Editing Alabama (section)

== Geography ==
{{Main|Geography of Alabama}}
{{See also|List of Alabama counties|Geology of Alabama}}
[[File:Map of Alabama terrain NA.jpg|thumb|right|Map of Alabama from the [[National Atlas of the United States]] (2007)]]
[[File:OnoIslandAl.jpg|thumb|right|[[Ono Island, Alabama|Ono Island]] in Baldwin County]]
[[File:MonteSanoStateParkhsval.jpg|thumb|[[Monte Sano State Park]] in Huntsville]]
[[File:Cathedral Cavern 2019.png|thumb|right|[[Cathedral Caverns State Park|Cathedral Caverns]] in [[Marshall County, Alabama|Marshall County]]]]

Alabama is the thirtieth-largest state in the United States with {{convert|52419|sqmi|km2|abbr=out|sp=us}} of total area: 3.2% of the area is water, making Alabama 23rd in the amount of surface water, also giving it the second-largest inland waterway system in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?_bm=n&_lang=en&mt_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_GCTPH1R_US9S&format=US-9S&_box_head_nbr=GCT-PH1-R&ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&geo_id=01000US |title= GCT-PH1-R. Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density (areas ranked by population): 2000 |year= 2000 |access-date= September 23, 2006 |website= Geographic Comparison Table |publisher= U.S. Census Bureau |archive-url= http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20090403062125/http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?_bm=n&_lang=en&mt_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_GCTPH1R_US9S&format=US-9S&_box_head_nbr=GCT-PH1-R&ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&geo_id=01000US |archive-date= April 3, 2009 |url-status= dead}}</ref> About three-fifths of the land area is part of the [[Gulf Coastal Plain]], a gentle plain with a general descent towards the [[Mississippi River]] and the Gulf of Mexico. The [[North Alabama]] region is mostly mountainous, with the [[Tennessee River]] cutting a large valley and creating numerous creeks, streams, rivers, mountains, and lakes.<ref name="NetState">{{cite web |url=http://www.netstate.com/states/geography/al_geography.htm |title=The Geography of Alabama |website=Geography of the States |publisher=NetState.com |date=August 11, 2006 |access-date=September 23, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060917172224/http://www.netstate.com/states/geography/al_geography.htm |archive-date=September 17, 2006 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Alabama is bordered by the states of Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama has a coastline on the Gulf of Mexico, in the extreme southern edge of the state.<ref name="NetState"/> The state ranges in elevation from sea level<ref name="usgs">{{cite web|date=April 29, 2005 |url=http://erg.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html#Highest |title=Elevations and Distances in the United States |publisher=U.S. Geological Survey |access-date=November 3, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080116113632/http://erg.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html |archive-date=January 16, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> at Mobile Bay to more than {{convert|2000|ft|m}} in the [[Sand Mountain (Alabama)|northeast]], to [[Cheaha Mountain|Mount Cheaha]]<ref name="NetState" /> at {{cvt|2413|ft}}.<ref name=ngs>{{cite web |url=http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/ds_mark.prl?PidBox=DG3595 |title=NGS Data Sheet for Cheaha Mountain |publisher=U.S. National Geodetic Survey |access-date=June 8, 2011 |archive-date=July 23, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130723044128/http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/ds_mark.prl?PidBox=DG3595 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Alabama's land consists of {{convert|22|e6acre|km2}} of forest or 67% of the state's total land area.<ref>[http://www.alabamaforests.org/Introduction/index.html Alabama Forest Owner's Guide to Information Resources, Introduction], Alabamaforests.org {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150427181510/http://www.alabamaforests.org/Introduction/index.html |date=April 27, 2015}}</ref> Suburban [[Baldwin County, Alabama|Baldwin County]], along the Gulf Coast, is the largest county in the state in both land area and water area.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?_bm=y&-context=gct&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&-mt_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_GCTPH1R_ST2S&-CONTEXT=gct&-tree_id=4001&-redoLog=true&-geo_id=04000US01&-format=ST-2 |title=Alabama County (geographies ranked by total population): 2000 |date=2000 |website=Geographic Comparison Table |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |access-date=May 14, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081011232646/http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?_bm=y&-context=gct&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&-mt_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_GCTPH1R_ST2S&-CONTEXT=gct&-tree_id=4001&-redoLog=true&-geo_id=04000US01&-format=ST-2|archive-date=October 11, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:NaturalBridgeAl.jpg|thumb|left|The Natural Bridge Rock in [[Winston County, Alabama|Winston County]] is the longest natural bridge east of the Rockies.]]
Areas in Alabama administered by the [[National Park Service]] include [[Horseshoe Bend National Military Park]] near [[Alexander City, Alabama|Alexander City]]; [[Little River Canyon National Preserve]] near [[Fort Payne, Alabama|Fort Payne]]; [[Russell Cave National Monument]] in [[Bridgeport, Alabama|Bridgeport]]; [[Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site]] in Tuskegee; and [[Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site]] near Tuskegee.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://home.nps.gov/applications/parksearch/state.cfm?st=al |title=National Park Guide |access-date=September 23, 2006 |website=Geographic Search |publisher=National Park Service—U.S. Department of the Interior |location=Washington, D.C. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060930090713/http://home.nps.gov/applications/parksearch/state.cfm?st=al |archive-date=September 30, 2006 |url-status=live}}</ref> Additionally, Alabama has four [[United States National Forest|National Forests]]: [[Conecuh National Forest|Conecuh]], [[Talladega National Forest|Talladega]], [[Tuskegee National Forest|Tuskegee]], and [[William B. Bankhead National Forest|William B. Bankhead]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/alabama/forests/ |title=National Forests in Alabama |access-date=October 5, 2008 |website=USDA Forest Service |publisher=United States Department of Agriculture |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081007051917/http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/alabama/forests/ |archive-date=October 7, 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref> Alabama also contains the [[Natchez Trace Parkway]], the [[Selma To Montgomery National Historic Trail]], and the [[Trail of Tears|Trail of Tears National Historic Trail]].

