Kentucky (U.S. state)

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Kentucky, officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the United States of America. In 1792, Kentucky became the fifteenth state to join the U.S.

In the American Civil War of 1861–1865, Kentucky did not cecede from the union, but it had a rump government, an unelected group that proclaimed secession (November 20, 1861). The confederacy admitted this rump government, while the United States continued to claim Kentucky as its own during the war. At the time, Kentucky allowed slavery and had both strong Unionist and strong Confederate counties, including some Unionist slave-owners. The legalities of the matter remain in dispute to the present day, although most history books show Kentucky as having remained a part of the U.S.

Rivers define Kentucky's borders except on the south, where it has a straight line border with Tennessee and on its mountainous southeastern border with Virginia. The Tug river and Big Sandy river separate it from West Virginia on the east and northeast. The northern border follows the Ohio river and separates Kentucky from the states of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. Where the Ohio river flows into the Mississippi, the short western border with Missouri is formed by the Mississippi. The capital, Frankfort, lies between the two major cities, Louisville, which is on the Ohio River, and Lexington which is the seat of the University of Kentucky.

See also

U.S. States and Territories