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Kentucky (US: / kənˈtʌki / ⓘ kən-TUK-ee, UK: / kɛn -/ ken-), [ 5 ] officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, [ c ] is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the northeast, Virginia to the east, Tennessee to the south, and Missouri to the west.
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Kentucky, constituent state of the United States of America. Rivers define Kentucky’s boundaries except on the south, where it shares a border with Tennessee along a nearly straight line of about 425 miles (685 km), and on the southeast, where it shares an irregular, mountainous border with Virginia. Flowing generally northwestward, the Tug and Big Sandy rivers separate Kentucky from West Virginia on the east and northeast. On the north, Kentucky’s boundary follows the Ohio River to the Mississippi, meeting the states of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois en route. The Mississippi River then demarcates Kentucky’s short southwestern border with Missouri. The capital, Frankfort, lies between the two major cities—Louisville, which is on the Ohio River, and Lexington.
Kentucky was long the home of various Native American peoples before the arrival of Daniel Boone and other European frontiersmen in 1769. Its name perhaps derives from an Iroquois word for “prairie.” By 1792, when Kentucky was admitted as the 15th state of the union—the first west of the Appalachian Mountains—it had drawn nearly 73,000 settlers. By 1800 this number had grown to roughly 220,000 and included some 40,000 slaves.
Kentucky lies within three major physiographic regions of the United States—the Appalachian Highlands (the Appalachian Plateau), the Interior Lowlands, and the Coastal Plain. Within the state, six smaller regions may be identified, based on the underlying rock structure: Mountain, Knobs, Bluegrass, Pennyrile (or Pennyroyal), Western Coalfield, and Purchase.
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More than 10,000 square miles (26,000 square km) of the easternmost part of Kentucky lie in the Mountain region, where the state reaches its highest point, at Big Black Mountain (4,145 feet [1,263 metres]), on the border with Virginia. The deeply dissected Cumberland Plateau, which lies to the west of the Cumberland Mountains and the Pine Mountain ridge, is a scenic land of narrow valleys, steep pinnacles, and transverse ridges. Natural passages through eastern Kentucky’s mountain mazes are sometimes provided by water gaps, such as historic Cumberland Gap, and the picturesque Breaks of Sandy. The great eastern coalfields of Kentucky also lie in the Mountain region.
The Knobs is a long, narrow region shaped like an irregular horseshoe, with both ends touching the Ohio River. It embraces the Bluegrass country on its inner side, and it is bounded by the Mountain area on the east and the Pennyrile on the west. The landscape of the Knobs is dotted with cone-shaped or rounded hills that are remnants of escarpments. Thickets of cane grew on some of the lower ground before European settlement and attracted large herds of buffalo and deer. A portion of Daniel Boone National Forest lies in the eastern Knobs.
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Sep 18, 2024 · Kentucky, also known as the Blue Grass State, is located in the southern United States. Indiana and Ohio border it to the north, West Virginia to the northeast, Virginia to the east, Tennessee to the south, Missouri to the west, and Illinois to the northwest.
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- The Kentucky Derby, held in Louisville, is the oldest horse race held continuously in the world. It is also the first and most famous leg of the Triple Crown.
- The Kentucky Derby is held on the first Saturday in May. In the United States, it is known as “The Most Exciting Two Minutes In Sports” or “The Fastest Two Minutes in Sports” in reference to its approximate duration.
- Thomas Edison first introduced the public to the electric light bulb at the 1883 Southern Exposition, held in Louisville. According to some sources, more than 4,500 light bulbs were used to illuminate the exhibition at night, which constituted the largest display set of Thomas Edison’s recently invented incandescent lights.
- Every single Post-It note originates in Cynthiana, Kentucky.
- Churchill Downs Racetrack. Famous for hosting the Kentucky Derby, the stately Thoroughbred racetrack at expansive Churchill Downs is a quintessential Kentucky experience.
- Muhammad Ali Center. Dedicated to preserving the story of the prominent professional boxer through its award-winning museum, this multicultural center in downtown Louisville has a lot to explore.
- Keeneland. This center for all-things equestrian highlights Kentucky’s famous horse culture. Tour the Thoroughbred auction house, explore the graciously-sized grounds on your own, or take a guided walking tour to learn about the facility’s operations from the perspective of the Paddock and Grandstand.
- Mammoth Cave National Park. The longest recorded cave system in the world with more than 643 kilometers explored and mapped is a subterranean wilderness.
Kentucky is a state in the United States. Its capital is Frankfort. It touches the states of Missouri (by the Mississippi River), Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia (by the Ohio River), Tennessee and Virginia. There are many rivers in Kentucky.
Nov 9, 2009 · Kentucky was granted statehood in 1792, becoming the first U.S. state west of the Appalachian Mountains. Frontiersman Daniel Boone was one of Kentucky’s most prominent explorers, and many...
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