Alabama is known as the ‘Heart of Dixie’ and unofficially nicknamed the ‘Yellowhammer State’, after the name of the state bird. It is also broadly promoted as four regions: mountains, metropolitan, river heritage and gulf coast, providing much to see and do.

The northern region of Alabama is mainly mountainous, with the Tennessee River cutting a valley through the area. The region provides for some spellbinding landscape including lakes, waterfalls, caverns and tree-crested mountaintops.

The rest of the state is mainly a gentle plain that descends towards the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. The state ranges from sea level at Mobile Bay to over 1,800 feet (550 m) in the Appalachian Mountains in the northeast, with the highest point being Cheaha Mountains at 2,407 feet (733 m).

The capital of Alabama is Montgomery, whilst the largest city is Birmingham.

Some of the popular attractions include:

• ‘Natural Bridge’ Rock
  the longest natural bridge east of the Rockies.
  
• Wetumpka Crater
  located in Elmore County is a 5 mile (8 km) wide meteorite impact crater that hit the area about 80 million years ago.
  
• National Parks
  including Horseshoe Bend National Military Park; Little River Canyon National Preserve; Russell Cave National Monument; Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site; Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site (Source: National Park Service, US Department of the Interior)
  
• The Vulcan Statue
  At 56 foot (17 m) and depicting the Roman god Vulcan (god of the fire and forge), this is the largest cast iron statue in the world, and the symbol of Birmingham.

For a full list of attractions and events, visit the listings under Tourist Info.

For some information on the United States, including a listing of all the states in the US, visit the USA Home page. Where available, we have also included some Tourism Information sites links.