Coal is also a large part of Kentucky’s economy. About 20% of the nation’s coal is supplied by the coal mines in eastern Kentucky.

A lot of farmers grow tobacco as a crop which makes it very important to the economy because the farmers make money from selling it.

Kentucky is one of the six states that are called Commonwealths. Its nickname is the Bluegrass State. Kentucky became the fifteenth state on June 1, 1792. Daniel Boone explored Kentucky some years earlier and had reported that it was beautiful, fertile, and full of game for hunting. Kentucky was once called "Kentucke", an Indian word.

One of the most famous Kentuckians is Henry Clay. He was called "The Great Compromiser" because he was good at settling disagreements. He was a good person and tried his hardest, but never won the presidential election. You can tour Ashland, his home in Lexington.

Daniel Boone was one of the first settlers in Kentucky. He helped cut the famous Wilderness Road that led to the Kentucky River.

Another famous American, Abraham Lincoln, was born in Hodgenville. He later became the 16^th president of the United States.

Kentucky is located in the southeastern part of the United States and bordered by seven states: Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, and Tennessee.

Kentucky measures about 40,411 square miles. It is divided into six different regions: the Bluegrass region, which includes the states two largest cities, Louisville and Lexington; the Western Coalfield region, the Eastern Coalfield region, the Jackson Purchase, which is called the "Gateway to the West"; the Pennyroyal region, and finally, the Knobs region.

Did you know that the great outdoors of Kentucky comes to life with more running water than any other state except Alaska?

Another natural exhibit in Kentucky is Mammoth Cave. In 1935, some guides discovered the body of an ancient gypsum miner in Mammoth Cave.