Kentucky State Almanac: Facts and Figures

Quick Facts, Figures, and Overview of the State of Kentucky

Kentucky is officially Commonwealth of Kentucky, one of the East South Central states of the US. Kentucky is part of Appalachia. Kentucky borders seven states, from the Midwest and the Southeast. West Virginia lies to the east, Virginia to the southeast, Tennessee to the south, Missouri to the west, Illinois and Indiana to the northwest, and Ohio to the north and northeast. Only Missouri and Tennessee, both of which border eight states, touch more states. Kentucky's name comes from the Wyandot Indian name for "plain" in reference to the central plains of the state.

Kentucky was mainly a farming state until the mid-20th century, when services and manufacturing became the leading economic activities. Kentucky prides itself on producing some of the nation's best tobacco, horses, and whiskey. Corn, soybeans, wheat, fruit, hogs, cattle, and dairy products are among the agricultural items produced.

Among the manufactured items produced in the state are motor vehicles, furniture, aluminum ware, brooms, apparel, lumber products, machinery, textiles, and iron and steel products. Kentucky also produces significant amounts of petroleum, natural gas, fluorspar, clay, and stone. However, coal accounts for 85% of the total mineral income.