Check Out These 10 Facts You Didn’t Know About Arkansas

I have lived in Texarkana, Arkansas for just a little over 19 years and I had no idea about some of these little-known facts about the state.

We all know that Arkansas is called the 'Natural State'. We also know about Scott Joplin coming from Texarkana, Arkansas. And we know that we have the only diamond mine in the United States at the crater of Diamonds park just outside of Murfreesboro. But here are 10 unique facts I found about the great state of Arkansas.

1. The honeybee is the official insect. It was designated in 1973.

2. The name of the state came from a French interpretation of an Indian word meaning downstream place.

3. The Apple Blossom is the official state flower. It was designated in 1901.

4. The official state rock is the quartz crystal. It was designated in 1967.

5. Milk is the official state beverage. It was designated in 1985.

6. Arkansas is home to over 600,000 acres of lakes and 9,700 miles of rivers and streams.

7. The official state bird is the Mockingbird.

8. The fiddle is the official state instrument. It was designated in 1985.

9. Alma is considered the spinach capital of the world.

10. The Ozark National Forest is huge. It covers over a million acres.

Bonus. Did you know that Pine Bluff is considered the world center of archery bow production?