:: wikimiki.org ::

Kentucky Cuisine

Kentucky cuisine

Throughout most of the state's history before the discovery of coal deposits, Kentucky relied upon the subsistence farming of corn, beans and pigs. After the discovery of coal in Kentucky, this changed radically to the more modern form of factory farming with steam power turning much of the native forest into arable land quickly. Over a period of about 100 years, people from Germany, Greece, Wales and Ireland settled most of what was once a county of Virginia, bringing many methods of cooking and recipes from their homelands. Cincinnati, Ohio, across from Kenton County, Kentucky, was once the pig-slaughtering capital of the United States and depended heavily upon Kentucky pig and hog farms to supply them. The Flying Pig Festival was a holiday given orginally to the workers in this industry.

The fusion of southern, midwestern and other cuisine

The cuisine of Kentucky today is a blend of midwestern and southern cuisines that is increasingly incorporating more cosmopolitan ingredients and methods. The Jackson Purchase region of Kentucky is the most southern of Kentucky in culture and cuisine. A typical summer lunch of 50 years ago would be fried catfish, slaw and hush puppies served with a glass of sweet tea. Fusion cuisine that is practiced at some of the leading restaurants in Kentucky like The Waterfront serve such things as wasabi cole slaw, chili and cumin hushpuppies and stout-beer battered fish served with green tea. Frog legs unlike most of the midwest are served without batter and grilled or sauteed. In the southern and eastern parts of Kentucky, burgoo and regular chili are preferred. In the northern and western parts, Cincinnati chili is more predominant with Dixie Chili from Erlanger, Kentucky being the only one actually incorporated in Kentucky.

Historical ingredients

Native Americans such as the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Mosopelea, Shawnee, and Yuchi along with the early European settlers relied upon the local plant and animal population to provide for all their needs. Native Americans especially revered beans, maize and squash which were known as the three sisters. To see more go to Native American cuisine.
- Elk, elk are not as predominent as when the Shawnee used Kentucky for their spring hunting grounds
- Maize, maize was also used to make shoes and other woven products
- Squash
- Opossum, is the only extant native marsupial in North America
- Squirrel, some squirrels can have up to a pound of meat on them.
- Beans, in the form of beans and bean sprouts
- Crawfish The early Europeans who settled in these areas adopted for the gamey taste of local fauna with strong flavors that would eventually lead to things like Henry Bain sauce.

Ingredients of Today

- Bourbon and Whiskey, traditions brought by the Irish
- Catfish, since the Ohio River became polluted some catfish aquaculture has sprung up but most is now imported from other states.
- Deer enjoyed as Venison, Kentucky has very generous hunting allowances as well as deer farms
- Pigs enjoyed as Ham, not as much pork except in The Purchase, where barbecued pork shoulder is extremely popular. Ham was popular before refrigeration because it was cured.
- Sheep enjoyed as mutton, Dutch farmers brought the first flocks to Daviess County in the late 1800's.

Dishes or recipes of note in Kentuckian cuisine

- Burgoo, a thick stew made from vegetables and lamb
- Mint julep, a potable that is made with fresh mint
- Henry Bain sauce, a potent sauce for dealing with game
- Brains and eggs, known mostly as an English dish; this was served in Frankfort restaurants until BSE scares
- Mock turtle soup, Welsh and English settlers brought this recipe with them when they settled in Clay County
- Fried squirrel, skewered or fried with its liver squirrels taste best when they eat acorns almost exclusively
- Frog legs, as many other midwesterners
- Derby pie, a chocolate and pecan tart named for the Kentucky Derby
- Benedictine, a cheese spread made popular from Louisville's Benedict's restaurant.
- Hot brown, an open faced sandwhich topped with a Mornay sauce
- Stack cake, an Appalachian layered cake with apple preserves spread between each layer
- Johnny cake, a corruption of "Shawnee" cake this is a flat corn bread cooked by direct heat
- Bourbon balls, crushed cookies mixed with bourbon baked and than coated in powdered sugar

Fast Food

KFC was started in Corbin, Kentucky by Col. Harland Sanders and Pete Harman. KFC now has over 11,000 restaurants in 80 million countries. Per capita consumption of White Castle hamburgers in Kentucky is one of the highest in the nation with over 40 restaurants across a state with only 4 million people; for example, the New York city area has 8 million people and only 46 restaurants.

Trivia

Kentucky is one of the few places in the country that Pace picante sauce sells ultra-mild salsa, as many people there can tolerate almost no heat from capsaicin. It comes with a blue lid.

Sources

- [http://www.mountain-breeze.com/kitchen/kentucky/ Kentucky Recipes] for the Henry Bain Sauce Recipe
- [http://www.whitecastle.com/_pages/Locate.asp For listings of White Castle Restaurants ]
- [http://www.lanereport.com/lanereport/departments/tourism/exploring_ky400.html Burgoo being served at festivals ]
- [http://www.accessgenealogy.com/native/kentucky/ Native Tribes of Kentucky]
- [http://www.nativetech.org/cornhusk/cornhusk.html Native American History of Corn]
- [http://www.kfc.com/about/pr/080202.htm KFC press release about their 50th year]
- [http://www.nass.usda.gov/ky/ssoinfo.htm State Information about Kentucky's Farms]
- [http://www.travellady.com/ARTICLES/article-fondfrogs.html Frog's legs]
- [http://www.foodreference.com/html/fjohnnycake.html Johnny cake] Category:American cuisine

Coal

Coal is a fossil fuel extracted from the ground by deep mining, coal mining (open-pit mining or strip mining). It is a readily combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock. It is composed primarily of carbon and hydrocarbons, along with assorted other elements, including sulfur. Often associated with the Industrial Revolution, coal remains an enormously important fuel and is the most common source of electricity world-wide. In the United States, for example, the burning of coal generates over half the electricity consumed by the population. United States

Etymology and folklore

Coal is thought ultimately to derive its name from the Old English col but this actually meant charcoal at the time; coal was not mined prior to the late Middle Ages; i.e. after ca. 1000 AD. Mineral coal was referred to as sea-coal, either because it was found on beaches occasionally having fallen from the exposed coal seams above, or because it was easier to transport by sea rather than on the very poor road system (in London, England there is still a sea coal road/lane where the coal merchants conducted their business). It is associated with the astrological sign Capricorn. It is carried by thieves to protect them from detection and to help them to escape when pursued. It is an element of a popular ritual associated with New Year's Eve. To dream of burning coals is a symbol of disappointment, trouble, affliction and loss, unless they are burning brightly, when the symbol gives promise of uplifting and advancement. Santa Claus is said to leave a lump of coal instead of Christmas presents in the stockings of naughty children.

Composition and creation

Carbonacous material forms more than 50 percent by weight and more than 70 percent by volume of coal (this includes inherent moisture). Coal is formed from plant remains that have been compacted, hardened, chemically altered, and metamorphosed by heat and pressure over geologic time. Much coal was formed from ancient plants that grew in swamp ecosystems. When such plants died, their biomass was deposited in anaerobic, aquatic environments where low oxygen levels prevented their decay and oxidation (rotting and release of carbon dioxide). Successive generations of this type of plant growth and death formed thick deposits of unoxidized organic matter that were subsequently covered by sediments and compacted into carbonaceous deposits such as peat or bituminous or anthracite coal. Evidence of the types of plants that contributed to carbonaceous deposits can occasionally be found in the shale and sandstone sediments that overlie coal deposits, and, with special techniques, within the coal itself. The greatest coal-forming time in geologic history was during the Carboniferous era (280 to 345 million years ago).

