Kentucky

I

Introduction

Kentucky (officially Commonwealth of Kentucky), one of the eastern states of the United States, bordered on the north by Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio; on the east by West Virginia and Virginia; on the south by Tennessee; and on the west by Missouri. The Ohio River forms the state’s entire northern boundary, the Big Sandy and Tug Fork rivers form much of the eastern border, and the Mississippi River forms the western boundary.

Kentucky entered the Union on June 1, 1792, as the 15th state. Located on the border between the historical US regions of the North and the South, the state officially remained in the Union during the American Civil War, but a considerable number of its citizens fought with the Confederate army. Kentucky was mainly a farming state until the mid-20th century, when services and manufacturing became the leading economic activities. Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky. The state’s name is taken from the Kentucky River, the name of which may be derived from an Iroquoian term for “meadowland”. Kentucky is known as the “Bluegrass State”.

II

Land and Resources

Kentucky has an area of 104,664 sq km (40,411 sq mi) and a maximum extent of 679 km (422 mi) from east to west and 293 km (182 mi) from north to south. Elevations range from 78 m (257 ft), along the Mississippi River in south-western Kentucky, to 1,262 m (4,139 ft), at the top of Black Mountain in the south-eastern part of the state.

A

Physical Geography

Kentucky is divided into three main geographical regions: the Gulf Coastal Plain in the west; the Interior Low Plateau in the centre, north and south; and the Appalachian (Cumberland) Plateau in the east.

Western Kentucky forms part of the Gulf Coastal Plain; it is also known as the Jackson Purchase because General Andrew Jackson (later President of the United States) represented the federal government in its acquisition of the area from the Chickasaw people in 1818. The region is characterized by low hills and broad valleys. Its alluvial sands and windblown silts provide some of the best agricultural land in the state.

The central Interior Low Plateau consists of two major physiographic regions: the Lexington Plain (or Bluegrass Region) and the Highland Rim. The middle portion of the Lexington Plain is underlain by the oldest rocks in the state. Limestone soils produce excellent crops and pasture grasses in the area. The Highland Rim, also known as the Pennyroyal (Pennyrile) Plateau, is largely underlain by limestone, in which many sinkholes and caverns have developed. The Western Coal Field is in the northern part of the region.

The eastern quarter of Kentucky is part of the Appalachian (Cumberland) Plateau, which is underlain by sandstone, shale, and limestone. On the surface are thin, sandy clay soils. The forested mountain ridges of the region are crossed by several gaps, including historic Cumberland Gap (about 500 m/1,650 ft high). The Appalachian Plateau includes the Eastern Coal Field.

All significant lakes in Kentucky were created by dams on rivers such as the Tennessee (Kentucky Lake), the Cumberland (Lakes Barkley and Cumberland), the Rough (Rough River Lake), the Green (Green River Lake), and the Big Sandy (Dewey Lake). Other rivers include the Ohio, the Mississippi, the Licking, and the Kentucky.

B

Climate

Kentucky has a temperate climate, with warm to hot summers and cool winters. The average annual temperature is about 14° C (57° F) in most parts of the state. The recorded temperature has ranged from -36.7° C (-34° F), in 1963 at Cynthiana, to 45.6° C (114° F), in 1930 at Greensburg. In winter, snow accumulations of more than 610 mm (24 in) are not uncommon on the Appalachian Plateau.