Alabama

The Alabama Capitol Building in Montgomery

Alabama is a state that lies deep in the southeastern United States and has a population of about 5 million. The seat of the state government is in the city of Montgomery. The largest city, however, is Huntsville, which lies in the far north. Other major cities are Birmingham and Mobile. The state's name comes from the roughly 300-mile-long Alabama River, which in turn is named after a Native American tribe from that area.

Alabama has large sparsely populated rural areas. Much of northern Alabama is covered by the forested hills and mountains of the Appalachian mountain range. Further south the mountains become a plateau called Piedmont. This region is known for its iron-rich clay soil. In the far south, Alabama has about 40 miles of shoreline. There, the Alabama River flows into the Mobile River, which eventually empties into the Gulf of Mexico. Alabama is located in the subtropical climate zone. Summers there are among the hottest in the United States.

The Cheaha Mountain State Park in the Appalachian mountains attracts many hikers and other nature lovers.

Alabama officially became part of the United States in 1819. Before that it was colonized alternately by the Spanish, French and British. In the 19th century, a large part of the population lived from agriculture. There were large plantations where African slaves were forced to work for their wealthy white owners. Therefore, during the Civil War, Alabama fought on the side of the Confederates, who defended slavery. Even after the abolishment of slavery, inequality between Blacks and Whites remained a big issue in Alabama. In the 1960s Alabama was a centre of the civil rights movement with the so called “Montgomery Bus Boycott” that was triggered by a young black women called Rosa Parks who refused to leave a public bus in Montgomery after a white men entered it.

Agriculture still plays an important role in Alabamas economy. The main agricultural products are cotton, sugar cane, tobacco, corn and potatoes. A lot of wood is felled in the forests, from which furniture and other things are made. Important industries include the production of cars and iron products. The area around Huntsville houses facilities of the NASA with a nearby museum.

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  Rosa Parks

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  NASCAR is a popular sport in Alabama

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  Inside the Cathedral Caverns near Woodville

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  Huntsville is the biggest city in Alabama