The U.S. Interior Highlands is a mountainous region in the Central United States spanning northern and western Arkansas, southern Missouri, eastern Oklahoma, and southern Illinois. The name is designated by the USGS to refer to the combined subregions of the Ouachita Mountains south of the Arkansas River and the Ozarks north of the Arkansas. The U.S. Interior Highlands is one of few mountainous regions between the Appalachians and Rocky Mountains.
Geography
There are three distinct mountain ranges within the U.S. Interior Highlands:
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The Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas and Oklahoma, which can be divided into a number of subranges including the mountains of the Arkansas River Valley (called the Frontal Ouachita Mountains); the highest point is Mount Magazine at .
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The Boston Mountains of the Arkansas and Oklahoma Ozarks; the highest point is Wahzhazhe Summit (formerly known as Buffalo Lookout), at , east of Pettigrew, Newton County, Arkansas. Wahzhazhe is the Osage Nation’s name for themselves in the Dhegiha Siouan language.
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The St. Francois Mountains of the Missouri Ozarks; the highest point is Taum Sauk Mountain at .
The U.S. Interior Highlands is dominated by temperate broadleaf and mixed forests. Three national forests are located here: The Ouachita National Forest in Arkansas and Oklahoma; the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest in Arkansas; and the Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri.
Gallery
File:20131103 1407 Ouachita Mountains.png|The Ouachita Mountains from Flatside Pinnacle (November 2013)
File:20151216 1604 Boston Mountains.png|The Boston Mountains from Sam's Throne (December 2015)
File:20170409 1354 St. Francois Mountains.png|The St. Francois Mountains from Hughes Mountain (April 2017)