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State of Kentucky

Commonwealth of Kentucky
Flag of Kentucky State seal of Kentucky
Flag Seal
Nickname(s): Bluegrass State
Motto(s): United we stand, divided we fall
Deo gratiam habeamus
(Let us be grateful to God)
Map of the United States with Kentucky highlighted
Official language English
Demonym Kentuckian
Capital Frankfort
Largest city Louisville
Largest metro Louisville metropolitan area
Area Ranked 37th
 • 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
 • Total 4,436,974 (2016 est.)
 • Density 110/sq mi  (42.5/km2)
Ranked 22nd
Elevation
 • Highest point Black Mountain
4,145 ft (1263 m)
 • Mean 750 ft  (230 m)
 • Lowest point Mississippi River at Kentucky Bend
257 ft (78 m)
Before statehood part of Virginia
Admission to Union June 1, 1792 (15th)
Governor Matt Bevin (R)
Lieutenant Governor Jenean Hampton (R)
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 5 Republicans, 1 Democrat (list)
Time zones  
 • eastern half Eastern: UTC −5/−4
 • western half Central: UTC −6/−5
ISO 3166 US-KY
Abbreviations KY, Ky.
Website kentucky.gov
Kentucky state symbols
Flag of Kentucky.svg
Seal of Kentucky.svg
Living insignia
Bird Cardinal
Butterfly Viceroy butterfly
Fish Kentucky spotted bass
Flower Goldenrod
Insect Western honeybee
Tree Tulip poplar
Inanimate insignia
Beverage Milk
Dance Clogging
Food Blackberry
Fossil Brachiopod
Gemstone Freshwater pearl
Mineral Coal
Rock Kentucky agate
Slogan Kentucky Unbridled Spirit
Soil Crider Soil Series
Song "My Old Kentucky Home"
Other Thoroughbred (state horse)
Chevrolet Corvette (state sports car)
State route marker
Kentucky state route marker
State quarter
Kentucky quarter dollar coin
Released in 2001
Lists of United States state symbols

Kentucky (/kənˈtʌki/, kən-TUCK-ee), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state located in the east south-central region of the United States. Although styled as the "State of Kentucky" in the law creating it, 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 due to the fertile soil. One of the major regions in Kentucky is the Bluegrass Region in central Kentucky, which houses two of its major cities, Louisville and Lexington. 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 contiguous United States, and the two largest man-made lakes east of the Mississippi River.


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