Geography of Alabama

Introduction to Geography of Alabama

Alabama, one of the southeastern states of the United States. Productive farms, modern factories, and an abundant supply of water, minerals, and forests have made it one of the South's most economically progressive states. Alabama's scenic attractions include pine-forested Appalachian slopes; large, clear reservoirs; and sandy coastal beaches. A long history of settlement is evidenced by Indian burial mounds, French and Spanish forts, and restored pre-Civil War mansions.

Physical Geography

Alabama occupies parts of three major physiographic regions of the United States: the Gulf Coastal Plain, the Appalachian Highlands, and the Central Lowlands.

The Gulf Coastal Plain, the largest of the three, covers most of western and southern Alabama. It begins as a narrow neck of flat terrain near the coast and rises gradually in a series of almost parallel terraces, cuestas (escarpment-like ridges), and hills toward the north. The Black Belt region, named for its rich soil, stretches across the central section of the state and is the most extensive level part.

The Appalachian Highlands, in the northeast, extend diagonally from Georgia and Tennessee into the central part of the state. This southern tip of the Appalachians includes the broad, hilly Cumberland Plateau; the low, parallel ridges and intervening valleys of the Ridge and Valley region; and the eroded Piedmont Plateau. Marking the southern limit of the highlands is the fall line, a belt of sloping land leading down to the Gulf Coastal Plain. The highest point in the state is Cheaha Mountain, 2,407 feet (734 m) above sea level.

The Central Lowlands section of Alabama is a narrow belt of land in the northwest along the Tennessee border. Structurally, it is part of a low, rolling plateau that forms the southern rim of the Nashville Basin in Tennessee.

Alabama lies in one of the rainiest parts of the continent, and is drained by numerous rivers. The Alabama River system, including the Coosa and Tallapoosa rivers in east-central Alabama, flows diagonally across the state to join the Mobile River near the coast. The Black Warrior–Tombigbee Waterway also empties into the Mobile, which continues on to Mobile Bay, an arm of the Gulf of Mexico. These systems, along with that of the Tennessee, which loops across the north, drain most of the state. The southeast is drained by the Pea, Conecuh, and Chattahoochee rivers.

There are few natural lakes in Alabama. Most of the large inland bodies of water are reservoirs, created by damming rivers. The largest of these are Wheeler and Wilson lakes, in the Muscle Shoals area of the Tennessee River; Guntersville and Pickwick lakes, also on the Tennessee; Lake Martin, on the Tallapoosa; Weiss Lake, on the Coosa; and Walter F. George Reservoir, on the Chattahoochee.

Alabama has a humid subtropical climate that becomes more temperate with distance from the coast and with increased elevation in the Appalachians. Chief distinguishing marks are long, hot, and humid summers, relatively mild winters, and abundant rainfall. Average July temperatures range from about 81° F. (27° C.) near the coast to 78° F. (26° C.) in the northeast. Winters, though seldom cold, are made variable by alternating cool air masses from the continental interior and warm, moist air masses from the Gulf of Mexico. Average January temperatures vary from 54° F. (12° C.) near the coast to 42° F. (6° C.) in the highlands.

Precipitation, mostly rain, is moderately heavy and well distributed throughout the year. The greatest amount, 64 inches (1,625 mm) annually, occurs near the coast. Elsewhere it varies from 48 to 55 inches (1,220 to 1,400 mm). An average of three inches (76 mm) of snow falls in the highlands; in other areas snow is almost unknown. Among the severe storms that occasionally strike Alabama are tornadoes, between November and May, and hurricanes, between July and November.

Economy

Until the early 20th century, the economy of Alabama was dependent almost entirely on agriculture. In the first decades of the 1900's, the development of the iron and steel industry in Birmingham helped lead the state into the industrial age. Today, the largest portion of the workforce is employed in service industries. Manufacturing, mining, and farms are also important.

