The expedition of Hernando de Soto passed through Mabila and other parts of Alabama in 1540.

The Moundville Archaeological Site in Hale County, Alabama, was occupied by Native Americans of the Mississippian culture from 1000 to 1450 CE. It is the second-largest complex of the classic Middle Mississippian era, after Cahokia in present-day Illinois.

Alabama’s coastal counties, part of the former Spanish West Florida territory, officially became part of the United States in 1819 with the Adams–Onís Treaty.

The elevation in Alabama ranges from sea level at Mobile Bay to 2,413 feet (735 m) at Mount Cheaha in the northeast.

Greater Birmingham is Alabama’s largest metropolitan area and its economic center.

Alabama was a Spanish territory in the sixteenth century until the French acquired it in the early eighteenth century. The British won the territory in 1763, and Spain held Mobile as part of Spanish West Florida until 1813.

The use of state names derived from Native American languages is common in the U.S.; an estimated 26 states have names of Native American origin.

Invertebrates in Alabama include 97 crayfish species and 383 mollusk species.

The Spanish were the first Europeans to reach Alabama during their exploration of North America in the 16th century.

The capital of Alabama is Montgomery.