addition to cotton and rice.

The culture of Arkansas is observable in museums, theaters, novels, television shows, restaurants and athletic venues across the state. Despite a plethora of cultural, economic, and recreational opportunities, Arkansas is often stereotyped as a "poor, banjo-picking hillbilly" state, a reputation dating back to early accounts of the territory by frontiersmen in the early 1800s. Arkansas's enduring image has earned the state "a special place in the American consciousness", but it has in reality produced such prominent figures as politician and educational advocate William Fulbright, former President Bill Clinton, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander General Wesley Clark, Walmart magnate Sam Walton, singer-songwriters Johnny Cash and Glen Campbell, the poet C.D. Wright, and noted physicist William L. McMillan, who was a pioneer in superconductor research.

Arkansas is a compilation of album tracks from Hey Little One and A New Place in the Sun plus the B-sides of Capitol singles "Private John Q"/"Less of me" (1965), " By the Time I Get to Phoenix"/"You've Still Got a Place in My Heart" (1967) and "Where's the Playground Susie?"/"Arkansas" (1969).

Arkansas is a rarities compilation by the Residents. All of the songs on the album were recorded during the Bunny Boy sessions.

"Arkansas", written by Eva Ware Barnett in 1916, is one of the official state songs of Arkansas. It was first adopted as the state song in the early 20th century, but was removed in 1949 due to a copyright dispute. After the state settled the dispute by buying all claims to its copyright, it was restored as state song in 1963.

In 1987, the General Assembly elevated the song to "state anthem" in order to designate " Arkansas (You Run Deep In Me)" and " Oh, Arkansas", both written for the state's 150th birthday in 1986, as state songs; it also designated " The Arkansas Traveler", the state song from 1949 to 1963, as "state historical song".

Another 1987 law requires the Secretary of State to respond to all requests for copies of the "state song" with this song. However, this was done only to preserve the historical status of this song; all four songs are either copyrighted by the state itself or in the public domain. Today, the Secretary of State posts the lyrics to all four songs on its website.

Arkansas is a southern U.S. state.

Arkansas may also refer to:

• Arkansas River, a tributary of the Mississippi River
• Arkansas County, Arkansas
• Arkansas City, Kansas
• Arkansas City, Arkansas
• Arkansas, West Virginia
• USS Arkansas, a ship named in honor of this state
• CSS Arkansas, a Confederate Ironclad warship
• "Arkansas" (song), the state anthem of Arkansas, by Eva Ware Barnett
• University of Arkansas
  • Arkansas Razorbacks, this school's athletic program
• Arkansas Creek, a stream in Washington
• Arkansas Mountain AVA, Arkansas wine region in the northwest part of the state
• Arkansas (grape), another name for the grape Catawba
• A misspelling of Arkansaw, Wisconsin, an unincorporated community
• Arkansas (Glen Campbell album)
• Arkansas (The Residents album), 2009

"Arkansas (You Run Deep In Me)" by Wayland Holyfield is one of the official state songs of Arkansas. It was written by Holyfield in 1986 for the state's 150th anniversary celebration, and was named an official "state song" by the Arkansas General Assembly in 1987. Holyfield played the song at the inauguration of President Bill Clinton in 1993.

Other official Arkansas state songs are " Arkansas", state anthem (state song before 1949 and from 1963 to 1987); " Oh, Arkansas", also written for the state's 150th birthday in 1986, and likewise designated "state song" in 1987; and " The Arkansas Traveler", state historical song (state song from 1949 to 1963).