Maryland is a state in the United States’ Mid-Atlantic area, bordered on the south and west by Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia; on the north by Pennsylvania; and on the east by Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean. Baltimore is the state’s largest city, while Annapolis is its capitol. Old Line State, the Free State, and the Chesapeake Bay State are some of its nicknames. It was named after Queen Henrietta Maria, often known as Queen Mary in England, who was King Charles I’s wife.

Maryland was inhabited by various Native American tribes before Europeans discovered the coastline in the 16th century – primarily the Algonquin, but also the Iroquois and Sioux. Maryland was formed as one of England’s original Thirteen Colonies by Catholic convert George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore, who aimed to offer a religious sanctuary for Catholics persecuted in England. Lord Baltimore was awarded a colonial charter by Charles I of England in 1632, and the colony was named after his wife, Queen Mary (Henrietta Maria of France). Unlike the Pilgrims and Puritans, who refused to accept Catholicism in their colonies, Lord Baltimore envisioned a colony where individuals of all religious faiths could cohabit under the idea of toleration. As a result, the Maryland General Assembly established an Act Concerning Religion in 1649, which codified this idea by making anyone who “reproached” a fellow Marylander based on religious allegiance punishable. Despite this, religious strife was widespread in the early years, and Catholics remained a minority, albeit in greater numbers than in any other English colony. Early towns and population centres in Maryland congregated around rivers and other waterways that empty into the Chesapeake Bay. Its economy was strongly focused on plantations and centred primarily on tobacco growing. Indentured servants, convict labour, and African slaves all grew in popularity as a result of Britain’s need for inexpensive labour. Following a long-running boundary dispute with Pennsylvania, Maryland’s current boundaries were established in 1760. Maryland was a key player in the events that led up to the American Revolution, and its delegates signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Many of its people went on to play important political and military roles in the conflict. In 1790, the state gave land to the United States for the construction of Washington, D.C., the nation’s capital.
Maryland remained in the Union throughout the American Civil War, despite being a slave state at the time. Its strategic location gave it a crucial role in the fight. Maryland participated in the Industrial Revolution after the Civil War, thanks to its seaports, railroad networks, and large-scale immigration from Europe. The state’s population has increased significantly since the 1940s, and it now has a population of approximately six million people, making it one of the most densely populated states in the United States. Maryland had the highest median household income of any state in 2015, thanks in part to its proximity to Washington, D.C. and a diverse economy that includes manufacturing, services, higher education, healthcare, and biotechnology. The state’s central position in American history is mirrored in the fact that it has some of the most historic landmarks per capita.

The tidal waters of the Chesapeake Bay estuary and its many tributaries, which total more than 4,000 miles of shoreline, are bordered by sixteen of Maryland’s twenty-three counties, as well as the city of Baltimore. Despite being one of the smallest states in the US, it has a diverse range of climates and topographical features, earning it the nickname “America in Miniature.” Maryland’s geography, culture, and history are similar in that it incorporates characteristics from the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, and Southern parts of the country.

Maryland geography

Maryland is comparable in size to Belgium [11,787 square miles (30,530 km2), with a total area of 12,406.68 square miles (32,133.2 km2). It is the 42nd largest and 9th smallest state, with a surface area of 10,930.98 square miles (28,311.1 km2), the smallest state next to it. Maryland’s next-largest neighbour, West Virginia, is nearly twice its size [24,229.76 square miles (62,754.8 km2)].Maryland’s varied topography contributes to the nickname “America in Miniature” given to the state. It spans beach dunes dotted with seagrass in the east, low marshlands alive with wildlife and giant bald cypress along the Chesapeake Bay, gently undulating hills of oak woods in the Piedmont Region, and pine groves in the Maryland highlands in the west. The thickly forested mountains of western Maryland are well-known. In Garrett County, a panoramic picture of Deep Creek Lake and the neighbouring Appalachian Mountains.
The Potomac River’s Great Falls.

Maryland is bordered on the north by Pennsylvania, on the north and east by Delaware, on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, and on the south and west by West Virginia and Virginia across the Potomac River. The District of Columbia, which stands on land that was once part of Montgomery and Prince George’s counties and includes the town of Georgetown, Maryland, interrupts the latter border in the middle. In 1790, the United States Federal Government received this territory, which became the District of Columbia. (Virginia granted land south of the Potomac, including Alexandria; however, Virginia retroceded its portion in 1846.) The Chesapeake Bay almost cuts the state in half, and the counties east of it are known as the Eastern Shore.

