Population: 4 802.740 thousand people (2011)
Area: 135765.0 sq. km
In the southeast of the United States is the state of Alabama, which borders Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, and Mississippi to the west. In terms of its total area, Alabama ranks 30th among other states. According to citypopulationreview.com, its capital is Montgomery, which during the American Civil War was the capital of the rebellious states between February and May 1861. The largest cities are Mobile, Huntsville and Birmingham. Statehood was granted in 1819. Alabama is the 22nd state.
Approximately three-quarters of the territory of Alabama is occupied by a plain that slopes down to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. In the northeast of the state are the spurs of the Appalachian Mountains with the highest point of the state, Mount Chiha. About 70 percent of Alabama’s land is covered in forests. The river Kakhaba flows here.
The climate in these places is subtropical oceanic with an average annual temperature of about 18 degrees Celsius. Winters are mild and summers are hot. Snow is quite rare in Alabama, but north of Montgomery it falls several times during the winter. The territory of the state is in the zone of action of tropical hurricanes and cyclones, which usually approach from the Gulf of Mexico. It is here that the largest number of tornadoes is noted.
Before the arrival of Europeans, the Creek, Choctaw and a number of other tribes belonging to the Muscogee group lived on the territory of the present state. The name of the state comes from the Alabama tribe currently living in Texas. The first of the Europeans who appeared in these places was the Spaniard Hernando de Soto. In 1540, he first appeared in these places. In 1702, the French founded a European settlement in the area of the modern city of Mobile.
In 1763, France ceded what is now the state of Great Britain. After that, the land passed to the United States. The active growth of industry began at the end of the 19th century. In the 30s of the last century, ferrous metallurgy and energy received their development.
The famous University of Alabama was founded in 1831. Its branches are located in the cities of Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, Huntsville. The symbol of the educational institution is an elephant, which is successfully used in the symbols of the football team of the university.
BIRMINGHAM
Population: 229.424 thousand people (2006)
Area: 393.5 sq. km
Founded: 1871
Time zone: UTC-6, summer UTC-5
The city of Birmingham is located near the coast of the Cahaba River, which is famous for its variety of freshwater fish and animals. Natural landscapes attract outdoor enthusiasts here. There are several lakes within its boundaries. They are believed to be home to the largest fish in all of Alabama. A significant area is occupied by Botanical Gardens and parks with wide alleys, fountains and an abundance of flowering vegetation. The city was named after the British city of Birmingham. As before, the basis of its economy is metallurgy. See Alabama counties.
Birmingham is known by another name. It is often referred to as the “Magic City” for its natural beauty and picturesque scenery. It is dominated by a subtropical humid climate with abundant rainfall, mild winters and hot summers. The surrounding lands are occupied by farms and agricultural land. The city with developed infrastructure continues to be the Center of the Old South. There are many cultural institutions, historical monuments and modern attractions.
MOBILE
Population: 195.111 thousand people (2010)
Area: 412.8 sq. km
Founded: 1702
Mobile is Alabama ‘s main seaport. It is located on the shores of Mobile Bay: a kind of estuary of the Mobile River and its tributary Tenso. Here is one of the bases of the US Coast Guard.
The founders of Mobile are French. In 1702, colonists under the command of de Benville founded a settlement, naming it Fort Louis de la Mobile. In 1711, after a series of hurricanes and floods, Mobile was moved to a new location. Until 1720, the town was the capital of French Louisiana, and in 1723 it was renamed Fort Conde, in honor of a relative of the king and the fort of the same name. In 1763, the city passed to Great Britain, forcing the French population to leave Mobile. The city became part of the state of Alabama in 1819. During the Civil War, the battle of Mobile Bay took place here in 1864, which ended in the victory of the federalists (northerners).
Modern Mobile is an important industrial center, where shipbuilding, metallurgy, production of building materials and oil fields are profiled.
Among the attractions of Mobile, it is worth highlighting the remains of Fort Conde, the tallest building in Alabama (the 35-story 204-meter RSA Battle House Tower) and a sports and fitness complex designed for 16 thousand people.
HUNTSVILLE
Population: 171.327 thousand people (2007)
Area: 323.8 sq. km
Founded: 1805
City status since: 1811
Time zone: UTC-6, summer UTC-5
The city of Huntsville lies on the Cumberland Plateau, in northern Alabama. It includes 5 districts and is the seat of Madison County. The origin of the name is connected with its first inhabitant and founder John Hunt. The settlement was the first in the state to receive the status of a city. In 1819 it became the capital of Alabama.but not for a long time. In the middle of the 19th century, it was known as the commercial center of the region, where there was an active trade in cotton, textiles and corn. Until the early 1940s, Huntsville was a small community. It began to develop actively during the Second World War, when an ammunition factory was opened within its boundaries. In the 1950s, the enterprise was transformed into a rocket science center, which a few years later became a major base for the management and control of space flights.
The modern city is known not only for the rocket and space industry, but also for enterprises producing electronics and Chrysler cars. Representative offices of foreign companies, in particular Japanese, German, Korean, are active on its territory.
