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Kentucky

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This article is about the U.S. state. For other uses, see Kentucky (disambiguation).

Commonwealth of Kentucky

Flag Seal

Nickname(s): Bluegrass State
Motto(s): United we stand, divided we fall and Deo gratiam habeamus (Let us be grateful to God)

Official language(s) English[1]
Demonym Kentuckian
Capital Frankfort
Largest city Louisville
Largest metro area Louisville metropolitan area
Area Ranked 37th in the U.S.
- Total 40,409 sq mi
(104,659 km2)
- Width 140 miles (225 km)
- Length 379 miles (610 km)
- % water 1.7
- Latitude 36°?30′ N to 39°?09′ N
- Longitude 81°?58′ W to 89°?34′ W
Population Ranked 26th in the U.S.
- Total 4,369,356 (2011 est)[2]
- Density 110/sq mi (42.5/km2)
Ranked 22nd in the U.S.
Elevation
- Highest point Black Mountain[3][4]
4,145 ft (1263 m)
- Mean 750 ft (230 m)
- Lowest point Mississippi River at Kentucky Bend[3][4]
257 ft (78 m)
Before statehood Kentucky County, Virginia
Admission to Union June 1, 1792 (15th)
Governor Steve Beshear (D)
Lieutenant Governor Jerry Abramson (D)
Legislature Kentucky General Assembly
- Upper house Senate
- Lower house House of Representatives
U.S. Senators Mitch McConnell (R)
Rand Paul (R)
U.S. House delegation 4 Republicans, 2 Democrats (list)
Time zones
- eastern half Eastern: UTC-5/-4
- western half Central: UTC-6/-5
Abbreviations KY US-KY
Website kentucky.gov

Kentucky (i/k?n?t?ki/), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state located on the border between the Midwest and South of the United States. 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 Kentucky became the 15th state to join the Union. Kentucky is the 37th most extensive and the 26th most populous of the 50 United States.

Kentucky is known as the "Bluegrass State", a nickname based on the bluegrass found in many of its pastures because of the fertile soil. It is a land with diverse environments and abundant resources, including the world's longest cave system, Mammoth Cave National Park; the by Text-Enhance" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kentucky">greatest length of navigable waterways and streams in the contiguous United 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 horse racing, bourbon distilleries, automobile manufacturing, tobacco, and college basketball.