Kentucky

Kentucky, state in the south central United States; bordered by Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to the east; Tennessee to the south; and Missouri to the west.

Land and climate

Kentucky can be divided into 3 distinct topographical regions: the Gulf Coastal Plain, the Interior Low Plateau, and the Appalachian Plateau. The Gulf Coastal Plain in the extreme west has wide flood plains that are the site of cypress swamps and oxbow lakes. The Interior Low Plateau in central and northern Kentucky consists of the Western Coal Field, with its rich coal reserves and good farmland; the Bluegrass Region (named for the blue blossoms of its grasses), with its gently rolling pastureland and farm areas; and the Pennyroyal Region (named for an herb common in the area), with its flat and rolling farmland in the south, treeless “Barrens” in the center, and rocky ridges and bluffs in the north. The Appalachian Plateau in the east is a mountainous area of narrow valleys and sharp ridges. Kentucky lies in the drainage basin of the Mississippi River and the Ohio, which forms the state's northern boundary. Important rivers include the Tennessee, Cumberland, Green, Kentucky, and Licking rivers. Kentucky's largest lakes were created by dams built by the Tennessee Valley Authority. Kentucky is generally warm and rainy. Principal cities are Louisville and Lexington.

Economy

Service industries account for more than half of Kentucky's gross state product (GSP)—the total value of all the goods and services a state produces in a year. Manufacturing, however, is Kentucky's major economic activity. Leading manufactured products are transportation equipment, chemicals, electrical equipment, and machinery; others include processed foods and beverages, tobacco products, printed materials, and bourbon whiskeys. Kentucky's agricultural income is led by livestock and livestock products, including beef cattle, milk, hogs, eggs, and broilers (chickens). The state is famous for its thoroughbred horses—and the annual Kentucky Derby horse race. Important crop products include tobacco, soybeans, corn, and wheat. Kentucky leads the U.S. in coal production. Other important mining products include natural gas, petroleum, and limestone.

Government

Kentucky's present constitution was adopted in 1891. The governor serves a 4-year term. The state's legislature, called the General Assembly, consists of 38 senators serving 4-year terms and 100 representatives serving 2-year terms. In the U.S. Congress, Kentucky is represented by 2 senators and 7 representatives.

History

Native Americans lived in the area well before the first white settlers arrived in the mid-1700s. In the late 1760s, Daniel Boone opened settlement by blazing the Wilderness Trail through the Appalachians' Cumberland Gap. After the American Revolution, thousands of new settlers poured into the area. Originally part of Virginia, Kentucky gained statehood in 1792, becoming the first state west of the Appalachians. In the Civil War, Kentucky was a border state, drawn to both North and South. It eventually declared allegiance to the Union. World War I prosperity was followed by economic distress in the 1920s and 1930s; World War II brought recovery. Industrial expansion has continued in recent decades, but pockets of poverty still exist, particularly in eastern coal-mining areas, where unemployment is high (due to mechanization of the industry) and adequate health and education services are lacking.