The Great Migration led tens of thousands of African Americans from rural Alabama to seek opportunities in northern and midwestern cities, significantly affecting Alabama’s population growth rate from 1910 to 1920.

Alabama, along with Oklahoma and Iowa, has the most confirmed F5 and EF5 tornadoes of any state.

The capital of Alabama is Montgomery.

Alabama has a coastline along the Gulf of Mexico on the extreme southern edge of the state.

The peak tornado season varies across Alabama, with a primary season in the spring and a secondary season in November and December.

The northern part of Alabama, along the Tennessee River Valley, is most vulnerable to tornadoes.

3.2% of Alabama’s area is water.

Some scholars suggest the word may come from the Choctaw alba (meaning ‘plants’ or ‘weeds’) and amo (meaning ‘to cut’, ‘to trim’, or ‘to gather’), potentially meaning ‘clearers of the thicket’ or ‘herb gatherers’.

Snow is rare in much of Alabama, but areas north of Montgomery may receive a dusting of snow a few times each winter, with occasional heavy snowfalls every few years.

Pine forests form the largest proportion of forests in Alabama, which once boasted huge expanses of these forests.