El Dorado

Fabled city of gold believed by the 16th-century Spanish and other Europeans to exist somewhere in the area of the Orinoco and Amazon rivers.

The name is derived from the legend of a chief of a land thought to be in modern Colombia, South America, who was ceremonially covered with gold or gold dust, thus becoming el dorado (‘the gilded man’).

El Dorado

Town and administrative headquarters of Union County, south Arkansas; population (2000) 21,500. It is located 16 km/10 mi from the Louisiana state border. Since the discovery of oil in 1921, the town has been the centre of the state's oil industry. It is also a trade and processing centre for lumber, cotton, sweet potato, corn, peanut, and fertilizer producers. A branch (1975) of Southern Arkansas University is in the town.

El Dorado

Town and administrative headquarters of Butler County, southeast Kansas; population (2000) 12,100. It is situated on the Walnut River, 43 km/27 mi northeast of Wichita. It processes and ships grain and livestock. Since oil was discovered nearby in 1915, it has been active in refining and shipping petroleum and manufacturing oil-related products. It is home to the Butler County Community Junior College (1927).