Physical Geography
Kentucky is one of the Southern States of the United States.Most of Kentucky consists of eroded, low plateaus that slope gradually downward to the north and west.
The Cumberland Plateau, part of the Appalachian region of the United States, covers the eastern quarter of the state. The Cumberland Plateau is rugged hill country cut by deep river valleys. It is heavily forested and rich in coal. Near the Virginia border, in the southeast, are the Cumberland and Pine Mountains. Here rises Kentucky's highest peak, Black Mountain, which reaches 4,145 feet (1,263 m) above sea level. The Cumberland Gap lies near the point where the Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee state lines meet.
The Jackson Plain, also called the Jackson Purchase, occupies the western tip of the state, that part west of the Tennessee River. It is part of the Gulf Coastal Plain region of the United States. The plain was named after Andrew Jackson, who helped arrange its purchase from the Chickasaw Indians in 1818. This region consists mainly of low hills and floodplains of the Mississippi and Ohio river valleys. The lowest point in the state, 257 feet (78 m) above sea level, is on the east bank of the Mississippi River at the Tennessee state line.
Central Kentucky, situated between the Jackson Plain and the Cumberland Plateau, is made up of several regions, including the Bluegrass, the Knobs section, the Pennyroyal Plateau, and the Western Coal Field.
The Bluegrass is a circular area centering on Frankfort and Lexington. Flat to gently rolling, it is noted for fertile soils, green pastures, productive farms, and prize livestock, especially thoroughbred horses.
The Knobs section, fringing the Bluegrass on the east, south, and west, is named for its conical and flat-topped hills.
The Pennyroyal Plateau is a section with alternately hilly, rolling, and nearly level land. In some areas underground rivers have cut passages and caverns in the underlying limestone. Of these, the most widely known is Mammoth Cave in Mammoth Cave National Park.
The Western Coal Field, northwest of the Pennyroyal Plateau, is a semicircular area fronting on the Ohio River. The land is hilly with broad valleys along the principal rivers. Like the Cumberland Plateau, it is rich in coal.
Kentucky's state tree is the tulip-poplar.| Interesting facts about Kentucky | |||
| The Mammoth-Flint Ridge cave system, located entirely within Kentucky, is the longest known cave system in the world. The system is more than 300 miles (483 kilometers) long. It includes the famous Mammoth Cave and is part of Mammoth Cave National Park. | |||
| The Kentucky Derby is the oldest continuously run horse race in the United States. The first Derby was run in 1875 as part of the program for the opening of Churchill Downs race track in Louisville. Now, each May, thousands of trackside spectators and millions of television viewers watch the "run for the roses"--the blanket of roses presented to the winning horse and jockey. | |||
| The gold depository at Fort Knox contains more than $6 billion in gold bullion. The bullion, placed in the vaults of the depository by the U.S. Treasury Department, represents nearly all of the gold owned by the U.S. government. | |||
| Kentucky tobacco growers lead the world in the production of burley tobacco, a ranking they have held for more than 100 years. Burley tobacco was first grown in Kentucky during the 1860's. | |||
| The world's first free-flowing oil well was drilled near Burkesville, Ky., in 1829. Before that, people generally recovered oil only when it seeped through the ground or accidentally gushed from salt wells. Oddly, the Burkesville oil was never collected. It flowed unused into the nearby Cumberland River. | |||
State lines are formed by the Mississippi River on the west, the Ohio River on the north, and the Big Sandy and Tug Fork rivers on the east. Among the largest rivers crossing the state are the Licking, Kentucky, Green, Cumberland, and Tennessee.
Many dams and reservoirs have been built in the state. Especially notable are Kentucky Lake, behind Kentucky Dam on the Tennessee River, and nearby Lake Barkley, behind Barkley Dam on the Cumberland. Between the two lakes is a large recreational area known as the Land Between the Lakes. Reservoirs in south-central Kentucky include Lake Cumberland, on the Cumberland River, and Dale Hollow Lake, on the Kentucky-Tennessee border. Cumberland Falls, near Corbin, is the largest waterfall in the southeastern United States.
Kentucky's climate reflects the state's border location between North and South. It is largely a continental type of climate with subtropical influences from the south. Temperature and precipitation are variable. Average January temperatures range from about 31° F. (-1° C.) in the north to 40° F. (4° C.) in the south. July temperatures average close to 78° F. (26° C.) throughout most of the state; they are somewhat higher in the far west and slightly lower in the mountainous parts of the east. Temperatures above 100° F. (38° C.) or below 0° F. (-18° C.) seldom occur.
Annual precipitation averages 40 to 45 inches (1,020 to 1,140 mm) in most of the state. Depending on location, snowfall averages 10 to 20 inches (250 to 500 mm) per year.
