Dexter Avenue bus stop Dexter Avenue bus stop in Montgomery, Alabama, where Rosa Parks waited for the bus on December 1, 1955. (more)The landscape of Alabama has been the scene of many of the major crises in the settlement of the continent and in the development of the country. It was a battleground for European powers vying for the lands of the New World, for the fights between the European settlers and the Indigenous communities, for the struggles between and during the , for the , and for other forces of economic and that have extensively altered many aspects of the Deep South in the years since the mid-20th century. Although Alabama continues to reside in the lower segment nationally in many significant social and economic rankings, there has been improvement in some areas, particularly in ethnic relations, including the integration of schools and the election of to political offices. Nevertheless, Alabamians and outsiders alike tend to agree that the state retains a distinctive way of life, rooted in the traditions of the Old South. Area 52,420 square miles (135,767 square km). Population (2020) 5,024,279; (2024 est.) 5,157,699. Land Relief Physical features of Alabama(more)United States: Deep SouthThe Deep South.(more)Although the average elevation of Alabama is about 500 feet (150 metres) above , this represents a gradation from the high point of 2,407 feet (734 metres), atop Cheaha Mountain in the northeast, down across the Black Belt to the flat, low southern counties. Within this gradation, several relief regions may be distinguished. Little River Canyon National PreserveLittle River Canyon National Preserve, northeastern Alabama.(more)The southern extremities of the Appalachians cover nearly half the state. In the far north the region, segmented by upper branches of the , , and river systems, thrusts southward from Tennessee. Elevations rise to 1,800 feet (550 metres) in the more rugged eastern portions. The forms another marked division to the east. A small triangular portion of the Plateau juts across from Georgia at an elevation averaging 1,000 feet (300 metres)., Alabama (/ ˌæləˈbæmə / ⓘ AL-ə-BAM-ə) [8] is a state in the Southeastern and Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama is the 30th largest by area, and the 24th-most populous of the 50 U.S. states. [9], Alabama, constituent state of the United States of America, admitted to the union in 1819 as the 22nd state. Alabama forms a roughly rectangular shape on the map, elongated in a north-south direction. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, and Mississippi to the west..