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Alabama's Geography

Geography Is...

Geography is the science of the Earth’s land formations, climate, weather, and people. Usually when we talk about an area’s “geography,” we mean the way the land looks, what it is made of, and what kind of effects it has on people that live there.

Click the map to see a map of Alabama’s Geographical Regions:

Click the map to see Alabama's Different Geographical Regions

Alabama’s Gulf Coast is on the southern tip of the state, and it is relatively small: only 53 miles of coastline. The climate of the coast is generally warmer and wetter than areas farther inland because of the warm Gulf of Mexico.

Hurricanes affect the Gulf Coast with a greater force than the rest of the state. Hurricane Ivan and Hurricane Katrina forced more than 10 to 15 feet of ocean water inland in the city of Gulf Shores.

The rest of the Gulf’s Coastal Plain in southern and western Alabama is generally flat land that gradually rises over the distance between the coast and the mountains of northern and eastern Alabama. Those mountains get tall! The highest point in the state is Mount Cheaha, standing 2, 407 feet above sea level. That’s almost a half-mile above Gulf Shores! Click the picture for a live image from Mt. Cheaha on the ABC 33/40 SkyCam Network:

Cheaha is located east of Birmingham near the Clay-Cleburne County line. Sometimes the weather on top of the mountain can be very different from cities like Talladega and Anniston in nearby valleys.

Snow and ice may cover the mountain while rain falls in the valley in the winter.

Occasionally, it gets very cold in the valleys on cold, clear nights, but the temperature on the mountain will be warmer. Temperature inversions can trap cold air down in the valleys while the mountaintop warms up.