| Alabama, popularly known as the “Heart of Dixie”, is the 30th largest state in the United States of America with a total land area of 52,419 square miles. Population wise, it ranks 23rd with more than 4.6 million residents as per the statistics of 2006. Located in the southern region of the nation, it is surrounded by Georgia to the east, Tennessee to the north, Florida to the south and Mississippi to the west. It is 330 miles long and 190 miles wide. The highest point in the state is Mount Cheaha with a height of 2,407 ft. It was admitted into the union on Dec 14, 1819 and became 22nd state of the US on that day. The native language of the people living in the state of Alabama is English, however, Spanish is also spoken by a very small population. Longleaf Pine is the state tree while Camellia is the state flower. Today, the state has good infrastructure for a number of industries including mineral extraction, automobile manufacturing, banking, aerospace, health care, steel production & fabrication and education. The state falls in the central time zone of the USA. The capital of the state is Montgomery. Birmingham is the largest city in population while Huntsville is the largest city in area. Among the cities of Alabama, Mobile is the oldest. |