Types of coal

As geological processes apply pressure to peat over time, it is transformed successively into:
- Lignite - also referred to as brown coal, is the lowest rank of coal and used almost exclusively as fuel for steam-electric power generation. Jet is a compact form of lignite that is sometimes polished and has been used as an ornamental stone since the Iron Age.
- Sub-bituminous coal - whose properties range from those of lignite to those of bituminous coal and are used primarily as fuel for steam-electric power generation.
- Bituminous coal - a dense coal, usually black, sometimes dark brown, often with well-defined bands of bright and dull material, used primarily as fuel in steam-electric power generation, with substantial quantities also used for heat and power applications in manufacturing and to make coke.
- Anthracite - the highest rank, used primarily for residential and commercial space heating.

Uses

Anthracite]

Coal as fuel

:See also Clean coal Coal is primarily used as a solid fuel to produce heat through combustion. World coal consumption is about 5,800 million short tons (5.3 petagrams) annually, of which about 75% is used for electricity production. The region including China and India uses about 1,700 million short tons (1.5 Pg) annually, forecast to exceed 3,000 million short tons (2.7 Pg) in 2025. The USA consumes about 1,100 million short tons (1.0 Pg) of coal each year, using 90% of it for generation of electricity. Coal is the fastest growing energy source in the world, with coal use increasing by 25% for the three-year period ending in December 2004 (BP Statistical Energy Review, June 2005). When coal is used in electricity generation, it is generally pulverized and then burned. The heat produced is used to create steam, which is then used to spin turbines which turn generators and create electricity. Approximately 40% of the Earth's current electricity production is powered by coal, and the total known deposits recoverable by current technologies are sufficient for 300 years' use at current rates (see World Coal Reserves, below). A promising, more energy efficient way of using coal for electricity production would be via solid-oxide fuel cells or molten-carbonate fuel cells (or any oxygen ion transport based fuel cells that do not discriminate between fuels, as long as they consume oxygen), which would be able to get 60%-85% combined efficiency (direct electricity + waste heat steam turbine), compared to 30-40% currently possible with only steam turbines. Currently these fuel cell technologies can only process gaseous fuels, and they are also sensitive to sulfur poisoning, issues which would first have to be worked out before large scale commercial success is possible with coal. As far as gaseous fuels go, one idea is pulverized coal in a gas carrier (nitrogen), especially if the resulting carbon dioxide is sequestered, and has to be separated anyway from the carrier. A better idea is coal gasification with water, then the water recycled.

Gasification

High prices of oil and natural gas are leading to increased interest in "BTU Conversion" technologies such as coal gasification, methanation, liquefacation, and solidification. In the past, coal was converted to make coal gas, which was piped to customers to burn for illumination, heating, and cooking. At present, the safer natural gas is used instead. South Africa still uses gasification of coal for much of its petrochemical needs. Gasification is also a possibility for future energy use, as it generally burns hotter and cleaner than conventional coal, can spin a more efficient gas turbine rather than a steam turbine, and makes capturing carbon dioxide for later sequestration much much easier.

Liquefaction

Coal can also be converted into liquid fuels like gasoline or diesel by several different processes. The Fischer-Tropsch process of indirect synthesis of liquid hydrocarbons was used in Nazi Germany, and for many years by Sasol in South Africa - in both cases, because those regimes were politically isolated and unable to purchase crude oil on the open market. Coal would be gasified to make syngas (a balanced purified mixture of CO and H₂ gas) and the syngas condensed using Fischer-Tropsch catalysts to make light hydrocarbons which are further processed into gasoline and diesel. Syngas can also be converted to methanol: which can be used as a fuel, fuel additive, or further processed into gasoline via the Mobil M-gas process. A direct liquefaction process Bergius process (liquefaction by hydrogenation) is also available but has not been used outside Germany, where such processes were operated both during World War I and World War II. SASOL in South Africa has experimented with direct hydrogenation. Several other direct liquefaction processes have been developed, among these being the SRC-I and SRC-II (Solvent Refined Coal) processes developed by Gulf Oil and implemented as pilot plants in the United States in the 1960's and 1970's. Yet another process to manufacture liquid hydrocarbons from coal is low temperature carbonization (LTC). Coal is coked at temperatures between 450 and 700 °C compared to 800 to 1000 °C for metalurgical coke. These temperatures optimize the production of coal tars richer in lighter hydrocarbons than normal coal tar. The coal tar is then further processed into fuels. The process was developed by Lewis Karrick, an oil shale technologist at the U.S. Bureau of Mines in the 1920s. All of these liquid fuel production methods release carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the conversion process. Carbon dioxide sequestration is proposed to avoid releasing it into the atmosphere. As CO₂ is one of the process streams, sequestration is easier than from flue gases produced in combustion of coal with air, where CO₂ is diluted by nitrogen and other gases. Coal liquefaction is one of the backstop technologies that limit escalation of oil prices. Estimates of the cost of producing liquid fuels from coal suggest that domestic U.S. production of fuel from coal becomes cost-competitive with oil priced at around 35 USD per barrel , (break-even cost), which is well above historical averages - but is now viable due to the spike in oil prices in 2004-2005. . Among commercially mature technologies, advantage for indirect coal liquefaction over direct coal liquefaction are reported by Williams and Larson (2003). Estimates are reported for sites in China where break-even cost for coal liquefaction may be in the range between 25 to 35 USD/barrel of oil.

Coking and use of coke

Coke is a solid carbonaceous residue derived from low-ash, low-sulfur bituminous coal from which the volatile constituents are driven off by baking in an oven without oxygen at temperatures as high as 1,000 °C (2,000 °F) so that the fixed carbon and residual ash are fused together. Coke is used as a fuel and as a reducing agent in smelting iron ore in a blast furnace. Coke from coal is grey, hard, and porous and has a heating value of 24.8 million Btu/ton (29.6 MJ/kg). Byproducts of this conversion of coal to coke include coal-tar, ammonia, light oils, and "coal-gas". Petroleum coke is the solid residue obtained in oil refining, which resembles coke but contains too many impurities to be useful in metallurgical applications.

Harmful effects of coal burning

Combustion of coal, like any other compound containing carbon, produces carbon dioxide (CO₂), along with varying amounts of sulfur dioxide (SO₂) depending on where it was mined. Sulfur dioxide reacts with water to form sulfurous acid. If sulfur dioxide is discharged into the atmosphere, it reacts with water vapor and is eventually returned to the Earth as acid rain. Emissions from coal-fired power plants represent the largest source of artificial carbon dioxide emissions, according to most climate scientists a primary cause of global warming. Many other pollutants are present in coal power station emissions. Some studies claim that coal power plant emissions are responsible for tens of thousands of premature deaths annually in the United States alone. Modern power plants utilize a variety of techniques to limit the harmfulness of their waste products and improve the efficiency of burning, though these techniques are not widely implemented in some countries, as they add to the capital cost of the power plant. To eliminate CO₂ emissions from coal plants, carbon sequestration has been proposed but is not yet in large-scale use. Coal also contains many trace elements, including arsenic and mercury, which are dangerous if released into the environment. Coal also contains low levels of uranium, thorium, and other naturally-occurring radioactive isotopes whose release into the environment may lead to radioactive contamination. While these substances are trace impurities, if a great deal of coal is burned, significant amounts of these substances are released. If coal liquefaction or gasification is used to make petrochemicals, a great deal of carbon dioxide is produced in the process. If a carbon tax was introduced and sufficient CO₂ was not captured, the economics of such processes would be significantly less attractive. However, if sequestration or some other process were used to dispose of this by-product, fuels produced from this process would be less polluting. Some process do not have a much greater total impact on carbon dioxide levels than ones refined from petroleum. Others may be less polluting still. Research in this field is ongoing.

