Kentucky is thoroughbred horses, bourbon, tobacco, covered bridges, and bluegrass music. And much more. Kentucky is blessed with some of the nation's most enduring natural beauties--gently rolling hills, grassy pastures, giant lakes, mountain retreats, wild life sanctuaries, and 49 of America's finest state parks, including Lake Cumberland, Natural Bridge, and Pine Mountain, plus recreational opportunities that range from golf, horseback riding, fishing, and boating to nature walks, bird watching, cave explorations, and rafting. The mountains and valleys gave birth to country music. The Kentucky name originated with Native Americans and referred to the Kentucky River, and from that came the name of the region south of the Ohio River. The name's popular though disputed meaning is either Meadowland or Land of Tomorrow. The state's official nickname is The Bluegrass State. Population is estimated at more than 4 million.

Located in the east south central section of the United States, Kentucky is bounded by three major rivers (Mississippi, Ohio, Big Sandy) and two mountain ranges (Pine and Cumberland). The state is bordered on the north by Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio; on the east by West Virginia and Virginia; to the south by Tennessee; and on the west by Missouri. Kentucky has five major land regions. The Appalachian Plateau in the east is a maze of narrow fertile valleys and the Pine and Cumberland mountains; it is also the state's chief coal producing area. The Bluegrass Region in the north central region is largely gently rolling bluegrass pastures on which horse, cattle, and sheep graze; it is also tobacco country. The Pennyroyal Region, named for an herb of the mint family, covers the southern part of Kentucky to the Tennessee Valley and features level farm lands, rocky cliffs, forested hills, and thousands of miles of underground passages. The Western Coal Field, valleys separated by wooded ridges and encircled by rocky cliffs, supplies half the state's coal reserves. The East Gulf Coastal Plain covers western Kentucky between Tennessee and the Mississippi River, with cypress swamps and oxbow lakes. The state's major rivers, flowing west from the eastern mountain ranges, are the Barren, Cumberland, Green, Kentucky, Licking, Tennessee, and Tradewater. The highest point is the 4,145-foot Big Black Mountain. Natural resources are mild climate, fertile soil, abundant water, rich mineral deposits, and forests. Important cities are Frankfort, the capital, Louisville, the largest, Lexington, Covington, Owensboro, Paducah, Bowling Green, and Ashland. Conservation programs are dedicated to flood control, soil conservation, and prevention of water pollution.

University of Kentucky and University of Louisville lead a list of 21 universities and colleges. Both Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis were born in Kentucky. Other famous Americans associated with the state are Daniel Boone, Henry Clay, Kit Carson, Zachary Taylor, John James Audubon, Adlai Stephenson, Robert Penn Warren, and Muhammad Ali. Since the days of Boone, Kentuckians have bred race horses. The nation's gold reserve is stored at Fort Knox.

Though historically Kentucky was a key agricultural state, with tobacco as its major crop, today manufacturing has become the cornerstone of its economy. The two major industries are home appliances and automotive. Manufactures include tobacco products, whiskies, metals, pottery, chemicals, petrochemicals, furniture, trucks and tractors, clothing, machinery, textiles, glass products, fertilizer, grass seed, and processed foods. Also important to the Kentucky economy are horses, cattle, sheep, and poultry; meat-packing, coal mining, and timber. The region is served by major airports in Louisville, Lexington, and Covington; extensive rail and highway systems; key waterways and important ports at Louisville, Covington, Paducah, Owensboro, and Ashland.

Notable points of interest are the Old State Capitol; the Federal Hill mansion which inspired Stephen Foster to write My Old Kentucky Home, the state song; Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest; Mammoth Cave and Cumberland Falls, called "the Niagara of the West;" the Abraham Lincoln birthplace and boyhood home; the Daniel Boone crypt; the home of George Rogers Clark; Churchill Downs, site of the Kentucky Derby; fishing and hunting at Southern Wonderlands; Bybee Pottery, Churchill Weavers, and Appalachian crafts shops; river cruises; the Audubon Museum; the Kentucky Horse Park & International Museum of the Horse; Kentucky's International Convention Center; Kentucky Music Hall of Fame; Kentucky History Center; and the International Bluegrass Music Museum.

Prehistoric Kentucky was occupied by nomad hunters and Mound Builders. The Shawnee, Delaware, and Iroquois peoples were in the area when the first white explorers arrived in 1634. French traders established a settlement in 1736 near the Ohio border. Daniel Boone blazed trails for settlers into the new territory in 1773. The following year colonists from Pennsylvania established Harrodsburg, Kentucky's first permanent settlement. Once part of Virginia, the territory was formed into Kentucky County in 1776. When Virginia dropped its claim to the region, Kentucky was admitted to the Union as the 15th state on June 1, 1792.

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