Natural wonders include the [[Natural Bridge, Alabama|"Natural Bridge"]] rock, the longest [[Natural arch|natural bridge]] east of the [[Rocky Mountains|Rockies]], just south of [[Haleyville, Alabama|Haleyville]]; [[Cathedral Caverns State Park|Cathedral Caverns]], in [[Marshall County, Alabama|Marshall County]], named for its cathedral-like appearance, which features one of the largest cave entrances and one of the largest stalagmites in the world; Ecor Rouge, in [[Fairhope, Alabama|Fairhope]], the highest coastline point between [[Maine]] and Mexico;<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mobilebaymag.com/coastal-clay/|title=Coastal Clay|first=Breck|last=Pappas|date=January 14, 2016|website=Mobile Bay Magazine|access-date=September 21, 2020|archive-date=February 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220154038/https://mobilebaymag.com/coastal-clay/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[DeSoto Caverns]], in [[Childersburg, Alabama|Childersburg]], the first officially recorded cave in the United States;<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/legacies/loc.afc.afc-legacies.200002662/|title=DeSoto Caverns Park, Childersburg, Alabama|first= Bob |last=Riley |date=September 21, 2000|website=Local Legacies |publisher= Library of Congress |access-date=September 21, 2020|archive-date=July 2, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160702172258/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/legacies/loc.afc.afc-legacies.200002662/|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Noccalula Falls Park|Noccalula Falls]], in [[Gadsden, Alabama|Gadsden]], which has a 90-foot waterfall; [[Dismals Canyon]], near [[Phil Campbell, Alabama|Phil Campbell]], which is home to two waterfalls and six natural bridges and is said to have been a hideout of [[Jesse James]];<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-3172|title=Dismals Canyon|website=Encyclopedia of Alabama|access-date=September 21, 2020|archive-date=October 31, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031175203/http://encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-3172|url-status=live}}</ref> Stephens Gap Cave, in [[Jackson County, Alabama|Jackson County]], which has a 143-foot pit and two waterfalls and is one of the most photographed wild cave scenes in America;<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.saveyourcaves.org/preserve?rowid=stephens-gap-callahan-cave-preserve|title=Preserve: Stephens Gap Callahan Cave Preserve|website=www.saveyourcaves.org|access-date=June 27, 2019|archive-date=February 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220153323/https://www.saveyourcaves.org/preserve?rowid=stephens-gap-callahan-cave-preserve|url-status=live}}</ref> Little River Canyon, near Fort Payne, one of the nation's longest mountaintop rivers; [[Rickwood Caverns State Park|Rickwood Caverns]], near [[Warrior, Alabama|Warrior]], which has an underground pool, blind cave-fish, and 260-million-year-old limestone formations; and the [[The Walls of Jericho (canyon)|Walls of Jericho]] canyon, on the Alabama–Tennessee border.