Coal fires

There are hundreds of coal fires burning around the world. Those burning underground can be difficult to locate and many can not be extinguished. Fires can cause the ground above to subside, combustion gases are dangerous to life, and breaking out to the surface can initiate surface wildfires. Coal seams can be set on fire by spontaneous combustion or contact with a mine fire or surface fire. A grass fire in a coal area can set dozens of coal seams on fire. Coal fires in China burn 120 million tons of coal a year, emitting 360 million metric tons of carbon dioxide. This amounts to 2-3% of the annual worldwide production of CO₂ from fossil fuels, or as much as emitted from all of the cars and light trucks in the United States. In the United States , a trash fire was lit in the borough landfill located in an abandoned Anthracite strip mine pit in the portion of the Coal Region called Centralia, Pennsylvania from 1962. It burns underground today, 40 years later. The reddish siltstone rock that caps many ridges and buttes in the Powder River Basin (Wyoming), and in western North Dakota is called porcelanite, which also may resemble the coal burning waste "clinker" or volcanic "scoria." Clinker is rock that has been fused by the natural burning of coal. In the case of the Powder River Basin approximately 27 to 54 billion metric tons of coal burned within the past three million years. Wild coal fires in the area were reported by the Lewis and Clark expedition as well as explorers and settlers in the area. The Australian Burning Mountain was originally believed to be a volcano, but the smoke and ash comes from a coal fire which may have been burning for 5,000 years.

World coal reserves

It has been estimated that, as of 1996, there is around one exagram (1 × 10¹⁵ kg) of total coal reserves economically accessible using current mining technology, approximately half of it being hard coal. The energy value of all the world's coal is well over 100,000 quadrillion Btu (100 zettajoules). There probably is enough coal to last for 300 years. However, this estimate assumes no rise in population, and no increased use of coal to attempt to compensate for the depletion of natural gas and petroleum. A recent (2003) study by scientist Gregson Vaux, which takes those factors into account, estimates that coal could peak in the United States as early as 2046, on average. "Peak" doesn't mean coal will disappear, but defines the time after which no matter what efforts are expended coal production will begin to decline in quantity and energy content. The disappearance of coal will occur much later, around the year 2267, assuming all other factors do not change, which they naturally will. Gregson Vaux The United States Department of Energy uses estimates of coal reserves in the region of 1,081,279 million short tons, which is about 4,786 BBOE (billion barrels of oil equivalent) . The amount of coal burned during 2001 was calculated as 2.337 GTOE (gigatonnes of oil equivalent), which is about 46 MBOED (million barrels of oil equivalent per day) . At that rate those reserves will last 285 years. As a comparison natural gas provided 51 MBOED, and oil 76 MBD (million barrels per day) during 2001.

External links

- [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5174391/ MSNBC report on coal pollution health effects in the United States]
- [http://www.uic.com.au/nip83.htm Clean coal technologies]
- [http://www.ucsusa.org/CoalvsWind/brief.coal.html Use of coal gas in fuel cells]
- [http://www.jcoal.or.jp/overview_en/gijutsu.html Advanced methods of using coal] (Japanese Coal Energy Center)

References

- , also [http://www.ieiglobal.org/ESDVol7No4/dclversussicl.pdf] # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #
- Category:Sedimentary rocks Category:Rocks ja:石炭

Kentucky

The Commonwealth of Kentucky became the 15th U.S. state when it was admitted to the U.S. in 1792. Kentucky and its residents are most well known for thoroughbred horses and horse racing, local whisky distilleries, and enthusiasm for basketball. particularly for the two principal basketball rivals in the state--the blue and white Wildcats of the University of Kentucky and the red and black Cardinals of the University of Louisville. Sports rivalries between the University of Kentucky and the Universities of Tennessee and North Carolina have also long existed. While Kentucky's pastimes are distinctly those of the South, Kentuckian cuisine is considered to be a synergistic blend of Midwestern cuisine and Southern US cuisine.

Origin of name

It was once believed that the name Kentucky was derived from the Native American word meaning "dark and bloody hunting ground," which is believed to be due to the fact that many Native American tribes went there to hunt in the game-rich forests and often fought each other there. However, it is now most commonly believed that the name Kentucky can be attributed to various Native American languages with several possible meanings from "land of tomorrow" to "cane and turkey lands" to "meadow lands." This last may come from the Iroquois name for the Shawnee town Eskippathiki. The name Kentucky referred originally to the Kentucky River and from that came the name of the region.

History

Kentucky is one of four states referred to as a commonwealth. Before the American War of Independence, this land was called Transylvania with its capital at Boonesborough. It was a major gateway for early migration to the west through the Cumberland Gap, and was the first major frontier developed west of the Appalachian Mountains. Guns enabled this movement westward, and even the term shotgun was first coined in Kentucky in 1776. After the war, it became Kentucky County, Virginia and ten constitutional conventions took place at the courthouse of Constitution Square in Danville between 1784 and 1792. In 1790, Kentucky delegates accepted Virginia's terms for separation and the state constitution was drafted at the final convention in April 1792. On June 1, 1792, Kentucky became the fifteenth state in the union and Isaac Shelby, a Revolutionary War hero from Virginia, was named the first Governor of the Commonwealth Of Kentucky. Revolutionary War were born in Kentucky.]] Kentucky was a border state during the American Civil War and for a time had two state governments, one supporting the Confederacy and one supporting the Union. Fittingly, the Presidents of both the United States (Abraham Lincoln) and the Confederate States (Jefferson Davis) during the Civil War were born in Kentucky. At the beginning of the war, control of Kentucky was coveted by both sides of the conflict because of its central location. So much so, in fact, that in September 1861, Lincoln wrote in a private letter, “I think to lose Kentucky is nearly the same as to lose the whole game.” The Confederates made advances in the state during the "Kentucky Campaign" of Generals Braxton Bragg and Edmund Kirby Smith in 1862, but Braggs' retreat following the Battle of Perryville left the state under the control of the Union Army for the rest of the war.

Law and government

The capital of Kentucky is Frankfort and its current governor is Ernie Fletcher (Republican). Kentucky's two U.S. Senators are Jim Bunning (Republican) and Mitch McConnell (Republican). The Kentucky Constitution provides for three branches of government: the legislative, the judicial, and the executive. Kentucky's General Assembly has two chambers: the Senate and the House of Representatives. The executive branch is headed by the Governor. See List of Kentucky Governors. The judicial branch of Kentucky is made up of trial courts, called District and Circuit Courts, an intermediate appellate court, called the Kentucky Court of Appeals, and a court of last resort, the Kentucky Supreme Court. Historically, Kentucky has leaned towards the Democratic Party, and was included among the "Solid South." The majority of the state's voters are officially registered as Democrats, although the majority has slimmed substantially in recent election cycles. Kentucky has voted Republican in five of the last seven presidential elections, but has supported the Democratic candidates of the South. The commonwealth supported Democrats Jimmy Carter in 1976, and Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996, but Republican George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004. Bush won the state's 8 electoral votes overwhelmingly in 2004 by a margin of 20 percentage points and 59.6% of the vote. The most solidly Democratic counties are in the mountainous eastern unionized coal mining region, especially Pike, Floyd, Knott, Menifee, and Breathitt, and the city of Louisville.

