Interesting And Fun Facts About Alabama
The state of Alabama is located in the deep south region of the southeastern United States. The bordering states are Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. The origin of name Alabama was derived from the Alabama people a Muskegon-speaking tribe in this region. Some scholars suggest that Alabama came from a combination of two native American Choctaw words Alba and Amo. In Choctaw Alba means vegetation, herbs or plants and Amo means gatherer or picker. So vegetarian gatherers would be an apt description for the Alabama Indians who cleared much of this land for agricultural purposes. Now the capital of Alabama is Montgomery. Birmingham is the largest city and other major cities include Huntsville mobile and Tuscaloosa. The Birmingham metro area is the largest urban area in the state with over a population of over 1 million. The state of Alabama has 67 counties. The flag of Alabama state consists of a red cross on a white background. The state motto is Gaudeamus Uranustra Defendere which is Latin for we dare defend our rights. The official state tree is the longleaf pine and the state flower is the camellia. The official state bird is the Yellow Hammer bird and Alabama is also nicknamed after this bird as the Yellow Hammer State. Alabama is also known as the heart of dixie or the cotton state. The two-letter code for Alabama is AL and Alabama follows the U.S.central time.
Alabama is the 24th most populous state in the country with a total population of about 4.9 million as per the 2020 estimate. Greater Birmingham is the most populous urban area in Alabama and is also its main economic center. Until world war II, like many other southern states, Alabama suffered economic hardship. In part because of its continued dependence on agriculture as a pro-slave state, white rural interests dominated the state legislature from 1901 all the way to the 1960s. During this time urban interests and African Americans were markedly under-represented. Following world war II, Alabama grew as the state’s economy changed from one primarily based on agriculture to one with diversified interests.
The state’s economy in the 21st century nowadays is based on Management, Automotive, Finance, Manufacturing, Aerospace, Mineral extraction, Healthcare, Education, Retail, and technology. So as you can tell Alabama is primarily a diversified economy. The University of Alabama at Birmingham is one of the state’s largest employers. It’s the university of Alabama Birmingham itself has emerged as a financial and commercial center. Especially as the home of major state banks, regional utilities, national entrance companies, and international construction concerns. But overall, Alabama is relatively poor relative to other U.S states. The 2019 Alabama’s GDP was 231 billion dollars and the 2020 per capita personal income has remained well below the national average at about 46,908 as per the U.S Bureau of Economic Analysis.
Indigenous peoples of varying cultures lived in this area for thousands of years before the advent of European colonization and now with exploration in the 16th century, the Spanish were the first Europeans to reach Alabama. 160 years later, the French founded the region’s first European settlement at old mobile in 1702. This land was claimed by the French from 1702, when it was founded to 1763 as part of Louisiana or well the Louisiana. After the French lost to the British in the after seven years of war, it became part of British West Florida from 1763 to 1783 and after the US victory in the American revolutionary war the territory was divided between the US and Spain. The latter retained control of this western territory from 1783 until the surrender of the Spanish Garrison automobile to US forces on April 13, 1813. Shortly afterwards, Alabama was officially admitted to the United States as the 22nd state on December 14, 1819.
Now area-wise, Alabama is the 30th largest state and it has a small coastline with the Gulf of Mexico in the mobile bay area. The mobile porch is one of the largest in the United States. Alabama also has over 1300 miles of inland navigable waterways through six major rivers, one of the highest in the country. Tornadoes bother Alabama every year and along with Oklahoma and Iowa, Alabama has the most confirmed F5 most dangerous tornadoes of any state. The highest elevation in Alabama is Mount Cheaha at 2,413 feet and the lowest being the Gulf of Mexico coast.
Alabama has a humid subtropical climate with very hot summers and mild winters. Southern Alabama, being closer to the Gulf of Mexico tends to be warmer and as we move up towards the Appalachian mountains in the northeast it gets slightly cooler.
College football is extremely popular in Alabama, particularly the University of Alabama Crimson Tide and the Auburn University Tigers rivals in the southeastern conference, an athletic conference in the NCAA. The Talladega Superspeedway attracts hundreds of thousands of auto racing enthusiasts every year.