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Arkansas
The Natural State, where the Ozarks meet the Delta
Arkansas splits cleanly into two worlds. Across its northwest rise the Ozark and Ouachita mountains — ancient, forested highlands threaded with clear rivers, caves, and hot springs. Across its east and south spreads the flat, fertile Mississippi Alluvial Plain, the Delta country of rice fields and bayous. The line between them, running roughly diagonal through the state, separates rugged upland from some of the richest farmland in America. At 53,179 square miles (137,732 km²), it is a compact state of outsized variety.
Rivers define Arkansas. The Mississippi forms its entire eastern border, the Arkansas River cuts west to east through the middle, and dozens of spring-fed streams drain the Ozarks. The state markets itself as "The Natural State" with reason — it holds the only active diamond mine open to the public, the thermal springs that became Hot Springs National Park, and Mount Magazine, its high point at 2,753 feet (839 m). Little Rock, at the center where mountains give way to plain, has anchored the state since territorial days.
Economy
Arkansas is the home base of three corporate giants - Walmart in Bentonville, Tyson Foods, and the trucking company J.B. Hunt - so retail, poultry, and transportation loom large. The state is also the nation's leading rice producer and grows soybeans and cotton, with timber and steel adding to the mix.
Politics
Arkansas carries 6 electoral votes and now votes reliably Republican in presidential elections - a sharp reversal from a long Democratic tradition that produced President Bill Clinton, who served as the state's governor.