The map below makes this a bit more clear:
This is because all six states that border Arkansas: Missouri, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, and Oklahoma, can be reached from somewhere in Arkansas by heading south.
Here’s why:
- Arkansas is shaped so that its north-south span is relatively short compared to its east-west spread.
- If you start in the northwest corner, traveling south gets you into Oklahoma.
- From the northeast part, going south reaches Missouri’s bootheel area (since Missouri dips south there).
- Also From the northeast corner, heading south takes you into Tennessee across the Mississippi River.
- From the eastern border, south travel can get you into Mississippi.
- From the southern part, traveling south puts you in Louisiana.
- From the southwest corner, going south gets you into Texas.
It’s basically a quirk of Arkansas’s borders and river bends — you can place yourself in such a way that “south” leads across each neighbor’s border somewhere.
Can you think of any other state where this is true?
Kiki says
Minnesota but we only have 4 neighboring states. But there’s even a small part of Minnesota North of Canada (just NE of Ely), but you would need a boat to cross that border. The MN/ND border is entirely the Red River (to my knowledge) so there’s plenty of opportunities to cross by going straight south, though I’m unaware of any bridges going N-S. So I guess you need a boat for that too!
Brilliant Maps says
Funny enough I have a map planned out that will show this. Thanks for the info!
Bill says
Maine.
Technically Hawaii and Alaska also, if “every” can be zero.