USA Country Studies Course: Missisipi River (Kentucky State)

Actually, I had a task to discover the Missisipi river, and one state, situated on it. Speaking about the information about Missisipi I've investigated, that:

Mississippi is a principal river of the United States.
It's 3,780 km long, exceeded in length only by the Missouri.
The Spanish explorer Hernando De Soto is credited with the European discovery of the Mississippi River in 1541.
During the Civil War the Mississippi was an invasion route for Union armies and the scene of many important battles.
The flow of the river is greatest in the spring, when heavy rainfall and melting snow on the tributaries (especially the Missouri and the Ohio) cause the main stream to rise and frequently overflow its banks and levees, inundating vast areas of the plain.

Speaking about the state, which is situated on the Missisipi, for my investigation I've chosen Kentucky state. So, here is my short discovery:

Kentucky, officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state located in the east south-central region of the United States. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth (the others being Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts). Originally a part of Virginia, in 1792 Kentucky became the 15th state to join the Union. Kentucky is the 37th most extensive and the 26th most populous of the 50 United States.

Some History facts:

The history of Kentucky spans hundreds of years, and has been influenced by the state's diverse geography and central location.
The name "Kentucky" derived from an Iroquois name for the area south of the Ohio River. There were many variations of the word, including “Kaintuckee” and “Cantuckey.” and it is believed to mean “meadowland.”
Although inhabited by Native Americans in prehistoric times, when explorers and settlers began entering Kentucky in the mid-18th century, there were no permanent Native American settlements in the region.
While remaining loyal to the Union, Kentucky was a border state during the American Civil War.

Geography:

Located in the south central United States along the west side of the Appalachian Mountains, Kentucky ranks 37th in land size, with 39,732 square miles (102,907 square kilometers). The Commonwealth is bordered by seven states: Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, Missouri and Illinois. The Ohio River flows 664 miles (1,068 kilometers) along the northern and western borders of the state. Kentucky's highest point is Black Mountain in Harlan County, 4,145 feet (1,264 meters) above sea level; its lowest point, the Mississippi River in Fulton County, 257 feet (78 meters) above sea level.

Black Mountain in Harlan County

State Capital of Kentucky

Frankfort became the state capital of Kentucky in 1792 after pledging more manpower toward the construction of a statehouse than any other city. During the Civil War, Frankfort was the only Union capital occupied by Confederate troops.

Frankfort is located astride a double curve in the Kentucky River in the central portion of the state and the Kentucky capital city is known for having one of the most beautiful capital buildings in the country. Frankfort’s population is slightly less than 30,000.

Frankfort Kentucky capitol building

Modern times:

Although Kentucky's culture is generally considered to be Southern, it is unique in that it is also influenced by the Midwest and Southern Appalachia in certain areas of the state. The state is known for bourbon and whiskey distilling, tobacco, horse racing, and college basketball. Kentucky is more similar to the Upland South in terms of ancestry which is predominantly American.

Frankfort, the capital city of Kentucky

What is more, Kentucky is known for its horseride races.The biggest day in horse racing, the Kentucky Derby, is preceded by the two-week Derby Festival in Louisville. Louisville also plays host to the Kentucky State Fair, the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival,and Southern gospel's annual highlight, the National Quartet Convention. Bowling Green, the state's third-largest city and home to the only assembly plant in the world that manufactures the Chevrolet Corvette, opened the National Corvette Museum in 1994. The fourth-largest city, Owensboro, gives credence to its nickname of "Barbecue Capital of the World" by hosting the annual International Bar-B-Q Festival.