Alabama

History: In 1702, the first European settlement was founded by the French at Fort Louis de la Mobile. The British were in control of the region from 1763. After the American Revolution, by the Treaty of Paris, they had to cede most of the Alabama region to the United States. Alabama became a state on December 14, 1819. It seceded from the U.S. in 1861 and joined the Confederacy; Alabama rejoined the U.S. in 1868. During the 1950’s and 60’s, Alabama was the center of a great deal of Civil Rights activity; including the bus boycott in Montgomery (1955-56) and the Freedom March from Selma to Montgomery in 1965.

Economy: The main sources of industry are; paper, chemicals, rubber and plastics, apparel and textiles, primary metals, and automobile manufacturing.

Climate: The climate in Alabama is classified as humid subtropical. The average annual temperature is 64 degrees Farenheit (18 C) It mostly has very hot summers and mild winters with a lot of humidity throughout the year.

Geography: Alabama has three main landforms – mountains, plateaus, and the gulf coastal plain. The Appalachian Mountains start in the foothills near Birmingham, run as a diagonal through the northeastern part of the state, and go all the way north to Canada.

Fun Facts:

Alabama is home to the largest cast-iron statue in the world, called “The Vulcan”.
Alabama is known for southern hospitality, sweet tea, and intense football, especially the fierce rivalry between the Auburn Tigers and the University of Alabama ‘Crimson Tide’.
Alabama is known as the “Cotton State”
The first rocket to put humans on the moon was designed and developed at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville.
In 1836, Alabama became the first state to recognize Christmas as an official holiday.
Alabama was the also the first state in the nation to celebrate Veteran’s Day, with the first Veteran’s Day Parade taking place in Birmingham in 1947.

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