Britannica Student Encyclopedia - 2010

180 Arkansas BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

 

viders in such areas as government, retail

trade, and health care.Wal-Mart, the

largest chain of retail stores in the world,

began in Arkansas.

History

What is now Arkansas was originally

home to several Native American

groups, including the Caddo, the Osage,

and the Quapaw. The first Europeans to

visit the area were Spaniards. Hernando

de Soto arrived in the early 1540s in

search of gold. But the French built the

first permanent settlement, in 1686.

In 1803 the United States acquired the

region from France as part of the Louisiana

Purchase. Arkansas became a U.S.

territory in 1819 and a state in 1836. In

1861, however, it withdrew from the

Union during the American CivilWar

and joined the Confederacy. It was readmitted

to the Union in 1868.

Arkansas remained largely undeveloped

and poor for the first half of the 1900s.

During the civil rights movement the

state was a focus of national attention.

In 1957 Governor Orval Faubus tried to

prevent African American students from

entering Little Rock’s all-white schools.

The federal government stepped in and

forced the schools to allow racial integration.

The economy of Arkansas began to

improve in the late 1950s. The state

worked to bring in manufacturing

plants, which created new jobs.

One of the most notable people in

Arkansas politics was Bill Clinton. After

five terms as the state governor, he

served as president of the United States

from 1993 to 2001.

..More to explore

American CivilWar • Civil Rights

Movement • Clinton, Bill • Little Rock

A farmer in Arkansas inspects

his crop of rice.

African American students walk to school in

Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957. Troops sent

by the federal government stand by to make

sure the students are allowed to enter the

school.

Facts About

ARKANSAS

Flag

Population

(2000 census)

2,673,400—

rank, 33rd state;

(2008 estimate)

2,855,390—

rank, 32nd state

Capital

Little Rock

Area

53,179 sq mi

(137,732 sq

km)—rank, 29th

state

Statehood

June 15, 1836

Motto

Regnat Populus

(The People Rule)

State bird

Mockingbird

State flower

Apple blossom

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Arkansas 181

 

Arm

Humans, apes, and monkeys have two

upper limbs called arms. Each arm

hangs from a shoulder and contains

bones, joints, and muscles. These parts

work together to give the arm a wide

range of movement. The arm can bend,

rotate, swing back and forth, and move

from side to side.

Structure

There are three bones in the arm. The

upper bone is called the humerus. The

top of the humerus fits into a cuplike

socket in the shoulder. Together they

make a joint that is held together by

tough strands called ligaments. This

joint allows the upper arm to swing and

rotate. A pair of muscles is attached to

the humerus. One muscle bends the

arm. The other muscle straightens it.

The lower end of the humerus connects

to a bone called the ulna at a joint in the

elbow. The ulna and another bone, the

radius, go from the elbow to the wrist.

This part of the arm is called the forearm.

A pair of muscles in the forearm

makes it twist from side to side. The

forearm ends in the hand.

Function

Humans, apes, and monkeys use their

arms and hands to push and pull objects,

to fight and defend themselves, and to

carry their young. Apes and monkeys also

use their arms to swing on branches and

to move around on the ground.

Arms in Other Animals

Many other animals have two front

limbs, but only primates have true arms.

The two front limbs of other animals are

known as legs, flippers, or wings. Both

starfishes and octopuses have limbs that

people sometimes call arms. But these

arms have no bones or joints. Starfish

arms are also called rays, and octopus

arms are also called tentacles.

#More to explore

Bone • Hand • Muscle • Primate

The human arm is similar to the front limbs

of other animals.

182 Arm BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

 

Armada, Spanish

The Spanish Armada was a fleet of ships

that Spain sent to attack England in

1588. The English defeated the Spanish,

which made Spain less powerful in

Europe.

The Armada sailed in May 1588 with

130 ships and 27,000 men. They

reached the English Channel in late July

and fought a few battles. On August 8

the English won a decisive victory. They

had fewer ships, but they had big guns

and could fire at long range. This was

unusual because at the time, sea battles

were fought at close range so that soldiers

could climb aboard enemy ships.

The defeat of the Spanish Armada saved

England from invasion. It also was the

first major gun battle at sea. For hundreds

of years afterward, gun-armed

warships ruled the seas.

#More to explore

England • Spain

Armadillo

Armadillos are small mammals related to

sloths and anteaters. They have a tough

armor that protects them from enemies

and other dangers. The word armadillo

is Spanish for “little armored one.”

There are 20 species, or types, of armadillo.

They live mainly in or near the

tropical (hot) regions of Central and

South America. One species lives in the

southern United States. Most species live

in open areas, but some live in forests.

Armadillos are stout with short legs and

strong, curved claws. They range in