Статья. штат Кентукки

Kentucky

The state of Kentucky officially bears the name of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, which is due to the history of the formation of this central-eastern state. The state got its name in honor of the river, which bears a similar name and means "hunting territory in darkness", "plain space", "prairie", "land of tomorrow" in Indian.

The state has a motto: "Together we will stand, separately we will die", who was born on the battlefields of the War of Independence.

By the size of the territory, Kentucky is the 37th state in the Union of the Fifty states of America. The area of the state is 104,659 sq. km., while most of the state is covered by the mountainous terrain of the Appalachian ranges. The mountainous terrain creates excellent climatic conditions, when the air temperature in winter does not fall below zero, and in summer does not exceed 33 degrees. About 4.5 million people live in the state.

Kentucky

The capital of the state is the city of Frankfort.

Kentucky is surrounded by West Virginia and Virginia on the east side, Tennessee on the south side, Missouri on the west side and the states of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio on the north side.

History of the state (Commonwealth) Kentucky

The first settlers in Kentucky appeared in the first millennium BC. As small tribal settlements, indigenous peoples lived in Kentucky before the European colonization of America. The main part of the indigenous inhabitants were occupied by the tribes of the Iroquois, who lived near the banks of the Ohio River fishing and hunting bison.

The Kentucky lands were also inhabited by Shawnees and Cherokees, who favored these lands because of the rich food resources. The invasion of the first European colonists was considered by the Indians as the seizure of their lands and resources, so the Indians did not spare the white people who got into these territories. In the end, the constant Indian raids on European settlements led to the fact that in 1786 a military expedition was equipped to "force the Indians to peace", which led to the beginning of the so-called Northwest Indian War.

After the end of the Revolutionary War, part of the territories in the Appalachian Mountains expressed a desire to create a separate state and leave the jurisdiction of Virginia. In 1790, this desire was approved and two years later the first Constitution of the Commonwealth of Kentucky was adopted. Kentucky became the 15th state to join the Union.

After the beginning of the mass importation of black slaves from Africa, Kentucky became a powerful center of slavery in North America. This is due to the peculiarities of the large production of tobacco, whiskey, hemp and livestock, where slave labor was actively used.

After the outbreak of the American Civil War, Kentucky became the scene of many battles. Residents of the state fought both on the side of the industrial and liberal North, and on the side of the slave-owning, conservative South. Officially, the state remained neutral in this war, although a number of landowners created parallel authorities on the side of the Southerners. Despite the neutrality of the territory of Kentucky during the war remained under the control of the troops of the North.

In 1900, on the territory of Kentucky, the first attempt was made in the United States by an incumbent governor, ordered by his election opponent.

Also at the same time, a wave of violence swept through the state related to the monopoly of the American Tobacco Company, which bought raw materials from farmers at very low prices. As a result, the planters announced a boycott, stopped the sale of tobacco and began attacking dissenters and burning warehouses and transport of those who cooperated with the monopolists. This led to the introduction of martial law in the state and the mobilization of the state army.

During the First World War, coal mining and industrialization began to develop actively in the state, which changed the way of Kentucky's agricultural society. In the state, there are massive railways, highways as a reaction to the growth of car owners.

A serious blow to the state's economy was dealt after the adoption in the United States of the 18th Amendment to the US Constitution introducing the so-called Prohibition. All alcohol production goes underground and the growth of alcohol smuggling to other states begins.

Groups of people led by Alben Barkley were active in the state, advocating for a ban on gambling on state lands. This group included supporters of the Ku Klux Klan, radical Democrats and a number of Protestant communities. Alben Barkley's active position led him to a number of state leaders, he was elected from the state to the House of Representatives, the Senate and at the end of his career became Vice President of the United States under Harry Truman.

During the Great Depression, the state plunged into a deep crisis: hundreds of companies were declared bankrupt, unemployment rose record high. Thanks to the measures according to the New Deal, record rates of modernization and construction have begun in the state: the education system was changing, kilometers of paved roads, power lines and telephone lines were laid, which allowed rural areas to join the progress and use new equipment for production. The construction of a dam and a hydroelectric power plant began on the Tennessee River.

The period of World War II significantly increased the development of industry in Kentucky. The world's largest production complex for the production of synthetic rubber was created in Louisville, the largest Ford plant appeared here, the US Army military base Fort Knox was significantly expanded (today more than 400 km), which significantly changed the situation with the employment of the population and made a significant contribution to the supply of the US army. One of the Kentucky natives became a participant in the symbolic hoisting of the US flag over Iwo Jima.

After World War II, the state authorities began to carry out the largest modernization of the trunk line with other states, which led to the development of the state's tourism industry. In 1967, Kentucky was recognized as a leader in the struggle for equality and protection of the rights of US citizens.

In 1983, in Kentucky, for the first time in U.S. history, a woman took the post of governor of the state. Which not only achieved the construction of a factory in the state of the Japanese company Tayota, but also fought for the rights of students and women.

Kentucky Economy

In 2016, Kentucky's GDP reached 195 billion US dollars, which made the state 28th in terms of GDP in the United States. Kentucky has the largest deposits of coal, oil, gas and iron ore in the United States.

Among the industry leaders, it is worth noting mechanical engineering, textiles, food and chemical industries. Tobacco production remains the leader in agriculture, it is complemented by animal husbandry, soybean and corn production. Kentucky is considered the leader of the United States in horse breeding.

The state is known all over the world for its production of corn whiskey - bourbon.

On the territory of the state, in the underground hangars of the Fort Knox military base, a significant part of the gold reserve of the United States is located.

Population of Kentucky

The largest number of residents live not in the state capital, but in the city of Louisville. In 1970, the growth of industrial production in the state caused the growth of the urban population, which during this period surpassed the rural population in number. Today, Kentucky is inhabited by more than 4.5 million people, according to this indicator, the state ranks 26th among all US states. In terms of population density, the state ranks 22nd with an indicator of 43 people per square kilometer.

More than 95% of the population use English as the main language of communication. Racial composition in the state: the white population is 87%, African Americans - 8%, Latinos - 3%, and a small part of Asians (1%), Native Indians (0.2%) also take root.

According to religious preferences, 48% of people who do not associate themselves with any church live in Kentucky, 42% consider themselves Protestants, the rest consists of Jews, Buddhists and other beliefs.

Famous residents of the state include Muhammad Ali (boxer), Thomas Morgan (founder of genetics), Johnny Depp (famous actor), Abraham Lincoln (outstanding US president) and other well-known figures in the USA.

Kentucky Attractions

Cave systems in the Appalachian Mountains are the longest in the world. An important attraction is the Mammoth Caves National Park.

The state is home to the famous Fort Knox, which is the largest base of tank units of the US Army.

Louisville is home to the so-called "Museum Belt" - the Fraser International Historical Museum, the Louisville Science Center, the Muhammad Ali Center, the James Speid Museum of Art and more than a dozen local historical museums.

The state also holds an annual derby at the Churchill Downs racetrack, which are among the most popular.