肯塔基(Kentucky)

美国中南部一州。面积104,659平方公里；首府法兰克福。其地理景观，东有阿帕拉契山脉，包含布卢格拉斯区和丰饶的密西西比河沿岸低地在内的内陆低地。在白人移民到来前，这里是肖尼人、易洛魁人和切罗基人等印第安部落的狩猎地。布恩於1769年来到这里，是最早来此定居的白人；美国革命後有一波移民潮。定居点原属维吉尼亚，但1792年肯塔基加入联邦，成为第十五州。美国南北战争期间这里是个分裂州，虽仍属联邦，但仍派军为双方作战。19世纪晚期连接东部煤矿产区的铁路完成，及烟草的引进都刺激了该州的成长。1970年代全国性的能源短缺造成煤的需求增加，肯塔基因而繁荣，但至1980年代这种需求减少，许多工作以减少。制造业是主要的经济来源，而农产品以烟草为主。肯塔基还以波旁威士忌和养马闻名；肯塔基大赛每年在邱吉尔唐斯举行。人口约4,041,609（2000）。

English version：

Kentucky

State (population 1997 est.: 3,908,000), southeastern central U.S. It covers 40,395 sq mi (104,623 sq km); its capital is Frankfort. Among its geographical features are the Appalachian Mtns. of the east, the interior lowlands, including the Bluegrass region, and the rich lowlands along the Mississippi River. Before the arrival of white settlers, the region was a hunting ground for Indian tribes, including the Shawnee, Iroquois, and Cherokee. Daniel Boone, among the first white settlers, arrived in 1769; a wave of immigration followed the American Revolution. Settlements began as part of a district of Virginia, but in 1792 Kentucky entered the Union as the 15th state. It was a border state during the American Civil War, remaining in the Union but providing troops to both sides. The opening of rail lines into the eastern coal country and the introduction of a tobacco economy spurred growth in the late 19th century. In the 1970s a nationwide energy shortage created a demand for coal, from which Kentucky prospered, but demand dropped in the 1980s and many jobs were lost. Manufacturing is the leading source of income, while tobacco is the chief crop. Kentucky is known for its bourbon whiskey and thoroughbred horses; the Kentucky Derby is run annually at Churchill Downs.