More about Alabama State

Alabama Geography

Alabama's landscape is geographically diverse, encompassing coastal plains, rolling hills, and forested areas. Along its southern Gulf Coast, there are sandy beaches and marshy wetlands. Inland, the terrain rises into gently rolling hills, and the northern part of the state is characterized by the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.
These diverse landscapes offer a range of outdoor opportunities, from water activities along the coast to hiking and exploration in the wooded hills.

🔲 Area

The state occupies an area of 135,767 km² (52,420 sq mi), ^[1] making it somewhat larger than Greece (131,957 km²). Compared with other US states by area, Alabama is six times larger than New Jersey, but it would fit into Texas about five times. Nearly 70% of Alabama's landscape is covered by forest.

Alabama's Landscape

Alabama's landscape offers five major physiographic regions; all areas are sections of the far greater geographic regions of the Eastern and Southeastern United States:


I. The Highland Rim section in the northwest and north-central Alabama is the southern portion of the Appalachian Highlands.


II. To the southeast of the Highland Rim rises the dissected tableland of the Cumberland Plateau (aka Allegheny Plateau), the southern part of the Appalachian Plateau.


III. Further southeast stretches out the belt of the Appalachian Ridge and Valley, a region with ridges along valleys in between, like the Red Mountain ridge that separates the Jones Valley from the Shades Valley south of Birmingham (AL).


IV. Between the Ridge and Valley area and the Atlantic Seaboard fall line dominates the Piedmont Upland Alabama's landscape, a triangular shaped area with rolling hills in the central eastern part of the state.


V. The Coastal Plain province of Alabama is the largest geographic region (about 60%) in the state. It is a mostly flat region, but here and there, it offers some change in the landscape, rounded and eroded hills, cuestas, and Flatwoods; and the are the floodplains of the Alabama and Black Warrior rivers. ^[2]

Rivers

Principal rivers in Alabama are the Coosa River, which becomes the Alabama River, which is then fed by its tributaries, the Tallapoosa, and the Cahaba rivers.

When the Tombigbee River joins the Alabama, the river changes its name again to Mobile River.

The Tennessee River, the largest tributary of the Ohio River, crosses Alabama in north.

The Chattahoochee River forms a section of Alabama's border with Georgia.

The Black Warrior River empties the largest drainage area that lies entirely within Alabama.

Cities and Towns in Alabama

The map shows the location of following cities and towns in Alabama:

Largest cities in Alabama with a population of more than 100,000


Montgomery (pop.: 196,000)
Montgomery is the capital city of Alabama and is known as the birthplace of the civil rights movement. Martin Luther King, Jr., the leader of the American Civil Rights Movement, preached at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. The Civil Rights Memorial in the city and the nearby exhibition center commemorate this movement for racial equality and social justice.
Montgomery is home to the Alabama State University (ASU), a historically black university.


Birmingham
Located in north-central Alabama in the Appalachian foothills, Birmingham grew as an industrial steel center. Its modern economy is based on healthcare, finance, and education. (pop.: 198,500; metro 1.1 million).


Huntsville
A fast-growing city in northern Alabama's Tennessee Valley, Huntsville is a hub for aerospace, defense, and advanced technology, anchored by Redstone Arsenal and NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. (pop.: 230,000),


Mobile
The historic port at the head of Mobile Bay on the Gulf Coast has French and Spanish colonial roots. The city's economy is based primarily on maritime trade, shipbuilding, and industry, while it is also known for its Mardi Gras carnival traditions. (pop.: 201,300).


Tuscaloosa
The city on the Black Warrior River in West-central Alabama lies at a transition zone between the Appalachian foothills and the Gulf Coastal Plains. The ciy's economy is dominated by the University of Alabama automotive manufacturing, and research and service sectors.
(pop.: 114,300).

(Population figures estimates of 2024)

Other cities and towns in Alabama:

Alexander City, Andalusia, Anniston, Athens, Atmore, Auburn, Bay Minette, Bessemer, Brewton, Butler, Camden, Centreville, Chickasaw, Clanton, Cullman, Daphne, Decatur, Demopolis, Dothan, Elba, Enterprise, Eufaula, Evergreen, Fairfield, Fayette, Florence, Fort Payne, Gadsden, Greenville, Gulf Shores, Guntersville, Haleyville, Hamilton, Hartselle, Homewood, Hoover, Jackson, Jasper, Lanett, Luverne, Madison, Marion, Opelika, Opp, Ozark, Phenix City, Prattville, Prichard, Roanoke, Russellville, Scottsboro, Selma, Sylacauga, Talladega, Thomasville, Troy, Tuscaloosa (fifth most populous city in Alabama with 90,000 people), Tuskegee, and Union Springs.

Airports

The busiest airports in Alabama are

✈ Birmingham–Shuttlesworth International Airport (IATA code: BHM - Birmingham Airport Authority )

✈ Huntsville International Airport (IATA code: HSV - portofhuntsville.com/airport/)

✈ Mobile Regional Airport (IATA code: MOB - www.mobileairportauthority.com/mra/)

✈ Montgomery Regional Airport (IATA code: MGM - flymgm.com/)