The capitol city of Arkansas is Little Rock, famous for perhaps two things: former president Bill Clinton (who is actually from Hope, Arkansas) and its prominent role in the Civil Rights Movement. Little Rock is also the largest city in this state of just under three million people. Most of those three million are white, but about 16% of Arkansas residents are African American.

Arkansas’ economy is mostly based on agriculture and agricultural processing, though automotive manufacture and tourism are growing sectors of the economy. Arkansas’ chief agricultural products include poultry and eggs (it is home to Tyson Chicken), hogs, soybean, sorghum, cotton, rice and cattle. There is some industrial output, mostly food processing and machinery and paper production. Arkansas is also the home of discount retail giant Wal-Mart, and its importance to the Arkansas economy cannot be understated. Some auto parts manufacturers have opened up plants in Arkansas, and the state is trying to develop the automotive industry, generally, by luring auto assembly plants inside its borders.

Arkansas is perhaps best known for the striking beauty of the Ozark Mountains, but it boasts several other heavily-forested mountain ranges and fertile river lowlands in between. The Mississippi River and the Arkansas River both wind through Arkansas.  Tourists flock to the Ozarks, Arkansas’ many lakes and other scenic locales for fishing, hunting, camping, boating and many other outdoor activities. Some of the game available to avid hunters includes bears, ducks, turkey and elks. Many of Arkansas beautiful lands are protected by state and national parks. Arkansas is home to the Buffalo National River, Hot Springs National Park and the Ozark, Ouachita, and St. Francis national forests. Under its picturesque landscape lies an extensive network of caves and caverns, including Blanchard Spring Caverns. Other activities include visiting the many state parks and Civil War Battlegrounds across the state.

If there is something to be said for the idea that character arises from suffering, then there is something to be said for Arkansas. Arkansas has a humid, tropical climate, but frequently sees temperatures of over 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Arkansas receives about 60 days of thunderstorms each year as well as frequent tropical storms – the remnants of hurricanes. The state lies right in the middle of  "Tornado Alley," and some of the worst tornadoes in U.S. history have occurred in Arkansas. Arkansas averages 40 to 50 inches of rain each year and about 5 inches of snow.