[[File:Cliffs inside the Wetumpka impact crater in Wetumpka, Alabama.jpg|thumb|right|Cliffs at the rim of the [[Wetumpka crater|Wetumpka meteorite crater]]]]
A {{convert|5|mi|km|0|adj=on}}-wide meteorite impact crater is located in [[Elmore County, Alabama|Elmore County]], just north of Montgomery. This is the [[Wetumpka crater]], the site of "Alabama's greatest natural disaster". A {{convert|1000|ft|m|adj=on}}-wide meteorite hit the area about 80 million years ago.<ref name="mlvguh">{{cite Earth Impact DB |name= Wetumpka |accessdate =August 20, 2009 |nocat=1}}</ref> The hills just east of downtown [[Wetumpka, Alabama|Wetumpka]] showcase the eroded remains of the impact crater that was blasted into the bedrock, with the area labeled the Wetumpka crater or astrobleme ("star-wound") because of the concentric rings of fractures and zones of shattered rock that can be found beneath the surface.<ref>"The Wetumpka Astrobleme" by John C. Hall, Alabama Heritage, Fall 1996, Number 42.</ref> In 2002, Christian Koeberl with the Institute of Geochemistry University of Vienna published evidence and established the site as the 157th recognized impact crater on Earth.<ref>{{cite web |last=King |first=David T. Jr. |title=Wetumpka Crater |url=http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1035 |website=Encyclopedia of Alabama |access-date=December 13, 2011 |date=April 23, 2010 |archive-date=February 16, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120216201429/http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1035 |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Climate ===
{{Main|Climate of Alabama}}

The state is classified as [[humid subtropical climate|humid subtropical]] (''Cfa'') under the [[Köppen climate classification]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1283 |title=Encyclopedia of Alabama: Climate |date=August 17, 2007 |publisher=University of Alabama |access-date=April 26, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100621180731/http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1283 |archive-date=June 21, 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The average annual temperature is 64{{spaces}}°F (18{{spaces}}°C). Temperatures tend to be warmer in the southern part of the state with its proximity to the [[Gulf of Mexico]], while the northern parts of the state, especially in the [[Appalachian Mountains]] in the northeast, tend to be slightly cooler.<ref name="cprgsw">{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/eb/article-78303/Alabama |title=Alabama Climate |website=Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date=October 24, 2010 |archive-date=June 16, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080616140321/https://www.britannica.com/eb/article-78303/Alabama |url-status=live}}</ref> Generally, Alabama has very hot summers and mild winters with copious precipitation throughout the year. Alabama receives an average of {{convert|56|in|mm}} of rainfall annually and enjoys a lengthy growing season of up to 300 days in the southern part of the state.<ref name="cprgsw"/>

Summers in Alabama are among the hottest in the U.S., with high temperatures averaging over {{convert|90|°F}} throughout the summer in some parts of the state. Alabama is also prone to [[Tropical cyclone|tropical storms and hurricanes]]. Areas of the state far away from the Gulf are not immune to the effects of the storms, which often dump tremendous amounts of rain as they move inland and weaken.

