Alabama, a state located in the southern region of the United States, was the twenty-second state in America, joining the Union on December 14, 1819. It is the twenty-third most populous and thirtieth largest state in America. The state capital is Montgomery, the largest city is Birmingham and Mobile is the oldest city in the state. Alabama's bordering states are Florida, Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee and its Bordering Body of Water is the Gulf of Mexico. The state's major rivers are Tombigbee River, Alabama River, Tennessee River and Chattahoochee River and its major lakes are Guntersville Lake, Wilson Lake, Martin Lake, West Point Lake and Lewis Smith Lake. In a 2007 survey, nearly 70% of respondents could name all four of the Christian Gospels.
The state name Alabama means "tribal town" in the language of the local Creek Indians. The state has two nicknames; 'Heart of Dixie' and 'Yellowhammer State'. The nickname, 'Yellowhammer state' has been assigned to the state since the civil war when the Confederate soldiers were called 'Yellowhammer'. Interestingly, the state bird is the Yellowhammer and the state flower is the Camellia. Alabama's official flag, called the 'crimson cross of St. Andrew's', was adopted in 1895. The flag has a white background and two crimson bars which are both six inches wide. This flag was designed from the Confederate Battle Flag.
Prior to European arrival to what is now called Alabama, many Native Americans inhabited the state. These Natives consisted of the Koasati, Cherokee, Mobile and many others. From its first contact with Europeans until the United States claimed ownership of Alabama, the state was governed by various nations. It was first under French rule, then British West Florida, Spain West Florida and then British Georgia.
When the new white settlers arrived in the land in the 1820s, they began to take advantage of the good soil the state possessed. They brought slaves with them in order to increase their profits. These people had their slaves build up large cotton plantations in Alabama. There were other white people in Alabama who weren't as wealthy so they would farm in other places in the state. In 1865, all these slaves were freed. However, following the civil war when the population returned to its cotton manufacturing, it desired that the African Americans be enslaved again to perform the labour on the farms. Many white people sought to re-establish control over the African Americans through segregation. Eventually, in the new constitution of 1901, African Americans were disfranchised through voting restrictions. This however came as a blow to the poor white Europeans in the state as they too were disfranchised though voting and many other opportunities they once had. The racial discrimination was furthered when schools for African Americans were underfunded, yet these schools were not relieved of paying taxes. Eventually in the twentieth century a large number of African Americans who had been living in Alabama immigrated to other states in the U.S.A. In the Civil Rights Act of 1964 African Americans finally achieved a protection of voting and other civil rights.
Alabama's major industries include the agriculture of cotton, corn, peanuts, soybeans, poultry, and livestock, hydroelectric power, mining of coal, limestone and iron ore and steel making. The state also has a large amount of industrial outputs including wood products, apparel and plastic products. Alabama ranks between eight and ten in national cotton production and fourth in the nation in automobile output.
Alabama experiences a subtropical climate with very hot summers and mild winters. The temperatures in the southern parts of the state with close proximity to the Gulf of Mexico tend to be warmer than the rest of the state whereas the northern areas tend to be slightly cooler. As a matter of fact, summers in Alabama are said to be one of the hottest in the country of America. Alabama experiences many natural weather conditions. Tropical storms, hurricanes and tornadoes tend to be quite frequent in the state. In many parts of the state thunderstorms can be quite severe with frequent lightning and large hail. South Alabama is recorded to have the most thunderstorms in the United States. However, the central and northern parts of the state are also quite vulnerable to this type of storm. Alabama ranks seventh in the number of deaths from lightning and ninth in the number of deaths from lightning strikes per capita.
The state of Alabama houses 4.6 million residents. The center of population of Alabama is located in Chilton County, outside of the town of Jemison, an area known as Jemison Division. According to a 2007 poll, a large amount of people are said to adhere to the Christian religion with 92% of Alabamians reported as having at least some confidence in churches in the state.
Alabama has a large amount of outdoor recreational activities to keep families and individuals entertained. Tourists enjoy the sugar–white sands of the Gulf Coast beaches, the majestic mountains of north Alabama, biking, camping, hiking, rock-climbing, watching wildlife, canoeing, rafting, boating, snorkelling, scuba diving and hunting white-tailed deer and Eastern wild turkey. There are also a large amount of tourist attractions to which newcomers are drawn. The featured attractions include the Spear Hunting Museum, World's Largest Chair Battle, Ave Maria Grotto, A.G. Gaston Gardens, About Time Antiques, Action Outdoors Entertainment, Adventure Island, Adaptive Aquatics and Admiral Raphael Semmes House.
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