The main river system of North America is the Mississippi. But one of its largest tributaries is the Arkansas River. Where is it? What is the total area of its drainage basin? And how are the resources of this river used today? All these questions will be answered by our article.
Arkansas River on USA Map
Arkansas is not only a river, but also one of the states in the USA, as well as the county and city of the same name as part of this state. In addition, a stream with the same name is in Russia, on the island of Sakhalin. But we, nevertheless, will tell you exactly about American Arkansas. This is the third largest tributary of the Mississippi River. It is completely located within the United States (see map). The source of the river is on the slopes of the Rocky Mountains. Descending from them, Arkansas flows through the expanses of the Great Plains, crossing the territories of four American states (Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas).
The total length of the watercourse is 2364 kilometers. The area of the pool is 505 thousand square meters. km The average water flow in the river is 1150 m 3 / s. Directly on the shores of Arkansas, a number of relatively large cities grew (Tulsa, Little Rock, Wichita, Fort Smith).
The main tributaries of the river:
- left: Pawnee, Walnut, Verdigris, Neosho, Little Arkansas;
- right: Cimarron, Kaneidian River, Poto, Salt Fork Arkansas.
Research and study of the river
The first mention of this watercourse was found in the report of the expedition of Francisco Vazquez de Coronado, the Spanish conquistador, who was the first among Europeans to visit the Rocky Mountains. It was he, by the way, who discovered the origins of Arkansas. Initially, the river appeared on maps under the name Napeste. It got its modern name thanks to the French travelers who called this word one of the local peoples.
The peak of scientific research in the Arkansas Valley and Basin occurred in the second half of the 18th - the first half of the 19th century. In the history of the study of the river, such personalities as Neyton Boone, Stephen Long, Montgomery Pike and others were especially noted. In the 1850s, the Arkansas bed was actively used to transport corn, nuts, cotton, and other goods.
