Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee borders it to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the West. The northern part of the state lies within the Appalachian Mountains, while the southern part lies within the Coastal Plain.
Alabama covers an area of 52,419 square miles, making it the 30th largest US state. Much of its terrain is characterized by rolling hills and coastal bluffs with large areas of flat lands near rivers or other bodies of water. The highest point in Alabama is Cheaha Mountain, at 2,413 feet above sea level, while its lowest point is at the Gulf Coast at sea level.
The primary geographic regions in Alabama are Piedmont Plateau and Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians. The Piedmont Plateau extends from western parts of Jackson County through northern Benson county while going up as far north as Walker County, stretches out slightly eastward over into DeKalb County, and partially encompasses Birmingham metropolitan area in St Clair County. These plateaus are mostly covered with woodlands and divided into smaller ridges like Choccolocco Valley Ridge, which lies east of Anniston.
The Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians spread throughout the northwestern parts of Alabama, where this region borders Tennessee and runs southwards towards Sipsey Wilderness, encompassing well known 24 miles long Natchez Trace Parkway that runs parallel with Tennessee River for much of its length as well as the much larger Bankhead National Forest Park that also goes down as far southward as Tuscaloosa county connecting to Tombigbee National Forest park before eventually reaching Gulf Coast coastlines on Mobile Bay stretching beyond Baldwin & Escambia counties along them.
Alabama is home to countless rivers and lakes, many of which provide a source of drinking water and recreation activities. The state's three major rivers are the Alabama, Coosa, and Tombigbee Rivers, which form the Mobile River that flows into the Gulf of Mexico. Major lakes include Lake Martin, Smith Lake, Guntersville Lake, Weiss Lake, Wheeler Lake, Logan Martin Lake, Lewis Smith Lake, and Eufaula Lake. Other notable bodies of water in Alabama include Neely Henry Lake near Gadsden, Bankhead Lake near Jasper, and Pickwick Lake along the Tennessee border.
The State of Alabama is divided into 67 counties. In alphabetical order, these counties are: Autauga, Baldwin, Barbour, Bibb, Blount, Bullock, Butler, Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee, Chilton, Choctaw, Clarke, Clay, Cleburne, Coffee, Colbert, Conecuh, Coosa, Covington, Crenshaw, Cullman, Dale, Dallas, DeKalb, Elmore, Escambia, Etowah, Fayette, Franklin, Geneva, Greene, Hale, Henry, Houston, Jackson, Jefferson, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Lee, Limestone, Lowndes, Macon, Madison, Marengo, Marion, Marshall, Mobile, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Perry, Pickens, Pike, Randolph, Russell, Saint Clair, Shelby, Sumter, Talladega, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa, Walker, Washington, Wilcox, and Winston.
With an area of 135,760 sq. km, Alabama is the 30th largest and the 24th most populous state in the USA. Located in the central part of the state, on the southern shores of the Alabama River is Montgomery – the capital and the 2nd most populous city of Alabama. Due to its central location in the state’s Black Belt region, Montgomery serves as the processing center for a variety of crops, including soybeans, peanuts, and cotton. It is also an important transportation and healthcare hub in the entire Black Belt region of Alabama. Situated in the north-central part of the state – Birmingham is the largest and the most populous city of Alabama. It serves as a cultural, financial, industrial, and economic hub of the state.
The State of Alabama is located in the South-Eastern region of the United States. Alabama is bordered by the state of Georgia in the east; by Mississippi in the west; by Tennessee in the north; and by Florida and the Gulf of Mexico in the south.
Regional Maps: Map of North America
The above blank map represents the State of Alabama, located in the South-Eastern region of the United States. The above map can be downloaded, printed and used for geography education purposes like map-pointing and coloring activities.
The above outline map represents the State of Alabama, located in the South-Eastern region of the United States. Alabama has been nicknamed as the "Yellowhammer State" in reference to the state bird - Colaptes auratus (Northern flicker).
Legal Name | State of Alabama |
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ISO 3166 Code | US-AL |
Capital City | Montgomery |
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This page was last updated on February 2, 2023