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Arkansas Info

Arkansas - The Natural State Welcomes You!

How did Arkansas get its name? Many names of places in our state came from the languages of the explorers who discovered and lived in Arkansas. The Native Americans, Spanish, French and Americans all helped name places in our state. The word "Arkansas" came from the Quapaw Indians, by way of early French explorers. The explorers met a group of Native Americans, known as the Ugakhpah, which means "people who live downstream". These Native Americans later were called the Quapaw, who were also called the Arkansaw. This name came to be used for the land where these Native Americans lived.

Arkansas's natural beauty and its history are showcased and preserved in the 51 parks and museums of the Arkansas State Parks system, in six National Park Service sites, in three national forests covering more than 2.9 million acres of Arkansas, plus more than 200 Arkansas camping sites and recreational areas.