Geography

See also: List of Kentucky counties List of Kentucky counties Kentucky, also known as The Bluegrass State, borders the Midwest and the Deep South. It touches West Virginia, Virginia, and Tennessee, but is separated by water from Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. Its northern border is the low-water mark on the north side of the Ohio River. Its western border is the Mississippi River. Other major rivers in Kentucky include the Kentucky River, Tennessee River, the Cumberland River, the Green River, and the Licking River. There are five main regions, the Cumberland Mountains and Cumberland Plateau in the southeast, the north-central Bluegrass Region, the south-central and western Pennyroyal Plateau, also sometimes termed "Pennyrile", the western coal-fields area, and the far-west Jackson Purchase. Jackson Purchase The largest cities in Kentucky in terms of geographic area are the two merged city/county governments of Lexington-Fayette and Louisville Metro, although Louisville and its metropolitan area both have a much larger population than Lexington and its metro area. Northern Kentucky, an assemblage of smaller cities across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, Ohio, also has a large metropolitan population. The Lexington MSA and the Kentucky portions of the Louisville and Cincinnati MSAs, together, only make up about 45% of the state population, suggesting how rural the state is although 83% of Kentuckians live in MSAs with populations greater than 65,000. Much of rural Kentucky has become suburban during the last decade of the twentieth century. Interestingly enough, Kentucky is the only U.S. state to have a non-contiguous part exist as an enclave of another state. Far western Kentucky includes a small part of land on the Mississippi River bordered by Missouri and accessible via Tennessee. This area is known as the Madrid Bend.

Regions

Bluegrass Region The Bluegrass region is commonly divided into two regions, the Inner Bluegrass - the encircling ninety miles around Lexington - and the Outer Bluegrass, the region that contains most of the Northern portion of the state, above the Knobs.

Significant natural attractions

- Cumberland Gap, chief passageway through the Appalachian Mountains in early American history.
- Cumberland Falls State Park, where a "moon-bow" may be seen in the mists of the falls.
- Mammoth Cave National Park, featuring tours of the world's longest cave.
- Red River Gorge Geological Area, part of the Daniel Boone National Forest.
- Land Between the Lakes, a National Recreation Area managed by the United States Forest Service.

Economy

The total gross state product for 2003 was $129 billion. Its Per Capita Personal Income was $26,575, 41st in the nation. Kentucky's agricultural outputs are horses, cattle, tobacco, dairy products, hogs, soybeans, corn, and often cotton in the west. Its industrial outputs are transportation equipment, chemical products, electric equipment, machinery, food processing, tobacco products, coal, and tourism.

Demographics

As of 2004, there were an estimated 4,145,922 people living in Kentucky. This is a increase of over 104,104 people from 2000. This includes about 95,000 foreign-born (2.3%). Racially, the population is:
- 89.3% White, non-Hispanic
- 7.3% Black
- 1.5% Hispanic
- 0.7% Asian
- 0.2% Native American
- 1.1% Mixed race The five largest ancestries in the state are: American (20.9%), German (12.7%), Irish (10.5%), English (9.7%), African American (7.3%). Blacks, who once represented a quarter of the state's population during the height of the tobacco, cotton, and hemp plantation era, are most concentrated in the southwest (notably Christian County and the city of Paducah), the Bluegrass, and the city of Louisville. "American ancestry" is the largest reported ancestry group throughout most of the state in the Census.

Religion

Religiously, Kentucky is mostly Protestant. The religious affiliations of the state are as follows:
- Christian – 86%
- Protestant – 70%
- Baptist – 35%
- Methodist – 5%
- Pentecostal – 4%
- Church of Christ – 3%
- Lutheran – 2%
- Presbyterian – 2%
- Other Protestant – 19%
- Roman Catholic – 15%
- Other Christian – 1%
- Jewish 0.01%
- Other Religions – <1%
- Non-religious – 14% Religious movements were important in the early history of Kentucky. Perhaps the most famous event was the interdenominational revival in August 1801 at the Cane Ridge Meeting house in Bourbon County. As part of what is now known as the "Western Revival" thousands began meeting around a Presbyterian communion service on August 6, 1801 and ended six days later on August 12, 1801 when both humans and horses ran out of food. The service was originally scheduled for August 8th but people began arriving two days earlier on a rainy August 6th. The meeting was hosted by Barton Stone. Presbyterians, Methodists and some Baptist were present as the services were attempted to be interdominational as possible. As the days wore on, some counted as many as seven preachers preaching at the same time from tree stumps or wagons.

Important cities and towns

Population > 1,000,000 (urbanized areas)

- Louisville

Population > 100,000 (urbanized areas)

- Lexington

Population > 10,000 (urbanized areas)

Important suburbs and small towns

Education

Colleges and universities

Private

Public

Community colleges

Professional sports teams

Kentucky is home to no major league sports team, but several minor league teams. Minor league baseball
- Louisville Bats (Triple-A International League affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds)
- Lexington Legends (Single-A South Atlantic League affiliate of the Houston Astros)
- Florence Freedom (Single-A Frontier League independent) Football
- Lexington Horsemen (United Indoor Football)
- Louisville Fire (AF2) Basketball
- Kentucky Colonels (American Basketball Association (21st century))

State symbols

American Basketball Association (21st century)
- State bird: Northern Cardinal
- State flower: Goldenrod
- State tree: Tulip Poplar (formerly the Kentucky coffeetree)
- State horse: Thoroughbred
- State fish: Kentucky Bass
- State wild animal: Grey Squirrel
- State butterfly: Viceroy Butterfly
- State gemstone: Fresh Water Pearl
- State fossil: Brachiopod
- State song: "My Old Kentucky Home" by Stephen Foster (1853)
- State bluegrass song: "Blue Moon of Kentucky" by Bill Monroe (1947)
- State drink: Milk
- State motto: "United We Stand, Divided We Fall"
- State slogan: "Unbridled Spirit"
- See also: Flag of Kentucky

Trivia

Several U.S. Navy ships have been named USS Kentucky in honor of the state. The USS Paducah and USS Louisville also served as naval vessels.

External links

- [http://www.genealogybuff.com/ky/ GenealogyBuff.com - Kentucky Library of Files]
- [http://www.kentuckytourism.com Kentucky Department of Tourism]
- [http://www.kentuckyhighlands.com/kh/index.asp The Kentucky Highlands Project]
- [http://history.ky.gov/Museums/Kentucky_History_Center.htm The Kentucky History Center]
- [http://obit.obitlinkspage.com/ky.htm Kentucky Obituary Links]
- [http://www.kentuckyunbridledspirit.com/ Kentucky: Unbridled Spirit]
- [http://kentucky.gov Kentucky.gov: My New Kentucky Home]
- [http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/21000.html U.S. Census Bureau Kentucky QuickFacts]
- Category:States of the United States ko:켄터키 주 ms:Kentucky ja:ケンタッキー州 simple:Kentucky

Bean

:This article is on the plant. For alternate meanings, see Bean (disambiguation) Bean (disambiguation) Bean is a common name for large plant seeds of several genera of Fabaceae (formerly Leguminosae) used for food or feed.

Name

Bean originally meant the seed of the broad bean, but was later broadened to include members of the genus Phaseolus such as the common bean or haricot and the runner bean and the related genus Vigna. The term is now applied in a general way to many other related plants such as soybeans, peas, lentils, vetches and lupins. Some raw beans, for example kidney beans, contain harmful toxins which need to be removed, usually by various methods of soaking and cooking. The soaking water from kidney beans should be discarded before boiling, and some authorities recommend changing the water during cooking as well. Cooking beans in a crockpot, because of the lower temperatures used, does not destroy toxins even though the beans do not smell or taste 'bad'. Beans have been known to produce prodigious quantities of intestinal gas in some people; resulting in farts of incredible stench and duration. lupin Bean can be used as a near synonym of pulse, i.e. an edible legume, though the term "pulses" is usually reserved for those leguminous crops which are harvested for their dry grain. Pulses then exclude those crops mainly used for oil extraction (like soybean and peanut) or those used exclusively for sowing purposes (clover and alfalfa). Leguminous crops harvested green for food like snap beans, green peas etc. are classified as vegetable crops. In English usage beans sometimes also refer to seeds or other organs of non leguminosae, for example coffee beans, castor beans and cocoa beans (which resemble bean seeds), and vanilla beans (which resemble the pods). In 1889, Justice Joseph Philo Bradley of the United States Supreme Court ruled, in Robertson v. Salomon (130 U. S. 412), that a bean is a vegetable and not a seed. In his decision, Bradley stated that: :"We do not see why they should be classified as seeds, any more than walnuts should be so classified. Both are seeds, in the language of botany or natural history, but not in commerce nor in common parlance. On the other hand in speaking generally of provisions, beans may well be included under the term 'vegetables.' As an article of food on our tables, whether baked or boiled, or forming the basis of soup, they are used as a vegetable, as well when ripe as when green. This is the principal use to which they are put. Beyond the common knowledge which we have on this subject, very little evidence is necessary, or can be produced."

