Maryland
Maryland Facts Videos Maps
Photo: Maryland
A man leaps from piling to piling above the waters of the Chesapeake Bay—one of the world's great marine estuaries.
Photograph by Robert W Madden
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Maryland Information and History

"An immense protein factory," wrote Baltimorean H. L. Mencken of Chesapeake Bay. One of the world's greatest estuaries, the Chesapeake contains thousands of species, many threatened by agricultural runoff, sewage, and urban wastes. Baltimore, with its revitalized Inner Harbor, is a major seaport, ranking as the country's second port for foreign tonnage. The state capital of Annapolis, an East Coast sailing hub, preserves the nation's largest concentration of 18th-century buildings and is home to the U.S. Naval Academy. The Delmarva Peninsula draws pleasure seekers to its Ocean City boardwalk as well as to undeveloped beaches. Hilly western Maryland is still largely rural. Elsewhere commuter suburbs, interstate highways, and shopping malls share space with the Potomac River and the C & O Canal.

ECONOMY

Industry: real estate, federal government, health services, business services, engineering services, electrical and gas services, communications, banking, insurance.
Agriculture: poultry and eggs, dairy products, nursery stock, soybeans, corn, seafood, cattle, vegetables.

Text source: National Geographic Atlas of the World, Eighth Edition, 2004
Maryland Flag and Fast Facts
Flag of Maryland
Area
32,133 square kilometers
(12,407 square miles)
Population
5,508,909
Capital
Annapolis; 36,196
Per Capita Income
U.S. $36,121
Date Statehood Achieved
April 28, 1788
Maryland Features
Photo: Smith Island
Learn how global warming is threatening the traditional way of life on the Chesapeake Bay's Smith Island as its water level rises and its blue crab stock dwindle.
Photo: Maryland, mother and daughter outside Wedding Chapel
Explore the town of Elkton, Maryland, once famous for its no-wait weddings.
Photo: Fort Sumter
Journey to the battlefields of a war that pitted brother against brother and nearly tore this new nation apart. Experience the U.S. Civil War in this collection of photos.
Map: Maryland
State: Maryland
Country: United States
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