Alabama State Guide - Geography

Alabama is the 30th largest state in the United States with 52,423 square miles (135,775 km) of total area. 3.19% of that is water, making Alabama 23rd in the amount of surface water, also giving it the second largest inland waterway system in the United States. About three-fifths of the land area is a gentle plain with a general decline 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. The lowest point east of the Mississippi River lies in Dekalb County along a creek cutting tower ridges, and creating Buck's Pocket State Park. Another natural wonder is "Land Bridge", the longest natural bridge span east of the Mississippi River. Alabama generally ranges in elevation from sea level at Mobile Bay, to a little more than 1,800 feet (550 m) in the Appalachian Mountains in the northeast. The highest point is Mount Cheaha.

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.

National Parks in Alabama include Horseshoe Bend National Military Park in Daviston; Little River Canyon National Preserve in Fort Payne; Russell Cave National Monument in Bridgeport; Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site in Tuskegee; and Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site near Tuskegee.

Alabama also contains the Natchez Trace Parkway, the Selma To Montgomery National Historic Trail, and the Trail Of Tears National Historic Trail.

Alabama State Guide - Climate

The climate of Alabama is best described as being a humid subtropical climate. This is especially true in the southern part of the state with its close proximity to the Gulf of Mexico, while the Northern parts of the state, especially in the Appalachian Mountains in the Northeast tend to be much closer to a Continental climate. Generally, Alabama has very hot summers and mild winters with copious precipitation throughout the year, although typically March is the wettest month and October is the driest month.

Summers in Alabama are among the hottest in the United States on average with temperatures in the entire state averaging over 90 °F for the high temperature throughout the entire summer. Alabama is also very prone to strikes by tropical cyclones. Even areas of the state far away from the gulf are not immune to the effects of hurricanes or tropical storms as often storms which strike the coast will often dump tremendous amounts of rain inland as they weaken. Southern Alabama, in common with much of the southeast coast has frequent thunderstorms, averaging around 70 days of thunderstorms a year. Tornadoes are common in Alabama throughout the state, although the "peak" season for tornadoes varies from the northern to southern parts of the state.

Winters are generally mild in Alabama as they are throughout most of the southeastern United States with average January low temperatures around 40 °F in Mobile and around 32° F in Birmingham. Snow is not a rare event in much of Alabama and most of the state north of Montgomery expects a dusting of snow a few times every winter with an occasional moderately heavy snowfall every few years. In the southern Gulf coast, snowfall is less frequent sometimes going several years without any snowfall.

Alabama State Guide - History

Among Native American people once living in present Alabama were Alabama (Alibamu), Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, Koasati, and Mobile. Trade with the Northeast via the Ohio River began during the Burial Mound Period (1000 BC-A.D. 700) and continued until European contact. Meso-American influence is evident in the agrarian Mississippian culture that followed.

The French founded the first European settlement in the state with the establishment of Mobile in 1702. Southern Alabama was French from 1702 to 1763, part of British West Florida from 1763 to 1780, and part of Spanish West Florida from 1780 to 1814. Northern and central Alabama was part of British Georgia from 1763 to 1783 and part of the American Mississippi territory thereafter. Its statehood was delayed by the lack of a coastline; rectified when Andrew Jackson captured Spanish Mobile in 1814. Alabama was the twenty-second state admitted to the Union, in 1819.

The economy of the central "Black Belt (region of Alabama)" featured large rich slave plantations that grew cotton. Elsewhere poor whites were subsistence farmers. Alabama seceded and joined the Confederate States of America, 1861–65. While not many battles were fought in the state, Alabama contributed about 120,000 soldiers to the Civil War. All the slaves were freed by 1865. After a period of Reconstruction it emerged as a poor rural state, still tied to cotton, with high racial tensions between the ruling whites and the recently emancipated negros, who had second-class legal, social and economic status. The negros lost the right to vote in 1901, and, after 1917, many migrated to northern cities. Politically, the state was one-party Democratic, and produced a number of national leaders. World War II brought prosperity. Cotton faded in importance as the state developed a manufacturing and service base. In the 1960s, under Governor George Wallace, the state opposed federal integration efforts. After the passage of the Civil Rights Laws of 1964 and 1965, African Americans regained the right to vote and de jure segregation and Jim Crow disappeared. After 1972, the state became a Republican stronghold in presidential elections, and leaned Republican in state elections.

Alabama State Guide - Demographics

As of 2005, Alabama has an estimated population of 4,557,808, which is an increase of 32,433, or 0.7%, from the prior year and an increase of 110,457, or 2.5%, since the year 2000. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 77,418 people (that is 319,544 births minus 242,126 deaths) and an increase due to net migration of 36,457 people into the state. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 25,936 people, and migration within the country produced a net increase of 10,521 people.

The state had 108,000 foreign-born (2.4% of the state population), of which an estimated 22.2% were illegal aliens (24,000).

