Located in the southern United States, Arkansas is a landlocked state whose name derives from what the lands here were called by the Quapaw Indians. The eastern border of Arkansas mainly consists of the route traveled by the Mississippi River, with holiday homes in Arkansas affording tourists a chance to spend time fishing, canoeing, or just sitting on the grassy riverbanks, enjoying the sights and sounds of one of America's most significant waterways.
Two mountain ranges in Arkansas make up the U.S. Interior Highlands: the Ozarks and the Ouachita Mountains. Here, visitors can explore hiking trails that wind around the foothills and fish in the many small ponds that dot the area. The Interior Highlands are the only major mountainous area between the Appalachians and the Rockies, making Arkansas a popular regional destination for the inhabitants of the states surrounding it.
The capital and largest city in the state is Little Rock, made famous nationwide during the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s. It was at Little Rock's Central High School that nine courageous African American students, eager for an equal education, braved the wrath of crowds determined to keep them from enrolling at the previously all-white school.
Arkansas is an ideal place to visit for those who appreciate rain, since in an average year it has approximately 60 days of rainy weather, with many of the storms including lightning and thunder. This weather pattern results from the fact that Arkansas is too far from the coast for hurricanes to strike, but not too far to receive their weaker cousin, the tropical storm system.