Among the historical tribes living in present-day Alabama at the time of European contact were the Cherokee, an Iroquoian language people; and the Muskogean-speaking Alabama (Alibamu), Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Koasati.

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

Thunderstorms are common in Alabama, especially in the southern part around Mobile Bay, which averages between 70 and 80 days per year with thunder. The far north of the state reports thunder on about 60 days per year.

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

Some notable natural wonders in Alabama include:Natural Bridge rock, the longest natural bridge east of the Rockies Cathedral Caverns in Marshall County Ecor Rouge in Fairhope DeSoto Caverns in Childersburg Noccalula Falls in Gadsden Dismals Canyon near Phil Campbell Stephens Gap Cave in Jackson County Little ...Read more

The agrarian Mississippian culture covered most of Alabama from 1000 to 1600 CE, with one of its major centers at the Moundville Archaeological Site.

The “Alabama Fever” land rush occurred when settlers and land speculators poured into Alabama to take advantage of fertile land suitable for cotton cultivation after the state was admitted to the Union.

Alabama’s economy shifted away from traditional industries like lumber, steel, and textiles due to increased foreign competition. New industries, such as technology and automobile manufacturing, emerged, with Huntsville benefiting from the opening of the George C. Marshall Space Flight ...Read more

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