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Alabama is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. States bordering it include Tennessee to the north; Georgia to the east; Florida to the south; and Mississippi to the west. Alabama has coastline at the Gulf of Mexico in the extreme southern edge of the state.
It is the 30th largest state in the United States with 52,423 square miles of total area, 3.19% of that is water. About three-fifths of the land area is a gentle plain with a general decline towards the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. The North Alabama region is mostly mountainous, with the Tennessee River cutting a large valley creating numerous creeks, streams, rivers, mountains, and lakes.
Alabama generally ranges in elevation from sea level at Mobile Bay, to a little more than 1,800 feet in the Appalachian Mountains in the northeast. The highest point is Mount Cheaha.
The climate of Alabama is best described as being a humid subtropical climate. This is especially true in the southern part of the state with its close proximaty to the Gulf of Mexico, while the Northern parts of the state, especially in the Appalachian Mountains in the Northeast tend to be much closer to a Continental climate. Generally, Alabama has very hot summers and mild winters with copious precipitation throughout the year, although typically March is the wettest month and October is the driest month.
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