Kentucky is located in the Southeastern United States. In pre-Columbian times, two major cultures flourished in the region, the Mississippian culture and the Fort Ancient culture. Among the various tribes living at the time of European contact were the Kispoko, Cherokee, Chickasaw and Shawnee. Triggered by the fur trade between Europeans and Natives, the Iroquois Confederacy, supported by the Dutch and English, fought the Beaver Wars against a number of tribes allied with the French from 1640 to 1680.

The nickname "The Bluegrass State" is a reference to the type of grass found in many of the Kentucky's pastures and is associated with the state's rich heritage of horse breeding, as bluegrass is the preferred forage for horses. However, it is not native to Kentucky or any other region of the Americas, but was brought to the continent by early Spanish explorers. Part of the colony of Virginia, Kentucky was reorganized as Kentucky County in 1776 during the Revolutionary War and was admitted to the Union as the 15^th state in 1792. As in the case of Virginia, the state government referred to Kentucky as a "Commonwealth" in its constitution, making it one of four U.S. states to formally use this term.

Kentucky's landscape offers some impressive sights, including natural rock arches, gorges and caves, such as Mammoth Cave, the longest cave system in the world.

The Kentucky Derby has been held annually since 1875 in Louisville and is one of the oldest horse races in the world. It is the first leg of the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing and covers a distance of 1,25 miles (2 km). Alongside the horse races, various traditions take place, such as the Great Balloon Race and the singing of the ballad "My Old Kentucky Home". Due to the local significance of the Kentucky Derby, the "Welcome to Kentucky" sign features a stylized horse. The state's motto is "United we stand, divided we fall".

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