Alabama State Guide - Economy

According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the 2003 total gross state product was $132 billion. The per capita income for the state was $26,505 in 2003. Alabama's agricultural outputs include poultry and eggs, cattle, plant nursery items, peanuts, cotton, grains such as corn and sorghum, vegetables, milk, soybeans, and peaches. Although known as "The Cotton State", Alabama ranks between eight and ten in national cotton production, according to various reports, with Texas, Georgia and Mississippi comprising the top three. Alabama's industrial outputs include iron and steel products (including cast-iron and steel pipe); paper, lumber, and wood products; mining (mostly coal); plastic products; cars and trucks; and apparel. Also, Alabama produces aerospace and electronic products, mostly in the Huntsville area, which is home of the NASA George C. Marshall Space Flight Center and the US Army Missile Command, headquartered at Redstone Arsenal.

Also, the city of Mobile is a busy seaport on the Gulf of Mexico, and with inland waterway access to the Midwest via the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway.

Alabama levies a 2, 4 or 5% personal income tax, depending upon the amount earned and filing status. The state's sales general tax rate is 4%. The collection rate could be substantially higher, depending upon additional city and county sales taxes. The corporate income tax rate is currently 6.5%.

Alabama State Guide - Transportation

Alabama has five major interstate roads that cross it: I-65 runs north-south roughly through the middle of the state; I-59/I-20 travels from the central west border to Birmingham, where I-59 continues to the north-east corner of the state and I-20 continues east; I-85 goes from the border of Georgia and ends in Montgomery, providing a main thoroughfare to Atlanta; and I-10 traverses the southernmost portion of the state, running from west to east through Mobile. Another interstate road, I-22, is currently under construction. When completed (est. 2012), it will connect Birmingham with Memphis, Tennessee.

Major airports in Alabama include Birmingham International Airport (BHM), Dothan Regional Airport (DHN), Huntsville International Airport (HSV), Mobile Regional Airport (MOB), Muscle Shoals - Northwest Alabama Regional Airport (MSL), and Tuscaloosa Regional Airport (TCL).

Alabama State Guide - State government

The foundational document for Alabama's government is the Alabama Constitution, which was ratified in 1901. At more than 770 amendments and 310,000 words, it is the world's longest constitution and is roughly forty times the length of the U.S. Constitution.

Alabama is divided into three co-equal branches:

The legislative branch is the Alabama Legislature, a bicameral assembly composed of the Alabama House of Representatives, with 105 members, and the Alabama Senate, with 35 members. The Legislature is responsible for writing, debating, passing, or defeating state legislation.

The executive branch is responsible for the execution and oversight of laws. It is headed by the Governor of Alabama. Other members of executive branch include the cabinet, the Attorney General of Alabama, the Alabama Secretary of State, the Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries, the Alabama State Treasurer, and the Alabama State Auditor.

The judicial branch is responsible for interpreting the Constitution and applying the law in state criminal and civil cases. The highest court is the Supreme Court of Alabama.

Alabama State Guide - Local and county government

Alabama has 67 counties. Each county has its own elected legislative branch, usually called the Board of Commissioners, which usually also has executive authority in the county. Due to the restraints placed in the Alabama Constitution, all but 7 counties (Jefferson, Lee, Mobile, Madison, Montgomery, Shelby, and Tuscaloosa) in the state have little to no home rule. Instead, most counties in the state must lobby the Local Legislation Committee of the state legislature to get simple local policies such as waste disposal to land use zoning.

Alabama is an alcoholic beverage control state; the government holds a monopoly on the sale of alcohol.

Alabama State Guide - Colleges and Universities

There are fourteen 4-year public universities in Alabama:

* Alabama A&M University (Normal)
* Alabama State University (Montgomery)
* Athens State University (Athens)
* Auburn University (Auburn)
* Auburn University Montgomery (Montgomery)
* Jacksonville State University (Jacksonville)
* Troy University (Troy)
* University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa)
* University of Alabama at Birmingham (Birmingham)
* University of Alabama in Huntsville (Huntsville)
* University of Montevallo (Montevallo)
* University of North Alabama (Florence)
* University of South Alabama (Mobile)
* University of West Alabama (Livingston)

In addition, the Alabama Association of Independent Colleges and Universities recognizes 17 member institutions as "private senior colleges":

* Birmingham-Southern College (Birmingham)
* Concordia College (Selma)
* Faulkner University (Montgomery)
* Huntingdon College (Montgomery)
* Judson College (Marion)
* Miles College (Fairfield)
* Oakwood College (Huntsville)
* Samford University (Homewood)
* Selma University (Selma)
* Southeastern Bible College (Birmingham)
* Spring Hill College (Mobile)
* Stillman College (Tuscaloosa)
* Regions University (Montgomery)
* Talladega College (Talladega)
* Tuskegee University (Tuskegee)
* United States Sports Academy (Daphne)
* University of Mobile (Mobile)

Article Source: Wikipedia