Maryland
Old Line State · Capital: Annapolis · South (South Atlantic)
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Bordering states: Virginia, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Delaware.
About Maryland
Maryland lies on the Atlantic seaboard, bordered by Virginia, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Delaware, and ranks 42nd in area. It still crosses five physiographic provinces, from the Coastal Plain at Ocean City to the Appalachian Plateau in Garrett County, where Hoye-Crest on Backbone Mountain reaches 3,370 feet. Near Hancock the state is only about 1.83 miles wide. The Chesapeake Bay, the drowned valley of the Susquehanna River and the largest estuary in the United States, splits Maryland into an Eastern and a Western Shore and gives it about 3,190 miles of tidal shoreline. Garrett County averages around a hundred inches of snow a year.
The Piscataway, Nanticoke and Susquehannock lived here when Charles I chartered the colony in 1632 to Cecilius Calvert, second Lord Baltimore, as a place where English Catholics could worship freely. Colonists landed at St. Clement's Island on March 25, 1634, and the 1649 Toleration Act protected Christian worship until its repeal in 1654. Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon surveyed the northern border between 1763 and 1767. Maryland ratified the Constitution on April 28, 1788 as the seventh state, and the 1814 bombardment of Fort McHenry inspired the national anthem. A slave state that never seceded, Maryland saw the battle of Antietam in 1862 and abolished slavery in 1864.
Maryland counted 6,177,224 residents in 2020, up 7.0 percent from 2010. At 636.1 people per square mile it was the 5th most densely populated state, and it holds eight House seats. Annapolis is the capital and Baltimore the largest city. Federal money, through the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, reshaped the state more than steel did. Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman were born enslaved on the Eastern Shore, and Thurgood Marshall of Baltimore became the first Black Supreme Court justice in 1967. Jousting, adopted in 1962, was the first official state sport in the country.
4 fun facts about Maryland
- The US Naval Academy, which trains future Navy and Marine Corps officers, has been in Annapolis since 1845.
- Maryland's official state sport is jousting, adopted in 1962 as the first official state sport in the US.
- The Chesapeake Bay is one of the country's most important blue crab fisheries.
- The Star-Spangled Banner was written during the British attack on Fort McHenry in Baltimore, 1814.
More about Maryland
Maryland geography and climate
Frequently asked questions about Maryland
Is Maryland a US state?
Yes, Maryland is one of the 50 US states. It was admitted to the Union in 1788, making it the 7th state. Its capital is Annapolis and its largest city is Baltimore.
What is the capital of Maryland?
The capital of Maryland is Annapolis. Note that the largest city in Maryland is Baltimore, not the capital, a common point of confusion.
When did Maryland become a state?
Maryland became a US state in 1788. It is the 7th state admitted to the Union.
What is the abbreviation for Maryland?
The 2-letter USPS abbreviation for Maryland is MD.
How big is Maryland?
Maryland ranks #42 of 50 US states by area. With 636.1 residents per square mile in 2020, it was the 5th most densely populated state.
What is the population of Maryland?
Maryland had 6,177,224 residents at the 2020 census, the 18th largest population of the 50 states, up 7.0% since 2010. That count gives it 8 seats in the US House of Representatives.
What region is Maryland in?
Maryland is in the South region of the United States, per the US Census Bureau (South Atlantic division), though it is often grouped with the Northeast and the Mid-Atlantic.
What time zone is Maryland in?
Maryland observes Eastern Time.
Learn more
How to learn the 50 states (full guide)
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