The Cumberland River is a major waterway of the Southern United States. The 688-mile-long (1,107 km) river drains almost 18,000 square miles (47,000 km2) of southern Kentucky and north-central Tennessee. The river flows generally west from a source in the Appalachian Mountains to its confluence with the Ohio River near Paducah, Kentucky, and the mouth of the Tennessee River. Major tributaries include the Obey, Caney Fork, Stones, and Red Rivers.
Canoers on the Cumberland River upstream from Cumberland Falls
Confluence of the Cumberland River headwater forks at Baxter
Cumberland falls
Barge traffic on the Cumberland River. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers maintains the river for tug-and-barge navigation.
Kentucky, officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Kentucky borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the northeast, Virginia to the east, Tennessee to the south, and Missouri to the west. Its northern border is defined by the Ohio River. Its capital is Frankfort and its largest city is Louisville. As of 2020, the population was approximately 4.5 million.
In 1942 the U.S. Post Office issued a postage stamp commemorating the 150th anniversary of Kentucky statehood, a 3-cent 1942 issue
Abraham Lincoln Birthplace near Hodgenville
Lake Cumberland is the largest artificial American lake east of the Mississippi River by volume.
Once an industrial wasteland, Louisville's reclaimed waterfront now features thousands of trees and miles of walking trails.