South Alabama reports many [[thunderstorm]]s. The Gulf Coast, around Mobile Bay, averages between 70 and 80 days per year with thunder reported. This activity decreases somewhat further north in the state, but even the far north of the state reports thunder on about 60 days per year. Occasionally, thunderstorms are severe with frequent [[lightning]] and large [[hail]]; the central and northern parts of the state are most vulnerable to this type of storm. Alabama ranks ninth in the number of deaths from lightning and tenth in the number of deaths from lightning strikes per capita.<ref>[http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/stats/04-13state_fatality_rates.pdf Lightning Fatalities, Injuries and Damages in the United States, 2004–2013] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427010029/http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/stats/04-13state_fatality_rates.pdf |date=April 27, 2014}}. NLSI. Retrieved April 26, 2014.</ref>

[[File:Phil Campbell tornado damage.jpg|thumb|Tornado damage in [[Phil Campbell, Alabama|Phil Campbell]] following the statewide [[2011 Super Outbreak|April 27, 2011, tornado outbreak]]]]
Alabama, along with [[Oklahoma]] and [[Iowa]], has the most confirmed [[Fujita scale|F5]] and [[Enhanced Fujita scale|EF5]] tornadoes of any state, according to statistics from the [[National Climatic Data Center]] for the period January 1, 1950, to June 2013.<ref>{{cite web |title=LIST: States with the most F5/EF5 tornadoes since 1950; Ohio high on list |work=newsnet5 |date=June 3, 2013 |url=http://www.newsnet5.com/weather/weather-news/kshb-list-states-with-the-most-ef5-tornadoes |access-date=April 26, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426232719/http://www.newsnet5.com/weather/weather-news/kshb-list-states-with-the-most-ef5-tornadoes |archive-date=April 26, 2014}}</ref> Several long-tracked F5/EF5 tornadoes have contributed to Alabama reporting more tornado fatalities since 1950 than any other state. The state was affected by the [[1974 Super Outbreak]] and was devastated tremendously by the 2011 Super Outbreak. The 2011 Super Outbreak produced a record amount of tornadoes in the state. The tally reached 62.<ref>{{cite web |last=Oliver |first=Mike |title=April 27's record tally: 62 tornadoes in Alabama |date=August 4, 2011 |url=http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2011/08/april_27s_record_tally_62_torn.html |publisher=al.com |access-date=November 4, 2012 |archive-date=November 9, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121109185256/http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2011/08/april_27s_record_tally_62_torn.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

The peak season for tornadoes varies from the northern to southern parts of the state. Alabama is one of the few places in the world that has a secondary tornado season in November and December besides the typically severe spring. The northern part—along the Tennessee River Valley—is most vulnerable. The area of Alabama and Mississippi most affected by tornadoes is sometimes referred to as [[Dixie Alley]], as distinct from the [[Tornado Alley]] of the Southern Plains.

Winters are generally mild in Alabama, as they are throughout most of the Southeastern United States, with average January low temperatures around {{convert|40|°F}} in Mobile and around {{convert|32|°F}} in Birmingham. Although snow is a rare event in much of Alabama, areas of the state north of Montgomery may receive a dusting of snow a few times every winter, with an occasional moderately heavy snowfall every few years. Historic snowfall events include [[New Year's Eve 1963 snowstorm]] and the [[1993 Storm of the Century]]. The annual average snowfall for the Birmingham area is {{convert|2|in|mm}} per year. In the southern Gulf coast, snowfall is less frequent, sometimes going several years without any snowfall.

Alabama's highest temperature of {{convert|112|°F}} was recorded on September 5, 1925, in the unincorporated community of [[Centerville, Alabama|Centerville]]. The record low of {{convert|-27|°F}} occurred on January 30, 1966, in [[New Market, Alabama|New Market]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.accuracyproject.org/recordtemps.html |title=Record high and low temperatures for all 50 states |website=Internet Accuracy Project |publisher=accuracyproject.org |access-date=November 3, 2012 |archive-date=January 17, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117053325/http://www.accuracyproject.org/recordtemps.html |url-status=live}}</ref>
{{Alabama weatherbox}}

=== Flora and fauna ===
{{Main|List of amphibians of Alabama|List of mammals of Alabama|List of reptiles of Alabama|Alabama Champion Tree Program|l4=Trees of Alabama}}
[[File:CahabaRiverNWR1.jpg|thumb|A stand of [[Hymenocallis coronaria|Cahaba lilies]] (''Hymenocallis coronaria'') in the [[Cahaba River]], within the [[Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge]]]]

