Just 250 miles from north
to south, ALABAMA ranges from the fast-flowing rivers,
waterfalls and lakes of the Appalachian foothills to the subtropical
bayous and white beaches of the Gulf Coast . Most of its industry
is concentrated in the north , around rejuvenated Birmingham , and Huntsville , first home of the nation's space
program.
The sun-scorched farmlands
of middle Alabama envelop sober Montgomery , the state capital. Away from
the French-influenced coastal strip around attractive Mobile , fundamentalist Protestant attitudes
have traditionally backed a succession of right-wing demagogues,
such as George Wallace , the four-time state governor who received
ten million votes in the 1968 presidential election.
Times have moved on since
the epic civil rights struggles in Montgomery, Birmingham and Selma . Monuments and civic literature
celebrate the achievements of the campaigners, and even Wallace
renounced his racist views, courting - and winning - black votes
in his successful campaign for governor in 1982.