Alabama State Fact File
State Nicknames: The Yellowhammer State, and the Heart of Dixie
State Capital: Montgomery
Largest City: Birmingham
Oldest City: Mobile (founded by French settlers)
State Area: 52,419 sq. miles
Abbreviation: AL
State Bird: Yellowhammer
State Tree: Longleaf Pine
State Flower: Camellia
State Motto: We Dare Defend Our Rights
State Flag: The Crimson Cross of St Andrew
Name of Residents: Alabamans
Official Language: English
Where is Alabama?
Alabama is to the south-east of the United States. It shares borders with Tennessee (to the north), Florida and the Gulf of Mexico (to the south), Mississippi (to the west) and Georgia (to the east).
When did Alambama join the Union?
Alabama became part of the United States on December 14, 1819. It was the 22nd state to join and was previously known as Alabama Territory.
Other Facts About Alabama
- 120,000 troops from Alabama fought in the American Civil War on the side of the Confederate Army.
- Summer temperatures in Alabama are really hot, averaging more than 90 degrees F.
- Several minor-league baseball teams are based in Alabama, including: Birmingham Barons (Michael Jordan played for the team in 1994), Montgomery Blue Bears and the Montgomery Biscuits.
- Cheaha Mountain is the highest point in the state, rising 2407 ft (734 metres) above sea level.
- The largest cities in Alabama include: Birmingham, Montgomery, Huntsville, Mobile and Auburn.
- Hitler’s typewriter is on display in Bessemer in the Hall of History.
- In the 1950s and 1960s, Alabama was the location of several key moments during the Civil Rights Movement. Rosa Parks was born in Tuskegee, Alabama, and it was on a Montgomery bus that she refused to give up her seat to a white passenger. This resulted in the Montgomery Bus Boycott, led by Martin Luther King.
- Alabama is the only state to possess all of the raw materials necessary to produce both iron and steel.
- Famous residents of Alabama include: Hank Aaron (baseball player), Nat King Cole (singer), Carl Lewis (Olympic athlete), Harper Lee (author), Willie Mays (baseball player), Coretta Scott King (civil rights leader), Condoleeza Rice (politician), Hank Williams (singer) and Joe Louis (boxer).
The State Flag of Alabama
The Alabaman flag is a crimson St Andrew’s cross on a white field (background). It is based on the Confederate Battle Flag and was adopted in 1895. The flag can be oblong or square, but the bars of the cross must be 6 inches wide.
