Alabama Landscapes:

A Geography of Alabama

Introduction

Introduction

I have lived in Alabama and taught geology, geography and environmental science at UAB for over 30 years.  This web publication is my attempt to summarize the geography of Alabama as I understand it.  The idea came from my experiences teaching "The Geography of Alabama" at UAB and conversations with teachers who bemoaned the lack of material on the geography of the state.

This is an ongoing project, and I hope to add new material and images in the future.

I would appreciate any feedback, comments and corrections.  Please contact me at mike@mikeneilson.com.

Mike Neilson
Birmingham, AL
March 2006

According to the EPA a landscape is:

 “The traits, patterns, and structure of a specific geographic area, including its biological composition, its physical environment, and its anthropogenic or social patterns.”

 The important thing about this definition is that a landscape is a combination of “natural” and “human” features.  By “natural” I mean chiefly geology, landforms, soils, vegetation, and climate.  By “human” I mean chiefly human population and its distribution, the economy, transportation methods and urban regions developed by humans.

 As an earth scientist, my biases are towards the natural features of a landscape, and in this e-book I will use physiographic sections as the way to divide the state into 5 distinct areas: from north to south they are the Highland Rim, the Cumberland Plateau, the Valley and Ridge, the Piedmont Upland, and the Coastal Plain (Figure 1) These divisions work extremely well for the natural landscape but, as would be expected, human features leak across these easily-defined boundaries.

The plan of this book is to first describe some of the human features of Alabama’s landscapes, then  examine the components of the natural landscape, then Alabama's natural resources, and then  to examine each of the physiographic sections, highlighting the similarities and differences among them.  The book will look at predictions for the future, bearing in mind Niels Bohr’s pronouncement on prediction:           

                      “Prediction is very difficult, especially of the future."

According to the Association of American Geographers "Geography is the science of place and space."

Geographers ask:

• where things are located on the surface of the earth,

• why they are located where they are,

• how places differ from one another, and

• how people interact with the landscape.

This book is designed on three principles:

1. Maps are an essential part of geography.
There are many maps in this book, but the basics of map reading will not be review. Map basics can be reviewed at: http://geography.about.com/od/studygeography/a/mapparts.htm.

2. We are a visual society.
Many estimates place visual learners as 65% of the population. Unlike auditory and kinesthetic learners, they best remember information presented in pictures, charts or diagrams. In this book I have purposely used minimal description in favor of graphic tools.

3. Numbers rule
Whether we like it or not, numbers drive our society. Originally the purview of science and mathematics, they have bled over into the social sciences, and, yes, even the humanities. The ability to examine and draw conclusions from tables of numbers is an essential skill. But, as the number of numbers is overwhelming,  I have used tables and graphs extensively in this book.

A Word about the Maps

Many of the maps in this book are based on those produced by the Cartographic Research Laboratory, the College of Arts and Sciences, the University of Alabama.  This wonderful collection of digital maps can be found at: http://alabamamaps.ua.edu/index.html

Other major source of maps are the National Atlas of the United States of America (http://www.nationalatlas.gov/) and the National Map Viewer (http://nmviewogc.cr.usgs.gov/viewer.htm) both maintained by the US Geological Survey.

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