Types of bean

- Vicia
- V. faba or broad bean
- Vigna
- V. aconitifolia or Moth bean
- V. angularis or azuki bean
- V. mungo or Urd bean
- V. radiata or mung bean
- V. umbellatta or rice bean
- V. unguiculata or cowpea (includes the black-eyed pea, yardlong bean and others)
- several others
- Cicer
- C. arietinum or chickpea
- Pisum
- P. sativum or pea
- Lathyrus
- Lathyrus sativus (Indian pea)
- Lathyrus tuberosus (Tuberous pea)
- Lens
- L. culinaris or lentil
- Lablab
- L. purpureus or hyacinth bean
- Phaseolus
- P. acutifolius or tepary bean
- P. coccineus or runner bean
- P. lunatus or lima bean
- P. vulgaris or common bean (includes the pinto bean, kidney bean and many others)
- Glycine
- G. max or soybean
- Psophocarpus
- P. tetragonolobus or winged bean
- Cajanus
- C. cajan or pigeon pea
- Stizolobium
- S. spp or velvet bean
- Cyamopsis
- C. tetragonoloba or guar
- Canavalia
- C. ensiformis or jack bean
- Macrotyloma
- M. uniflorum or horse gram
- Lupinus or Lupin
- L. mutabilis or tarwi
- Erythrina or Coral bean
Cultural aspects
The following traditional uses of beans refer to the broad bean. In ancient Greece and Rome, beans were used in voting (a white bean meant yes and a black bean meant no) and as a food for the dead, such as during the annual Lemuria festival. In some folk legends, such as in Estonia and the common Jack and the Beanstalk story, magical beans grow tall enough to bring the hero to the clouds. The Grimm Brothers collected a story in which a bean splits its sides laughing at the failure of others. Dreaming of a bean is sometimes said to be a sign of impending conflict, though others said they caused bad dreams. Pliny claimed they acted as a laxative. European folklore also claims that planting beans on Good Friday or during the night-time is good luck.
External links

- [http://growingtaste.com/vegetables/bean.shtml Beans for the home gardener]
See also

- Pulses
- List of edible seeds
- Bean ko:콩 ja:豆

Pig

:This article is about the broader pig genus. For the most familiar species, see Domestic pig. :Sus redirects here; for the town in France, see Sus. :Swine redirects here; it is also the German name for the Świna river.
Sus barbatus
Sus bucculentus
Sus cebifrons
Sus celebensis
Sus domesticus
Sus heureni
Sus philippensis
Sus salvanius
Sus scrofa
Sus timoriensis
Sus verrucosus Pigs are ungulates native to Eurasia collectively grouped under the genus Sus within the Suidae family. They have been domesticated and raised as livestock by some peoples for meat (called pork) as well as for leather. Their bristly hairs are also traditionally used for brushes. Wild pigs continue to fill these functions in certain parts of the world. Pigs are omnivores, which means that they consume both plants and animals. On a small farm, or in a large household, they can be fed kitchen scraps as part or all of their diet. In the wild, they are foraging animals. Pigs that are allowed to forage may be watched by swineherds. Because of their foraging abilities and excellent sense of smell, they are used to find truffles in many European countries. They are also fattened to be eaten as ham and other types of meat, such as bacon. Pigs are one of the most intelligent mammals, and some, such as the Asian pot-bellied pig, are kept as pets. Pigs are reportedly more intelligent and more trainable than dogs and cats. A litter of piglets typically contains between 6 and 12 animals. Occasionally, in captivity, pigs may eat their own young. Pigs lack sweat glands. Thus they must have access to water or mud to cool themselves during hot weather. They also use mud as a form of sunscreen to protect their skin from sunburn.
Pig species

- Sus barbatus Bearded Pig; Malaysia, Indonesia
- Sus bucculentus Vietnamese Warty Pig
- Sus cebifrons Visasyas Warty Pig
- Sus celebensis Celebes Warty Pig
- Sus heureni Flores Warty Pig
- Sus philippensis Philippine Warty Pig
- Sus salvanius Pigmy Hog; NE India, Himalayas
- Sus scrofa (also called S. domesticus) Domestic pig , wild boar; Europe, Asia
- Sus timoriensis Timor Warty Pig
- Sus verrucosus Javan pig, Warty Pig; Indonesia, Philippines Warty Pig Pigs are untellable. You have to see it to believe it.
Hybrid Swine
Domestic Tamworth pigs are often crossed with wild boar to create "Iron Age Pigs" that resemble early domestic pigs. The piglets have stripes or blotches like young boar. "Iron Age Pigs" are a common attraction at farm parks. The hybrids are tamer than wild boar, but less tractable than domestic swine and generally become specialist pork sausages. Other domestic breeds of pig have been crossed with wild boar to produce a leaner meat for the specialist meat trade. Various domestic pigs have been crossed with American wild hogs to produce compact, hairy hog-like hybrids. In "The Variation Of Animals And Plants Under Domestication" Charles Darwin wrote: The European wild boar and the Chinese domesticated pig are almost certainly specifically distinct: Sir F. Darwin crossed a sow of the latter breed with a wild Alpine boar which had become extremely tame, but the young, though having half-domesticated blood in their veins, were "extremely wild in confinement, and would not eat swill like common English pigs."
Pig vocabulary
Warty Pig Several different words in English identify different types of pigs:
- Boar - An adult male pig
- Sow - An adult female pig
- Piglet/farrow - A juvenile pig
- Shoat - A young pig between 100 to 180 lb (50 to 90 kg)
- Gilt - An immature female pig
- Barrow - A castrated male pig
- Hog - Synonym for "wild pig" in the United States; in its original sense it means a castrated boar.
- Swine - Synonym for "pigs" (plural)
As food
Meat from pigs is called pork (coming from the Latin words "porcinus" and "porcus"). Their trotters are often sold as the jelly-like dish of pig's feet. Hog jowls are a popular soul food. The American pig-raising industry calls pork a "white meat" (like poultry) implying it is healthier than "red meat" like beef. Both Islam and Judaism forbid the eating of pork in any form, considering it to be an unclean animal: no form of pig meat can be kosher or halal (see taboo food and drink)
Qur'anic injunctions against pig

