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Alabama
A Deep South state from the Appalachians to the Gulf
Alabama runs from the worn southern tail of the Appalachian Mountains down to a short, busy stretch of Gulf of Mexico coastline, packing a surprising range of country into its 52,420 square miles (135,767 km²). The Tennessee River loops across its northern hill country, the rich dark soils of the Black Belt curve through its middle, and longleaf pine forest and coastal plain spread toward Mobile Bay. It is a Southern state defined as much by its rivers as its red clay.
Water shapes Alabama more than most realize — it has one of the longest networks of navigable inland waterways of any state, and the Mobile River system drains a basin reaching far into the interior. The fall line, where hard Appalachian rock gives way to soft coastal sediment, fixed the sites of early cities and mills. Cheaha Mountain, the high point at 2,413 feet (735 m), rises in the eastern ridges, while the Gulf shore at the state's foot draws beach traffic to white quartz sand.
Economy
Alabama's economy combines a strong aerospace and defense sector in Huntsville - home to NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and nicknamed Rocket City - with a fast-growing automotive industry, as Mercedes, Honda, and Hyundai all build vehicles in the state. Steel around Birmingham, poultry and cotton farming, and the Port of Mobile remain important.
Politics
Alabama carries 9 electoral votes and votes reliably Republican in presidential elections. The state was a central battleground of the civil rights movement, and that history - Montgomery, Birmingham, and Selma - continues to shape its politics and identity.