Alabama's main manufactured goods are transportation equipment, paper products, food products, and chemicals. Metal products, textiles, and lumber and other wood products are also among the state's chief products. Birmingham, Huntsville, Mobile, and Tuscaloosa are the largest manufacturing centers. The iron and steel industry centers in and around Birmingham. Huntsville, home of the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center, is especially noted for aerospace and electronics industries. Ship-building and ship repairing are important in Mobile.

Farming in Alabama has undergone great change since the 1940's. The number of farms has decreased greatly while the average farm size has doubled. Farms in Alabama, however, are still relatively small, averaging about 194 acres (78.5 hectares)—less than half the national average. The use of modern equipment and methods has brought a substantial increase in the quantity and variety of farm products.

Farms occupy about 25 per cent of the state's land area. In general, livestock and livestock products account for nearly 80 per cent of farm income. Alabama's most profitable livestock products are broiler chickens, cattle, and eggs. Alabama is a leading national producer of broilers. The main farm crops are cotton, soybeans, corn, peanuts, and wheat.

The majority of the state's cotton is grown in the Tennessee Valley in northern Alabama. The wiregrass region, a 10-county area in the southeast part of the state, produces most of the state's peanuts, and a great amount of cotton, corn, and soybeans. A variety of fruits and vegetables, including potatoes, sweet potatoes, blueberries, watermelons, and tomatoes, are also grown.

Alabama's most valuable mineral resources are fuels, especially coal, which is mined in the northern half of the state. Petroleum and natural gas are produced in the southwestern part of the state. Methane, extracted from coalbeds, is also important.

Alabama is a leader among states in producing portland cement. Other nonfuel minerals produced include common clays and construction sand and gravel. Decorative marble, quarried near Sylacauga, is used nationwide.

Forestry and Fishing. Forests of commercial quality, including stands of timber on farms, occupy about two-thirds of the state's land area. Alabama is one of the South's leading producers of saw timber. Pine is the chief commercial variety, but oak and a number of other hardwoods are also harvested.

Fishing is an important activity along the Gulf of Mexico coastline; shrimp dominate the catch, but other important fish include mackerel, blue crabs, mullet, red snapper, and oysters. Catfish farming is a major industry in west central Alabama.

Roads and highways cover the state. Birmingham, Montgomery, and Mobile are the main railway centers. Most large cities have airports.

A large amount of traffic is carried on Alabama's navigable waterways. One of the busiest routes is the Black Warrior Tombigbee Waterway. The Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, opened in 1985, is a canal connecting the Tennessee and Tombigbee Rivers. Mobile, located in the center of the Gulf Coast, is one of the largest ports in the United States.

People

About 25 per cent of Alabamans are African Americans. People of Irish, English, German, and American Indian descent make up most of the rest of the population.

Education

Alabama's superintendent of education is appointed by the state board of education, whose members are elected. The superintendent is in charge of the state department of education.

Alabama's public school system was established in 1854. The first compulsory school attendance law was enacted in 1915. The present law requires attendance from age 7 to 16.

The University of Alabama was chartered in 1820 and opened in 1831 at Tuscaloosa. Only four buildings survived the Civil War. The university now includes the original campus at Tuscaloosa and branches at Birmingham and Huntsville.

Auburn University is a land-grant school founded as East Alabama Male College in 1856 and renamed Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical College when taken over by the state in 1872. The name was changed to Alabama Polytechnic Institute in 1899, and to its present form in 1960. The main campus is at Auburn; there is a branch at Montgomery.

Government

Alabama is governed under its 1901 constitution, the sixth in its history. The constitution, with its more than 750 amendments, has been amended more than any other state constitution.

The legislature consists of a Senate of 35 members and a House of Representatives of 105, all elected for four years. It meets regularly each year.

Elected state officials include the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, auditor, treasurer, and commissioner of agriculture and industries. All are elected to serve four-year terms. The heads of most other state agencies are appointed by the governor.

The judiciary is headed by a Supreme Court of nine justices elected for six years. Other courts include the Court of Criminal Appeals, the Court of Civil Appeals, circuit courts, and various local courts.

Alabama is divided into 67 counties. A board of commissioners governs each county.