- Muslims its lawful "halal" to muslims to eat almost every kind of food; with some exceptions that has been decreed by the lord in the holy qoran, from which is pig and products http://www.theholyquran.org. Al-Baqarah The Cow 2:173. He hath only forbidden you dead meat, and blood, and the flesh of swine, and that on which any other name hath been invoked besides that of Allah. But if one is forced by necessity, without willful disobedience, nor transgressing due limits,- then is he guiltless. For Allah is Oft-Forgiving Most Merciful. The Food 5:3. Forbidden to you (for food) are: dead meat, blood, the flesh of swine, and that on which hath been invoked the name of other than Allah; that which hath been killed by strangling, or by a violent blow, or by a headlong fall, or by being gored to death; that which hath been (partly) eaten by a wild animal; unless ye are able to slaughter it (in due form); that which is sacrificed on stone (altars); (forbidden) also is the division (of meat) by raffling with arrows: that is impiety. This day have those who reject faith given up all hope of your religion: Yet fear them not but fear Me. This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favor upon you, and have chosen for you Islám as your religion. But if any is forced by hunger, with no inclination to transgression, Allah is indeed Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful. The Cattle 6:145. Say: "I find not in the Message received by me by inspiration any (meat) forbidden to be eaten by one who wishes to eat it, unless it be dead meat, or blood poured forth, or the flesh of swine,- for it is an abomination - or, what is impious, (meat) on which a name has been invoked, other than Allah's". But (even so), if a person is forced by necessity, without willful disobedience, nor transgressing due limits,- thy Lord is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful. The Bee 16:115. He has only forbidden you dead meat, and blood, and the flesh of swine, and any (food) over which the name of other than Allah has been invoked. But if one is forced by necessity, without willful disobedience, nor transgressing due limits,- then Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
Cultural references to pigs
Muslims
Religious references

- In ancient Greece, a sow was an appropriate sacrifice to Demeter and had been her favorite animal since she had been the Great Goddess of archaic times. Initiates at the Eleusinian Mysteries began by sacrificing a pig.
- The pig is one of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. Believers in Chinese astrology associate each animal with certain personality traits. See: Pig (Zodiac).
- Muslims are forbidden to consume pork by The Lord in the holy Qur'an see the section "the Qur'anic injunctions against pig"
- Jews are also forbidden to consume pork by the laws of Kashrut.
Pigs and people

- Magical transformation of humans into pigs has been used as a key plot device in fantasy storytelling - from the Ancient Greek epic Odysseus, in which the hero's ship's crew is turned into pigs by Circe; to Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away (2001) in which the heroine's parents are turned into pigs.
- Zhu Bajie is a famous part human, part pig, literary character from the Chinese novel Journey to the West.
- Pigs being fed human remains or pigs eating humans has appeared recently in popular fiction, such as the films The Deer Hunter, Snatch, Hannibal (although these are boars), and the TV show Millennium.
Pig-related idioms

- The idiomatic phrase "when pigs fly" refers to something that is unlikely to ever happen.
- The English language abounds with unflattering references and idioms involving pigs. Pigs are commonly associated with greed ("as greedy as a pig"), obesity, gluttony ("to pig out") and sloth ("a lazy pig"). Likewise, a hog is someone or something that monopolizes time, resources, or processes, e.g. a road hog or server hog. Pigs are also associated with dirtiness ("this room is a pigsty"); the latter probably comes from their habit of wallowing in mud. The perennially soot-covered character in the Peanuts comic strip is named Pig-Pen.
- "Pig" is also used as a derogatory slang term for a police officer in more than just the English language.
- "Male chauvinist pig" was a derogatory term adopted by the women's liberation movement in the 1960s to describe men who appear to believe that males are superior to females.
- "Pig" (slang) is a word used to refer to one's friend or buddy, similar to the slang dog or dawg. "Pig" is more commonly used when a female is addressing a friend, usually female, as many females find the term dog or dawg derogatory. Use of this term originated in Northern California (Millbrae, California to be exact), but has spread to Southern California.
Other pig-related words

- The noise that a pig makes is usually represented as "oink" in the English language but in many different ways in other languages – for instance, chrum (Polish), hunk (Albanian), hulu (Mandarin Chinese), nøff (Norwegian) and so on. See oink for a fuller list.
- American footballs were originally made from pig skin and are often called pigskins.
- The familiar piggybank got its name and shape as a result of a pun on the word pygg, a type of clay commonly used to produce household items in the 18th Century.
- Pig iron is so named because the molten newly-smelted iron was once poured into molds resembling rows of suckling pigs.
Music and art

- Song of Pig is a popular song in China.
- Pigs feature heavily in the artwork and stage shows of the rock band Pink Floyd.
See also

- Family farm hog pen
- Ham
- Guinea pig (is a rodent)
- Intensive pig farming
- Razorbacks (sports team also known as "the Hogs")
- List of fictional pigs
- Pig iron
- Pigpen
- Pig War
- Fetal pig
- Hogzilla
External links

- [http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/swine/ Swine Breeds, with pictures] Category:Even-toed ungulates Category:Pigs ko:돼지 ja:ブタ simple:Pig th:สุกร

Wales

:For alternate meanings, see Wales (disambiguation) :For an explanation of often confusing terms like (Great) Britain, United Kingdom and England see British Isles (terminology) . Wales (Welsh: Cymru; pronounced IPA: , approximately "CUM-ree") is a principality and one of the four constituent parts of the United Kingdom (along with England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland). Wales is located in the south-west of Great Britain, and is bordered by England to the east, the Bristol Channel to the south, St George's Channel in the west, and the Irish Sea to the north. The term Principality of Wales, in Welsh, Tywysogaeth Cymru, is often used, although the Prince of Wales has no role in the governance of Wales and this term is unpopular among some. Wales has not been politically independent since 1282, when it was conquered by King Edward I of England. The capital of Wales since 1955 has been Cardiff, although Caernarfon is the location where the Prince of Wales is invested, and Machynlleth was the home of a parliament called by Owain Glyndwr during his revolt at the start of the fifteenth century. In 1999, the National Assembly for Wales was formed, which has limited domestic powers and cannot make law.

History

Main article: History of Wales The Romans established a string of forts across what is now southern Wales, as far west as Carmarthen (Maridunum), and mined gold at Dolaucothi in Carmarthenshire. There is evidence that they progressed even further west. They also built the legionary fortress at Caerleon (Isca), whose magnificent amphitheatre is the best preserved in Britain. The Romans were also busy in northern Wales, and an old legend claims that Magnus Maximus, one of the last emperors, married Elen or Helen, the daughter of a Welsh chieftain from Segontium, near present-day Caernarfon. Wales was never conquered by the Anglo-Saxons, due to the fierce resistance of its people and its mountainous terrain. An Anglo-Saxon king, Offa of Mercia, is credited with having constructed a great earth wall, or dyke, along the border with his kingdom, to mark off a large part of Powys which he had conquered. Parts of Offa's Dyke can still be seen today. Wales remained a Celtic region, and its people kept speaking the Welsh language, even as the Celtic elements of England and Scotland gradually disappeared. The name Wales is evidence of this, as it comes from a Germanic root word meaning stranger or foreigner, and as such is related to the names of several other European regions where Germanic peoples came into contact with non-Germanic cultures including Wallonia in Belgium and Wallachia in Romania, as well as the "-wall" of Cornwall. Part of the word "Cymru" is evident in the "Cum-" of Cumberland and Cumbria. Wales continued to be Christian (see 1904–1905 Welsh Revival and Welsh Methodist revival) when England was overrun by pagan German and Scandinavian tribes, though many older beliefs and customs survived among its people. Thus, Saint David (Dewi Sant) went on a pilgrimage to Rome during the 6th century, and was serving as a bishop in Wales well before Augustine arrived to convert the king of Kent and found the diocese of Canterbury. Although the Druidic religion is alleged to have had its stronghold in Wales until the Roman invasion, many of the so-called traditions, such as the gorsedd, or assembly of bards, were the invention of eighteenth-century "historians." The traditional women's Welsh costume, incorporating a tall black hat, was devised in the nineteenth century by Lady Llanover, herself a prominent patron of the Welsh language and culture. The conquest of Wales by England did not take place in 1066, when England was conquered by the Normans, but was gradual, not being complete until 1282, when King Edward I of England defeated Llywelyn the Last, Wales's last independent prince, in battle. Edward constructed a series of great stone castles in order to keep the Welsh under control. The best known are at Caernarfon, Conwy, and Harlech. Wales was legally annexed by the Laws in Wales Act 1535, in the reign of Henry VIII of England. The Wales and Berwick Act 1746 provided that all laws that applied to England would automatically apply to Wales (and Berwick, a town located on the Anglo-Scottish border) unless the law explicitly stated otherwise. This act, with regard to Wales, was repealed in 1967. See: Annales Cambriae

