Known as

Bluegrass State

Commonwealth of Commonwealth of KentuckyKentucky The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located

in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth (the others being Virginia,Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts). Originally a part of Virginia, in 1792 it became the 15th state to join the Union.

Kentucky is the 37th largest state in terms of total area, the 36th largest in land area, and ranks 26th in population.

Kentucky is known as the "Bluegrass State", a nickname based on the fact that native bluegrass is present in many of the pastures throughout the state, based on the fertile soil. It made possible the breeding of high-quality livestock, especially thoroughbred racing horses. It is a land with diverse environments and abundant resources, including the world's longest cave system, Mammoth Cave National Park; the greatest length of navigable waterways and streams in the Lower 48 states; and the two largest man-made lakes east of the Mississippi River.

It is also home to the highest per capita number of deer and turkey in the United States, the largest free-ranging elk herd east of Montana, and the nation's most productive coalfield. Kentucky is also known for thoroughbred horses, horse racing, bourbon distilleries, bluegrass music, automobile manufacturing, tobacco and college basketball.

General informationGeneral informationOfficial language: EnglishDemonym: KentuckianCapital: FrankfortLargest city: LouisvilleLargest metro area: Louisville

metropolitan areaArea : Ranked 37th in the USTotal Width Length % water Latitude Longitud

e

104,659 km2

225 KM

610 KM 1.7 % 36° 30′ N to 39° 09′ N

81° 58′ W to 89° 34′ W

Population: Ranked 26th in the USTotal Density

4,339,367 (2010 Census) 109.9/sq mi  (41.46/km2)

Regions Kentucky can be divided into five primary regions:

the Cumberland Plateau in the east, the north-central Bluegrass region, the south-central and western Pennyroyal Plateau, the Western Coal Fields and the far-west Jackson Purchase.

The Bluegrass region is commonly divided into two regions, the Inner Bluegrass—the encircling 90 miles (145 km) around Lexington—and the Outer Bluegrass—the region that contains most of the Northern portion of the state, above the Knobs.

Kentucky's Inner Bluegrass region features hundreds of horse farms

The Jackson Purchase and western Pennyrile are home to several bald cypress/tupelo swamps

The East Kentucky Coal Field is known for its rugged terrain

Kentucky has an expansive park system which includes one national park, two National Recreation areas, two National Historic Parks, two national forests, two National Wildlife Refuges, 45 state parks, 37,696 acres (153 km2) of state forest, and 82 Wildlife Management Areas.

Lakes and rivers Kentucky's 90,000 miles (140,000 km) of streams

provides one of the most expansive and complex stream systems in the nation. Kentucky has both the largest artificial lake east of the Mississippi in water volume (Lake Cumberland) and surface area (Kentucky Lake). It is the only U.S. state to be bordered on three sides by rivers—the Mississippi River to the west, the Ohio River to the north, and the Big Sandy River and Tug Fork to the east.Its major internal rivers include the Kentucky River, Tennessee River, Cumberland River, Green River and Licking River.

Though it has only three major natural lakes, the state is home to many artificial lakes. Kentucky also has more navigable miles of water than any other state in the union, other than Alaska.

Lake Cumberland Lake Cumberland is the largest artificial lake, in terms

of volume, east of the Mississippi River.

Cities and towns

Rank City 2010 Population 2000 population

1 Louisville 566,503 551,299

2 Lexington 295,803 260,512

3 Bowling Green 58,067 49,296

4 Owensboro 57,265 54,067

5 Covington 40,640 43,370

6 Hopkinsville 31,577 30,089

7 Richmond 31,364 27,152

8 Florence 29,951 23,551

9 Georgetown 29,098 18,080

10 Henderson 28,757 27,373

KFC

KFC Corporation (KFC), founded and also known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, is a chain of fast food restaurants based in Louisville, Kentucky. KFC has been a brand and operating segment, termed a concept of Yum! Brands since 1997 when that company was spun off from PepsiCo as Tricon Global Restaurants Inc.

KFC primarily sells chicken pieces, wraps, salads and sandwiches. While its primary focus is fried chicken, KFC also offers a line of grilled and roasted chicken products, side dishes and desserts. Outside the USA, KFC offers beef based products such as hamburgers or kebabs, poutine, pork based products such as ribs and other regional fare