Alabama is home to a diverse array of [[flora]] and [[fauna]] in habitats that range from the Tennessee Valley, [[Appalachian Plateau]], and [[Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians]] of the north to the [[Piedmont (United States)|Piedmont]], [[Canebrake (region of Alabama)|Canebrake]], and Black Belt of the central region to the [[Gulf Coastal Plain]] and beaches along the Gulf of Mexico in the south. The state is usually ranked among the top in nation for its range of overall [[biodiversity]].<ref name="alawildlife">{{cite book |title=Alabama Wildlife: Volume One |last=Mirarchi |first=Ralph E. |year=2004 |publisher=University of Alabama Press |location=Tuscaloosa, Alabama |isbn=978-0-81735-1304 |pages=1–3, 60}}</ref><ref name="outalawildlife">{{cite web |url=http://www.outdooralabama.com/watchable-wildlife/what/ |title=Alabama Wildlife and their Conservation Status |website=Outdoor Alabama |publisher=Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources |access-date=October 16, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121015045607/http://www.outdooralabama.com/watchable-wildlife/what/ |archive-date=October 15, 2012}}</ref>

Alabama is in the subtropical coniferous forest biome and once boasted huge expanses of pine forest, which still form the largest proportion of forests in the state.<ref name="alawildlife"/> It currently ranks fifth in the nation for the diversity of its flora. It is home to nearly 4,000 [[pteridophyte]] and [[spermatophyte]] plant species.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.floraofalabama.org/ |title=About the Atlas |website=Alabama Plant Atlas |publisher=Alabama Herbarium Consortium and University of West Alabama |access-date=October 16, 2012 |archive-date=October 29, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121029023054/http://www.floraofalabama.org/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Native species|Indigenous]] animal species in the state include 62 [[mammal]] [[species]],<ref name="outalamam">{{cite web |url=http://www.outdooralabama.com/mammals |title=Mammals |website=Outdoor Alabama |publisher=Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources |access-date=May 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525205745/http://www.outdooralabama.com/mammals |archive-date=May 25, 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref> 93 reptile species,<ref name="outalarep">{{cite web |url=http://www.outdooralabama.com/reptiles |title=Reptiles |website=Outdoor Alabama |publisher=Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources |access-date=May 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525205947/http://www.outdooralabama.com/reptiles |archive-date=May 25, 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref> 73 [[amphibian]] species,<ref name="outalaamphi">{{cite web |url=http://www.outdooralabama.com/Amphibians-0 |title=Amphibians |website=Outdoor Alabama |publisher=Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources |access-date=May 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525210052/http://www.outdooralabama.com/Amphibians-0 |archive-date=May 25, 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref> roughly 307 native [[freshwater fish]] species,<ref name="alawildlife"/> and 420 bird species that spend at least part of their year within the state.<ref name="outalabird">{{cite web |url=http://www.outdooralabama.com/Birds |title=Birds |website=Outdoor Alabama |publisher=Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources |access-date=May 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525210156/http://www.outdooralabama.com/Birds |archive-date=May 25, 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Invertebrates include 97 [[crayfish]] species and 383 [[mollusk]] species. 113 of these mollusk species have never been collected outside the state.<ref name="outalamollusk">{{cite web |url=http://www.outdooralabama.com/mollusks |title=Alabama Snails and Mussels |website=Outdoor Alabama |publisher=Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources |access-date=May 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525210608/http://www.outdooralabama.com/mollusks |archive-date=May 25, 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="outalacray">{{cite web |url=http://www.outdooralabama.com/crayfish |title=Crayfish |website=Outdoor Alabama |publisher=Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources |access-date=May 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525210652/http://www.outdooralabama.com/crayfish |archive-date=May 25, 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Major cities ===
{{See also|List of metropolitan areas of Alabama|List of municipalities in Alabama}}
As of 2010, the state contains 461 municipalities, consisting of 174 cities and 287 towns. Covering only 9.6% of Alabama's land mass, its municipalities are home to 60.4% of its population. [[Montgomery, Alabama|Montgomery]], the state's capital, is the third-most populous settlement in Alabama; and the most populous city is [[Huntsville, Alabama|Huntsville]]. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the state contains 12 metropolitan statistical areas. Alabama's largest metropolitan area was [[Birmingham metropolitan area, Alabama|Greater Birmingham]].