A member state of the United States of America. Located south of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi River, it covers an area of 104 623 km2 and has 4 140 700 residents (2004).
It borders the states of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the northeast, Virginia to the east, Tennessee to the south and Missouri to the west. The capital is the city of Frankfort. Kentucky is constituted to the east by the Cumberland plateau (Appalaches), culminating at 1,263 m and to the west by a plateau carved by the tributaries of Ohio and inclined towards the northwest towards the Ohio valley.
In the south of the state, many depressions and caves developed, of which Mammoth Adega celebrates. The main rivers are the Mississippi, Ohio and its tributaries, Tennessee, Cumberland, Green and Kentucky. And the state’s great lakes are artificial dam lakes – Kentucky and Barkley Lakes. The forest – oak, beech, maple, cypress, conifer – covers almost 40 feet. 100 from the state. The climate is humid continental.
Are you interested in getting the list of public libraries in Kentucky? On AllPublicLibraries.com, you can find a full list of Kentucky libraries by county which are free. Also, you can check the following resources, such as county list, state abbreviation, and top schools in the state of Kentucky.
- Countryaah: Offers a full list of counties and county equivalents in Kentucky featuring the oldest, newest, largest and smallest counties by population and area, as well as county seals and political map of Kentucky.
- AbbreviationFinder: Presents the abbreviations and acronyms that stand for Kentucky. Also includes other English words or phrases that have the same initials as state name of Kentucky.
Kentucky was nicknamed “The Bluegrass State” because of the blue flowers that bloom on the grasslands in spring. The 104,659 km² Kentucky once belonged to Virginia and in 1792 became the 15th state in the USA. The name Kentucky is of Iroquois origin and freely translated means meadow or in the field. During the Civil War, Kentucky wanted to remain neutral, but was attacked by the southern states, so that many fought on the side of the northern states.
Today Kentucky is one of the southern states. The state, officially The Commonwealth of Kentucky, is bounded to the north by Illnois, Indiana, Ohio, to the west by West Virginia, to the east by Missouri, and to the south by Tennessee. The capital of Kentucky is Frankfort. Kentucky is the only state to have an exclave with Kentucky Bend, a 68.3 km² (45.5 km² of which land) peninsula on the Mississippi River.
The geographic makeup of Kentucky
Kentucky has a different landscape structure. In the north is the bluegrass region, where primarily cattle breeding and hemp, tobacco and grapes are grown. The Cumberland Mountains are located in the southeast and belong to the Appalachian Mountains. South of the bluegrass region is the Knobs, a hilly low mountain range. The Cumberland Plateau in eastern Kentucky is a plateau on the western edge of the main mountain range of the Appalachians. The Pennyroyal Plateau with its coal fields extends to the west. The Pennyrile, as it is also called, is a karst landscape with caves and hills. To the east are the Eastern Coal Fields, a rugged, wooded mountain region, crossed by many rivers, where coal is mined. There is also the Black Mountain in Harlan County, the highest mountain at 1292 m. The entire state is crossed by a large river network such as the Ohio, Green River, Tennessee River, Cumberland River or Big Sandy River.
Fauna and Flora
Kentucky has a very lively nature. In the forests and in the parks you can find squirrels, muskrats, possums, marmots, raccoons, deer, elk, foxes and also a wide variety of birds such as the red cardinals, mockingbirds, bald eagles, woodpeckers, wren, sap eater and kingfishers.
In densely wooded Kentucky you can find maple, birch, oak, hemlock, horse chestnut, cedar, pine, walnut and cypress tree species. In the Cumberland Mountains alone there are around 30 tree species. Of the smaller plants, you can find blueberries, tulip trees, rhododendrons, goldenrod and mint, which help determine the landscape.
Climatic conditions
Kentucky has a subtropical climate with abundant rainfall (over 1,100 mm in annual average). The summers are very warm with over 30 degrees Celsius, the winters cool with just under -5 degrees Celsius on average. Winter is very snowy, especially in the mountain regions. In spring, especially in May and autumn, the temperatures are most pleasant and recommendable as a travel time. Storm systems often sweep over Kentucky between March and September.
Activities and places to visit
The range of recreational opportunities in Kentucky is quite large. Extreme sports enthusiasts and hikers, cyclists, horse riders, canoeists, nature lovers and anglers will get their money’s worth in the numerous recreation areas and parks such as Cumberland Falls, the Red River Gorge canyon system, Mammoth Cave National Park or the Daniel Boone National Forest. For music lovers, a visit to one of the music bars where country music is played is a must. Especially since country music is part of Kentucky’s musical culture.
Louisville, Kentucky’s largest city with just under 600,000 residents, is also worth a visit. Louisville has a lot to offer and there is a lot to discover: this is the home of the famous Kentucky Derby, the horse race takes place annually on the first Saturday in May. Other highlights include the JB Speed Art Museum with 12,000 exhibits, the annual Kentucky Shakespeare Festival. A trip on the Ohio River on a paddle steamer or a visit to Fort Knox fortress, now the depository of the United States’ gold reserves. Old Louisville attracts with beautiful Victorian buildings. A detour to the Center for the Arts, an art museum, is also worthwhile.
Lexington, the second largest city with 270,000 residents, is no less attractive than Louisville. In any case, a visit is essential for equestrian enthusiasts. At Kentucky Horse Park, you can experience the long tradition of horse breeding and equestrian sports up close. There is an equestrian center with a Hall of Fame, a museum and a walking farm tour where you can see the work of farriers and harness makers. There are also opportunities for horse riding and carriage rides. In the area there are many horse racing tracks and horse farms. As in Louisville, there are also some interesting historical buildings worth seeing. Once a year Lexington hosts the Festival of the Bluegrass, which is not to be missed. You should also visit the Old Kentucky Chocolades.
Public Libraries in Kentucky by County
- Kentucky Adair County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Allen County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Anderson County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Ballard County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Barren County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Bath County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Bell County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Boone County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Bourbon County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Boyd County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Boyle County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Bracken County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Breathitt County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Breckinridge County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Bullitt County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Butler County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Caldwell County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Calloway County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Campbell County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Carlisle County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Carroll County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Carter County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Casey County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Christian County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Clark County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Clay County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Clinton County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Crittenden County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Cumberland County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Daviess County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Edmonson County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Elliott County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Estill County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Fayette County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Fleming County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Floyd County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Franklin County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Fulton County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Gallatin County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Garrard County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Grant County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Graves County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Grayson County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Green County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Greenup County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Hancock County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Hardin County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Harlan County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Harrison County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Hart County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Henderson County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Henry County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Hickman County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Hopkins County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Jackson County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Jefferson County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Jessamine County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Johnson County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Kenton County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Knott County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Knox County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Larue County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Laurel County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Lawrence County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Lee County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Leslie County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Letcher County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Lewis County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Lincoln County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Livingston County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Logan County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Lyon County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Madison County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Magoffin County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Marion County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Marshall County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Martin County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Mason County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Mccracken County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Mccreary County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Mclean County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Meade County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Menifee County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Mercer County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Metcalfe County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Monroe County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Montgomery County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Morgan County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Muhlenberg County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Nelson County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Nicholas County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Ohio County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Oldham County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Owen County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Owsley County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Pendleton County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Perry County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Pike County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Powell County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Pulaski County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Robertson County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Rockcastle County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Rowan County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Russell County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Scott County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Shelby County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Simpson County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Spencer County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Taylor County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Todd County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Trigg County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Trimble County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Union County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Warren County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Washington County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Wayne County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Webster County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Whitley County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Wolfe County Public Libraries
- Kentucky Woodford County Public Libraries