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| State of Alabama |
|
|
| Official language(s) |
English |
| Spoken language(s) |
English 96.17%,
Spanish 2.12% |
| Demonym |
Alabamian |
| Capital |
Montgomery |
| Largest city |
Birmingham
(229,424, est. 2006)[1] |
| Largest metro area |
Greater Birmingham Area |
| Area |
Ranked 30th in the US |
| - Total |
52,419 sq mi
(135,765 km²) |
| - Width |
190 miles (306 km) |
| - Length |
330 miles (531 km) |
| - % water |
3.20 |
| - Latitude |
30° 11′ N to 35° N |
| - Longitude |
84° 53′ W to 88° 28′ W |
| Population |
Ranked 23rd in the US |
| - Total |
4,447,100 |
| - Density |
84.83/sq mi
33.84/km² (26th in the US) |
| Elevation |
|
| - Highest point |
Mount Cheaha[2]
2,407 ft (734 m) |
| - Mean |
499 ft (152 m) |
| - Lowest point |
Gulf of Mexico[2]
0 ft (0 m) |
| Admission to Union |
December 14, 1819 (22nd) |
| Governor |
Robert R. Riley (R) |
| Lieutenant Governor |
Jim Folsom, Jr. (D) |
| U.S. Senators |
Richard Shelby (R)
Jeff Sessions (R) |
| Congressional Delegation |
List |
| Time zone |
Central: UTC-6/DST-5 |
| Abbreviations |
AL Ala. US-AL |
| Website |
www.alabama.gov |
The State of Alabama (IPA: /ˌæləˈbæmə/), is located in the southern region of the United States of America. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi
to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in
the size of its inland waterways. The state ranks 23rd in population
with almost 4.6 million residents in 2006.[3]
From the American Civil War until World War II,
Alabama, like many Southern States, suffered economic hardship, in part
because of continued dependence on agriculture. More significantly,
white rural, minority domination of the legislature until the 1960s
meant that urban, contemporary interests were consistently
underrepresented.[4]
In the years following the war, Alabama experienced significant
recovery as the economy of the state transitioned from agriculture to
diversified interests in heavy manufacturing, mineral extraction,
education, and high technology. Today, the state is heavily invested in
aerospace, education, health care, and banking, and various heavy
industries including automobile manufacturing, mineral extraction,
steel production and fabrication.
Alabama is unofficially nicknamed the Yellowhammer State, which is also the name of the state bird. Alabama is also known as the "Heart of Dixie". The state tree is the Longleaf Pine, the state flower is the Camellia. The capital of Alabama is Montgomery, and the largest city by population is Birmingham. The largest city by total land area is Huntsville. The oldest city is Mobile.
Etymology of state name
The Alabama, a Muskogean tribe, which resided just below the confluence of the Coosa and Tallapoosa Rivers on the upper reaches of the Alabama River,[5] served as the etymological source of the names of the river and state. In the Alabama language, the word for an Alabama person is Albaamo (or variously Albaama or Albàamo in different dialects; the plural form "Alabama persons" is Albaamaha).[6] The word Alabama is believed to have originated from the Choctaw language[7] and was later adopted by the Alabama tribe as their name.[8] The spelling of the word varies significantly between sources.[8] The first usage appears in three accounts of the Hernando de Soto expedition of 1540 with Garcilasso de la Vega using Alibamo while the Knight of Elvas and Rodrigo Ranjel wrote Alibamu and Limamu, respectively.[8] As early as 1702, the tribe was known to the French as Alibamon with French maps identifying the river as Rivière des Alibamons.[5] Other spellings of the appellation have included Alibamu, Alabamo, Albama, Alebamon, Alibama, Alibamou, Alabamu, and Allibamou.[8][9][10][11]
Although the origin of Alabama was evident, the meaning of the tribe's name was not always clear. An article without a byline appearing in the Jacksonville Republican on July 27, 1842 originated the idea that the meaning was "Here We Rest."[8] This notion was popularized in the 1850s through the writings of Alexander Beaufort Meek.[8] Experts in the Muskogean languages have been unable to find any evidence that would support this translation.[5][8] It is now generally accepted that the word comes from the Choctaw words alba (meaning "plants" or "weeds") and amo (meaning "to cut", "to trim", or "to gather").[8][7][12] This results in translations such as "clearers of the thicket"[7] or even "herb gatherers"[12][13] which may refer to clearing of land for the purpose of planting crops[9] or to collection of medicinal plants by medicine men.[13]
Geography
-
- See also: List of Alabama counties and Geology of Alabama
Alabama is the 30th largest state in the United States
with 52,423 square miles (135,775 km²) of total area: 3.19% of the area
is water, making Alabama 23rd in the amount of surface water, also giving it the second largest inland waterway system in the United States.[14] About three-fifths of the land area is a gentle plain with a general descent towards the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. The North Alabama region is mostly mountainous, with the Tennessee River cutting a large valley creating numerous creeks, streams, rivers, mountains, and lakes.[15] A notable natural wonder in Alabama is "Natural Bridge" rock, the longest natural bridge east of the Rockies, located just south of Haleyville, in Winston County.
Alabama generally ranges in elevation from sea level[2] at Mobile Bay to over 1,800 feet (550 m) in the Appalachian Mountains in the northeast. The highest point is Mount Cheaha[15] (see map), at a height of 2,407 ft (733 m).
States bordering Alabama include Tennessee to the north; Georgia to the east; Florida to the south; and Mississippi to the west. Alabama has coastline at the Gulf of Mexico, in the extreme southern edge of the state.[15]
Areas in Alabama administered by the National Park Service include Horseshoe Bend National Military Park near Alexander City; Little River Canyon National Preserve near Fort Payne; Russell Cave National Monument in Bridgeport; Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site in Tuskegee; and Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site near Tuskegee.[16]
Alabama also contains the Natchez Trace Parkway, the Selma To Montgomery National Historic Trail, and the Trail Of Tears National Historic Trail.
Suburban Baldwin County, along the Gulf Coast, is the largest county in the state in both land area and water area.[17]
A 5-mile (8 km)-wide meteorite impact crater is located in Elmore County, just north of Montgomery. This is the Wetumpka crater, which is the site of "Alabama's greatest natural disaster".[18] A 1,000-foot (300 m)-wide meteorite hit the area about 80 million years ago.[18] The hills just east of downtown Wetumpka showcase the eroded remains of the impact crater that was blasted into the bedrock, with the area labeled the Wetumpka crater
or astrobleme ("star-wound") because of the concentric rings of
fractures and zones of shattered rock that can be found beneath the
surface.[19]
In 2002, Christian Koeberl with the Institute of Geochemistry
University of Vienna published evidence and established the site as an
internationally recognized impact crater.[18]
Urban areas
Classical
from 
