Land

Cumberland Plateau covers the eastern quarter of the state and the western border is covered by the Appalachians. At its western edge, the plateau meets the uplands of the Lexington Plain also known as the Bluegrass Region. The most level area of the state consists of the western coalfields surrounded by the Pennyroyal to the east and the Ohio River to the north. In the far west are the coastal plains of the Mississippi River. This region is commonly known as the Purchase as it is purchased from the Chickasaw Indians.

The highest point in Kentucky is Black Mountain on the southeastern boundary in Harlan County, at 4,139 ft (2,162 m). The lowest point is along the Mississippi River in Fulton County at 257 ft (78 m),. The state's mean altitude is 750 ft (229 m).

Cumberland Lake, Kentucky Lake, Lake Barkely, and Dale Hollow Lake straddle are large artificial lakes of Kentucky. Kentucky, 259 mi (417 km); the Cumberland, partly in Tennessee; the Tennessee, also in Tennessee and Alabama; and the Big Sandy, Green, Licking, and Trade water rivers are the important rivers of Kentucky.

Completion in 1985 of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, linking the Tennessee and Tombigbee rivers in Alabama, gave Kentucky's Appalachian coalfields direct water access to the Gulf of Mexico for the first time.

Drainage through the porous limestone rock has formed underground passes, Mammoth Cave being the best which is in fact now a national park. The Cumberland Falls, 92 ft (28 m) high and 100 ft (30 m) wide, are located in Whitely County.