Kentucky

State in south-central USA, bounded to the north by the Ohio River, across which are the states of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois; to the east, by the Tug Fork and Big Sandy rivers, which separate it from West Virginia; to the southeast by Virginia, with the Cumberland Gap at the extreme south; from this point along its southern boundary, as far as the Mississippi River, it is bordered by Tennessee; across a small stretch of the Mississippi, on the west, it faces the New Madrid region of Missouri; area 102,895 sq km/39,728 sq mi; population (2006) 4,206,100; capital Frankfort. Kentucky is nicknamed the Bluegrass State after the blue blossoms on the lush grass of the area around Lexington. The state extends over 640 km/400 mi from east to west, and in the east is part of the Cumberland Plateau of the Appalachian Mountains; the Bluegrass Region is in the northeast. Kentucky has massive deposits of bituminous coal and is one of the leading US coal producers. Service industries are the leading sources of revenue; other industries include transport equipment, bourbon, and food products. Agricultural output includes tobacco, horses, and dairy products. Major cities are Louisville, Lexington, Owensboro, Bowling Green, Covington, Hopkinsville, Paducah, Henderson, Florence, and Jeffersontown. Kentucky was originally home to the Shawnee and Cherokee American Indians. The state was divided over the slavery question and there were many partisan feuds during the Civil War. Kentucky was admitted to the Union in 1792 as the 15th US state.