Maryland

I

Introduction

Maryland, one of the Atlantic coast states of the United States, bordered on the north by Pennsylvania, on the east by Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean, on the south by Virginia, and on the south-west and west by West Virginia. The District of Columbia, site of the US capital, is an enclave in the western part of the state. The Potomac River forms most of Maryland’s western boundary, and Chesapeake Bay deeply indents the eastern section of the state.

Maryland entered the Union on April 28, 1788, as the seventh of the 13 original states. The economy of the state, known for tobacco production in colonial times, became dominated by manufacturing in the late 19th century and in the early 21st century depends primarily on the service and government sectors. Baltimore, Maryland’s largest city, is a major seaport. The state is named after Henrietta Maria, the wife of Charles I of England. Maryland is also known as the “Old Line State” and the “Free State”.

II

Land and Resources

Maryland has an area of 31,849 sq km (12,297 sq mi). Maryland has an irregular shape, and its extreme dimensions are 385 km (240 mi) from east to west and about 200 km (125 mi) from north to south. Maryland’s coastline along the Atlantic Ocean is only 50 km (31 mi) long, but the state’s tidal shoreline, which includes Chesapeake Bay and its many arms, has a length of 5,134 km (3,190 mi). The Atlantic coast is formed here by a narrow barrier island, which in part sets off Chincoteague, Assawoman, and Isle of Wight bays.

A

Physical Geography

Maryland can be divided into five major geographical regions, all of which extend into neighbouring states: the Atlantic Coastal Plain, the Piedmont Plateau, the Blue Ridge region, the Valley and Ridge region, and the Allegheny Plateau. About one half of Maryland is part of the Atlantic Coastal Plain, which is divided into two sections in the state by Chesapeake Bay: the Eastern Shore (part of the Delmarva Peninsula) and the Western Shore. Roughly one quarter of Maryland is part of the Piedmont Plateau region. The eastern two thirds of this region is an area of rolling hills rising to about 370 m (1,200 ft) at Dug Hill Ridge in the north.

The Blue Ridge region is mostly situated at least 305 m (1,000 ft) above sea level. Catoctin Mountain is a major component of the Blue Ridge in Maryland. The state’s fifth region, the Allegheny Plateau, in the north-west, is about 610 to 1,024 m (2,000 to 3,360 ft) high and has broader, more rounded ridges and wider valleys than the Valley and Ridge Region.

Maryland has two large rivers: the Potomac and the Susquehanna. Other rivers include: on the eastern shore, the Chester, Choptank, Nanticoke, and Pocomoke; and on the western shore, the Gunpowder, Patapsco, and Patuxent. Maryland has no large natural lakes.

B

Climate

Except for the Allegheny Plateau region, Maryland has a humid subtropical climate. Average monthly temperatures in winter are generally above freezing. Summer temperatures average about 24° C (75° F), with maximum daily readings above 32° C (90° F) on 20 to 40 days a year. The Allegheny Plateau region in the north-west has a humid temperate climate, which differs from that of the rest of the state in that average monthly temperatures in winter are below freezing. Average monthly temperatures in summer typically are less than 20° C (68° F).