How to Understand Alabama State Facts and Symbols

Alabama is located in the Deep South, in the Heart of Dixie. This article will help you to better understand the key facts and state symbols of Alabama.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Birmingham, Alabama The state abbreviation is AL. The Capital city is Montgomery. The largest City is Birmingham. A person from Alabama is called an "Alabamian".
2. Alabama was admitted to the union on December 14, 1819 as the 22nd state. Alabama means "tribal town" in the language of the local Creek Indians.
3. Cotton field in Alabama Major industries in Alabama are agriculture (cotton, corn, peanuts, soybeans, poultry, and livestock), hydroelectric power, mining (coal, limestone, iron ore), steel-making.
4. View from Mt. Cheaha Alabama's Major Rivers are Tombigbee River, Alabama River, Tennessee River, Chattahoochee River. The Major Lakes in Alabama include Guntersville Lake, Wilson Lake, Martin Lake, West Point Lake, Lewis Smith Lake. The Highest Point in Alabama is Cheaha Mountain at 2,407 feet (734 m) above sea level. Alabama's neighboring states are Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee. The bordering body of water is the Gulf of Mexico to the south.
5. Alabama's State Nickname is "Heart of Dixie", "Yellowhammer State", and "Cotton State". The Alabama State Motto is "Audemus jura nostra defendere" - "We Dare Defend Our Rights". The Alabama State Song - "Alabama".
6. Yellowhammer Alabama Animal Symbols: The Alabama state bird is the Yellowhammer, the state game bird is the wild turkey. The state insect is the Monarch Butterfly, but the state butterfly and mascot is the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail. Alabama's state freshwater fish is the largemouth bass; the state saltwater fish is the fighting tarpon. The Alabama state amphibian is the Red Hills salamander. The state fossil is the Basilosaurus cetoides (an extinct whale).
7. Camellia Alabama Plant Symbols: The state flower of Alabama is the Camellia (Camellia japonica); the state wildflower is the Oak Leaf Hydrangea; the state tree of Alabama is the Southern Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris); and the state nut is the Pecan.
8. Hematite (red iron ore) Alabama Earth Symbols: The state rock of Alabama is Marble (calcium carbonate); the Alabama state gemstone is Star Blue Quartz; the state mineral of Alabama is Hematite (red iron ore); and the state soil is the Bama soil series.