Politics

Main article: Politics of Wales; see also Politics of the United Kingdom Wales has been a principality since the 13th century, initially under the Welsh prince Llywelyn the Great, and later under his grandson, Llywelyn the Last, who took the title Prince of Wales around 1258, and was recognised by the English Crown in 1277 by the Treaty of Aberconwy. Following his defeat by Edward I, however, Welsh independence in the 14th century was limited to a number of minor revolts. The greatest such revolt was that of Owain Glyndwr, who gained popular support in 1400, and defeated an English force at Pumlumon in 1401. In response, the English parliament passed repressive measures denying the Welsh the right of assembly. Glyndwr was proclaimed Prince of Wales, and sought assistance from the French, but by 1409 his forces were scattered under the attacks of King Henry IV of England and further measures imposed against the Welsh. The Laws in Wales Act 1535 abolished the remaining Marcher Lordships, leaving Wales with thirteen counties: Anglesey, Brecon, Caernarfon, Cardigan, Carmarthen, Denbigh, Flint, Glamorgan, Merioneth, Monmouth, Montgomery, Pembroke, and Radnor, and applied the Law of England to both England and Wales, requiring the English language for official purposes. This excluded most native Welsh from any formal office. Wales continues to share a legal identity with England to a large degree as the joint entity of England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland retain separate legal systems. Wales was for centuries dwarfed by its larger neighbour, England. Indeed, one well-known British encyclopedia was said — perhaps apocryphally — to have had an entry reading "WALES. See under ENGLAND". In 1955 steps were taken to re-establish a sense of national identity for Wales when Cardiff was established as its capital. Before this, legislation passed by the UK parliament had simply referred to England, rather than England and Wales. Since 1993 and the passing of the Welsh Language Act it has been law for all documents produced by public bodies to be in both English and Welsh. Many private companies have followed suit, producing literature with similar bilingual qualities. The National Assembly for Wales, sitting in Cardiff, first elected in 1999, is elected by the Welsh people and has its powers defined by the Government of Wales Act 1998. The title of Prince of Wales is still given by the reigning British monarch to his or her eldest son, but in modern times the Prince does not live in Wales and has no direct involvement with administration or government. The Prince is, however, still symbolically linked to the principality; the investiture of Charles, Prince of Wales took place at Caernarfon Castle in North Wales, a place traditionally associated with the creation of the title in the 13th century. The investiture was considered an insult by some Welsh people, and Welsh folk singer Dafydd Iwan released mocking singles called Croeso Chwedeg Nain (Welcome 69, although a literal translation would be Welcome Granny's 60th (birthday)) and Carlo (Charlie). Two members of "Mudiad Amddiffyn Cymru" – MAC (Welsh Defence Movement) – George Taylor and Alwyn Jones, the "Abergele Martyrs", were killed by a home made bomb at Abergele the day before the investiture ceremony.

Geography

Abergele Main article: Geography of Wales Wales is located on a peninsula in central-west Great Britain. The entire area of Wales is about 20,779 km² (8,023 square miles). It is about 274 km (170 miles) long and 97 km (60 miles) wide. Wales borders by England to the east and by sea in the other three directions: the Bristol Channel to the south, St George's Channel to the west, and the Irish Sea to the north. Together, Wales has over 965 km (600 miles) of coastline. There are several islands off the Welsh mainland, the largest being Anglesey in the northwest. The main population and industrial areas are in South Wales, consisting of the cities of Cardiff, Swansea and Newport and surrounding areas. Much of Wales's diverse landscape is mountainous, particularly in the north and central regions. The mountains were shaped during the last ice age, the Devensian glaciation. The highest mountains in Wales are in Snowdonia, and include Snowdon, which, at 1085 m (3,560 feet) is the highest peak in England and Wales. The 14 (or possibly 15) Welsh mountains over 3000 feet high are known collectively as the Welsh 3000s. The Brecon Beacons are in the south and are joined by the Cambrian Mountains in mid-Wales, the latter being given to the earliest geological period of the Paleozoic (Cambrian). Consequently, the next two periods, Ordovician and Silurian were named after Welsh/Celtic tribes from this area. The modern border between Wales and England is highly arbitrary; it was largely defined in the 16th century, based on medieval feudal boundaries. It has apparently never been confirmed by referendum or reviewed by any Boundary Commission (except to confirm Monmouthshire as part of Wales in 1968). The boundary line follows Offa's Dyke only approximately. It separates Knighton from its railway station, virtually cuts off Church Stoke from the rest of Wales, and slices straight through the village of Llanymynech (where a pub actually straddles the line). The Seven Wonders of Wales is a traditional list of seven geographic and cultural landmarks in Wales: Snowdon (the highest mountain), the Gresford bells (the peal of bells in the medieval church of All Saints at Gresford), the Llangollen bridge (built in 1347 over the River Dee), St Winefride's Well (a pilgrimage site at Holywell in Flintshire) the Wrexham steeple (16th century tower of St. Giles Church in Wrexham), the Overton yew trees (ancient yew trees in the churchyard of St Mary's at Overton-on-Dee) and Pistyll Rhaeadr (Wales's tallest waterfall, at 240 feet or 75 m). The wonders are part of the traditional rhyme: :Pistyll Rhaeadr and Wrexham steeple, :Snowdon's mountain without its people, :Overton yew trees, St Winefride wells, :Llangollen bridge and Gresford bells. Highest maximum temperature: 35.2°C (95.4°F) at Hawarden Bridge, Flintshire on 2 August 1990. Lowest minimum temperature: -23.3°C (-10°F) at Rhayader, Radnorshire on 21 January 1940. [http://www.metoffice.com/climate/uk/location/wales/#temperature] See also: List of towns in Wales

Divisions

For administrative purposes, Wales has been divided since 1996 into 22 unitary authorities:
- 9 counties
- 10 county boroughs
- 3 cities^{1^{- Cardiff, Swansea and Newport.

For more details and recent history of the political divisions of Wales, see Subdivisions of Wales.

1: There are five cities in total in Wales — in addition to the three unitary authorities listed above, the communities of Bangor & St. David's also have the status of a city.

Economy

Parts of Wales have been heavily industrialised since the eighteenth century. Coal, copper, iron, lead, and gold have been mined in Wales, and slate has been quarried. Ironworks and tinplate works, along with the coal mines, attracted large numbers of immigrants during the nineteenth century, particularly to the valleys north of Cardiff. Due to the poor quality soil, much of Wales is unsuitable for crop-growing, and livestock farming has traditionally been the focus of agriculture. The Welsh landscape, protected by three National Parks, and the unique Welsh culture bring in tourism, which is especially vital for rural areas.

Light engineering is still an important activity in the main population areas of the South and extreme North-East, but the economy, as elsewhere in the UK, is now focused on the service sector.

Food

About 80% of the land surface of Wales is given over to agricultural use. Very little of this is arable land though as the vast majority consists of permanent grass or rough grazing for herd animals. Although both beef and dairy cattle are raised widely, especially in Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire, Wales is more well-known for its sheep farming, and thus lamb is the meat traditionally associated with Welsh cooking.

Welsh food is usually made from local ingredients. Some traditional dishes include laverbread (made from seaweed), bara brith (fruit cake), cawl cennin (leek stew), Welsh cakes, Welsh rarebit, and Welsh lamb. A type of shellfish, cockles, is often served with breakfast.

