About three-fifths of Alabama’s land area is part of the Gulf Coastal Plain, a gentle plain that descends towards the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico.

In 1861, Alabama seceded from the United States to become part of the Confederate States of America, with Montgomery acting as its first capital. Alabama rejoined the Union in 1868.

Alabama’s land consists of 22 million acres (89,000 km²) of forest, which is 67% of the state’s total land area.

Despite progress, Alabama continues to face challenges related to racial discrimination, economic disparities, and underrepresentation of urban areas. The Black Belt region, home to many African Americans, remains economically disadvantaged.

Historic snowfall events in Alabama include the New Year’s Eve 1963 snowstorm and the 1993 Storm of the Century.

Organized insurgent groups in Alabama included The Ku Klux Klan, the Pale Faces, Knights of the White Camellia, Red Shirts, and the White League.

Tuscaloosa served as Alabama’s capital from 1826 to 1846.

The first capitol building in Montgomery burned down in 1849, but it was rebuilt on the same site in 1851. The second capitol building, designed by Barachias Holt of Exeter, Maine, remains to the present day.

Reconstruction in Alabama ended in 1874 when Democrats regained control of the legislature and governor’s office through an election dominated by fraud and violence. They wrote another constitution in 1875, passed the Blaine Amendment prohibiting public money from financing ...Read more

Alabama remained chiefly agricultural, with an economy tied to cotton. The state constitution of 1868 created Alabama’s first public school system and expanded women’s rights. Legislators funded public road and railroad projects, despite allegations of fraud and misappropriation.