Demographics
Demographics of Wales as at the 2001 Census:

- Population: 2,903,085, Male: 1,403,782 Female: 1,499,303

- Percentage of the population born in:

- England: 20.32%

- Wales: 75.39%

- Scotland: 0.84%

- Northern Ireland: 0.27%

- Republic of Ireland: 0.44%

- Ethnic groups:

- White: British: 95.99%

- White: Irish: 0.61%

- White: other: 1.28%

- Mixed: white and black: 0.29%

- Mixed: white and Asian: 0.17%

- Mixed: other: 0.15%

- Asian:

- Indian/British Indian: 0.28%

- Pakistani/British Pakistani: 0.29%

- Bangladeshi/British Bangladeshi: 0.19%

- Other Asian: 0.12%

- Black: 0.25%

- Chinese: 0.40%

- Percentage of the British population self-identifying as Welsh: 14.39% (controversially, there was no question on the Census form asking this — people had to write this in).

- Religion:

- Christian: 71.9%

- Buddhist: 0.19%

- Hindu: 0.19%

- Jewish: 0.08%

- Muslim: 0.75%

- Sikh: 0.07%

- Other religion: 0.24%

- No religion: 18.53%

- Not disclosed: 8.07%

- The largest single denomination of Wales is Calvinist Methodism, which by far is the largest single denomination, followed by the Roman Catholic Church (Eglwys Catholig Rufeinig) and the Episcopalian (Anglican) Church in Wales (Eglwys yng Nghymru) with 3% of the population each, and the Congregationalist Union of Welsh Independents (Undeb yr Annibynwyr Cymraeg) and the Presbyterian Church of Wales (Eglwys Bresbyteraidd Cymru) with 1% of the population each.

- Age structure of the population:

- 0-4: 167,903

- 5-7: 108,149

- 8-9: 77,176

- 10-14: 195,976

- 15: 37,951

- 16-17: 75,234

- 18-19: 71,519

- 20-24: 169,493

- 25-29: 166,348

- 30-44: 605,962

- 45-59: 569,676

- 60-64: 152,924

- 65-74: 264,191

- 75-84: 182,202

- 85-89: 38,977

- 90+: 19,404

- Knowledge of the Welsh language:

- Percentage of the population aged 3 or more knowing spoken Welsh only: 4.93%

- Percentage of the population aged 3 or more speaking Welsh but not reading or writing it: 2.83%

- Percentage of the population aged 3 or more speaking and reading Welsh but not writing it: 1.37%

- Percentage of the population aged 3 or more speaking, reading, and writing Welsh: 16.32%

- Percentage of the population aged 3 or more with some other skills combination: 2.98%

- Percentage of the population aged 3 or more with no knowledge of Welsh: 71.57%

- In Gwynedd, Anglesey, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire, Welsh speakers are in the majority.

- Gwynedd has the highest proportion of Welsh speakers, but Carmarthenshire has the highest number of them in any one principal area.

- According to www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/uk.html[http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/uk.html], 26% of the population are knowledgeable of Cymraeg.

Culture
Main article: Culture of Wales

Music
Main article: Music of Wales

Wales is known as a the home of many musicians and musical styles. Wales is particularly famous for harpists, male voice choirs, and solo artists including Tom Jones, Charlotte Church, Bryn Terfel, Katherine Jenkins, and Shirley Bassey. Indie bands like Catatonia, Stereophonics, The Manic Street Preachers, and Super Furry Animals in the 1990s and later Goldie Lookin' Chain and Funeral for a Friend are also from Wales. The Welsh folk music scene, long overshadowed by its Irish and Scottish cousins, is in resurgence. The BBC National Orchestra of Wales performs throughout Wales and internationally.

Photos of Wales

image:Snowdon from Llyn Llydaw.jpg|The summit of Snowdon, Snowdonia, highest mountain in Wales
image:Caernarfon_castle_interior.jpg|Caernarfon castle
image:Tredegar-House.png|Tredegar House, Newport
image:HallOfTheMountainKings.jpg|Hall of the Mountain Kings, Ogof Craig a Ffynnon, a cave in the Brecon Beacons
image:Uwlsdb.jpg|The University of Wales, Lampeter, the oldest higher education institution in Wales
image:Aberstw.jpg|The Castle and Old College building, Aberystwyth
Image:Assemblybldg1.jpg|The National Assembly for Wales, Cardiff

Notable Welsh people
:see List of Welsh people

See also

- Angelystor

- Education in Wales

- List of not fully sovereign nations

- England and Wales

- List of public holidays in Wales

- List of Welsh people

- List of rulers of Wales

- List of United Kingdom-related topics

- Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch

- Seven Wonders of Wales

- Walh

- Welsh narrow gauge railways

- Madog ap Owain Gwynedd

- The size of Wales

- Wales national rugby union team

- Welsh national football team

External links

- [http://www.walesworldnation.com Wales. World Nation](General information about Wales, its government and its people)

- [http://www.famouswelsh.com Famous Welsh People]

- [http://www.butlinsbarryisland.com/ ButlinsBarryIsland.com : The history of the Barry Island Holiday Camp]

- [http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/ BBC Wales]

- [http://www.wales.gov.uk National Assembly for Wales]

- [http://www.walesontheweb.org Wales on the Web] (Web directory)

- [http://www.google.com/Top/Regional/Europe/United_Kingdom/Wales/ Google Directory: Wales ] (Web directory)

- [http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/state/nations/ BBC Nations] (Brief history of Wales)

- [http://www.walesscreencommission.co.uk/ Wales Screen Commission] (Filming in Wales)

- [http://www.walesinfo.com/ Wales Tourist Information] (Tourist Information)

- [http://www.visitwales.com/ Visit Wales] (Official Tourist Information from the Wales Tourist Board)

Category:Principalities
Category:NUTS 1 Statistical Regions of Europe

als:Wales
zh-min-nan:Cymru

ko:웨일스

ja:ウェールズ

simple:Wales

th:เวลส์

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia is one of the original thirteen states of the United States that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution, and is part of the South. It is one of four states that use the name commonwealth. Virginia was the first part of the Americas to be colonized permanently by England. Virginia's U.S. postal abbreviation is VA, and its Associated Press abbreviation is Va.

Kentucky and West Virginia were part of Virginia at the time of the founding of the United States; but the former was admitted to the Union as a separate state in 1792, while the latter broke away from Virginia during the American Civil War.

Virginia is known as the "Mother of Presidents", because it is the birthplace of eight U.S. presidents, more than any other state. Five of them were re-elected to a second term: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe and Woodrow Wilson. William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, and Zachary Taylor round out the list of American Presidents from the Commonwealth of Virginia. (Harrison and Taylor died while in office.)

History

Native Americans
At the time of the English colonization of Virginia, among Native American people living in what now is Virginia were the Cherokee, Chickahominy, Mattaponi, Meherrin, Monacan, Nansemond, Nottaway, Pamunkey, Pohick, Powhatan, Rappahannock, Saponi, and Tuscarora. The natives are often divided into three groups. The largest group are known as the Algonquian who numbered over 10,000. The other groups are the Iroquoian (numbering 2,500) and the Siouan. [http://oncampus.richmond.edu/academics/education/projects/webunits/vahistory/tribes.html]

Virginia Colony: 1607–1776

At the end of the 16th century, when Great Britain began to colonize North America, Virginia was the name that Queen Elizabeth I of England (who was known as the "Virgin Queen" because she never married) gave to the whole area explored by the 1584 expedition of Sir Walter Raleigh along the coast of North America, eventually applying to the whole coast from South Carolina to Maine. The London Virginia Company became incorporated as a joint stock company by a proprietary charter drawn up on April 10, 1606. It swiftly financed the first permanent English settlement in the New World, which was at Jamestown, named in honor of}}