Above the tidal zone, a typical freshwater river. The Patapsco River is part of the Patapsco Valley State Park, which contains the historic Thomas Viaduct. As it drains into the Chesapeake Bay, the river forms Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. The river is a typical brackish tidal river. Sunset over a marsh in Cardinal Cove on the Patuxent River Tidal wetlands of the Chesapeake Bay, the United States’ largest estuary and Maryland’s greatest water feature.With the exception of a small portion of extreme western Garrett County (drained by the Youghiogheny River as part of the Mississippi River’s watershed), the eastern half of Worcester County (which drains into Maryland’s Atlantic coastal bays), and a small portion of the state’s northeast corner, the majority of the state’s waterways are part of the Chesapeake Bay watershed (which drains into the Delaware River watershed). The Chesapeake is so important in Maryland’s geography and economy that there has been some debate about changing the state’s official designation to the “Bay State,” which Massachusetts has used for decades. Hoye Crest atop Backbone Mountain, in the southwest part of Garrett County, near the boundary with West Virginia and near the headwaters of the North Branch of the Potomac River, is Maryland’s highest point at 3,360 feet (1,020 m). Close to a tiny town.

Maryland is divided into several recognised and unofficial geographic regions. The Delmarva Peninsula, for example, is made up of Maryland’s Eastern Shore counties, the entire state of Delaware, and the two counties that make up Virginia’s Eastern Shore, although Maryland’s westernmost counties are considered part of Appalachia. Although it straddles the border between the two zones, much of the Baltimore–Washington corridor lies just south of the Piedmont in the Coastal Plain.

Maryland Geology

Because of Maryland’s remoteness from seismic/earthquake zones, earthquakes are rare and modest.Maryland was moderately affected by the M5.8 Virginia earthquake in 2011. Buildings in the state are poorly prepared to withstand earthquakes and are susceptible to destruction.
Because of the lack of glacial history in the area, Maryland has no natural lakes. All of the lakes in the state were built today, largely via dams. Buckel’s Bog is thought to be the remnant of an ancient natural lake, according to geologists.Fracking is theoretically possible in Maryland’s shale deposits, which contain natural gas.
The state flower, black-eyed susans, may be found throughout much of the state. Maryland’s plant life is abundant and thriving, as it is in most East Coast states. Seagrass and various reeds at the smaller end of the spectrum to the gigantic Wye Oak, a huge example of white oak, the state tree, which can grow over 70 feet (21 m) tall, a modest amount of annual precipitation helps to support many types of plants, including seagrass and various reeds at the smaller end of the spectrum to the gigantic Wye Oak, a huge example of white oak, the state tree, which can grow over 70 feet (21 m) tall.
Around Chesapeake Bay and on the Delmarva Peninsula, Middle Atlantic coastal woods develop, which are typical of the southeastern Atlantic coastal plain. The centre half of the state is covered with a mix of Northeastern coastal woods and Southeastern mixed forests as you move west. Appalachian-Blue Ridge woods can be found in western Maryland’s Appalachian Mountains. Near the West Virginia border, these give way to Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests. Mature Solomons, Maryland, Trachycarpus fortunei.

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Many foreign species, some as ornamentals and others as novelty species, are cultivated throughout the state. Crape myrtle, Italian cypress, southern magnolia, live oak in the warmer sections of the state, and even hardy palm trees in the central and eastern regions of the state are among them. Zones 5 and 6 in the extreme western section of the state, Zone 7 in the middle half, and Zone 8 around the southern part of the coast, the bay area, and parts of metropolitan Baltimore are all USDA plant hardiness zones in Maryland. Kudzu, tree of heaven, multiflora rose, and Japanese stiltgrass are examples of invasive plant species that limit the growth of endemic plant life.] The black-eyed susan, Maryland’s state flower, can be found in abundance in wild flower groupings all around the state. Fauna The state has a large population of white-tailed deer, particularly in the wooded and mountainous west, and overpopulation can be an issue. Mammals can be dangerous.

On Assateague Island, there is a colony of uncommon wild (feral) horses. They are thought to be descended from horses that escaped shipwrecks in Spanish galleons. Every year during the last week of July, they are trapped and sold at Chincoteague, Virginia, after swimming across a shallow bay. This is a conservation practise that guarantees the little island is not overrun by horses. Misty of Chincoteague, a children’s novel, popularised the ponies and their sale. In the Chesapeake area, the purebred Chesapeake Bay Retriever dog was bred specifically for water sports, hunting, and search and rescue. The American Kennel Club recognised the Chesapeake Bay Retriever as the first individual retriever breed in 1878, and it was later adopted as the mascot of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. The diamondback terrapin turtle, which has been adopted as the mascot of the University of Maryland, College Park, as well as the endangered Eastern box turtle, are among Maryland’s reptiles and amphibians. The state is home to the Baltimore oriole, the official state bird and mascot of the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball. Aside from the oriole, Maryland has recorded 435 different bird species.
The Baltimore checkerspot butterfly is the state insect, however it is not as common in Maryland as it is in the southern part of its range.Toward the close of the twentieth century, Maryland teamed together with surrounding states to restore the health of the Chesapeake Bay. Development, as well as fertiliser and livestock waste entering the bay, have posed a threat to the bay’s aquatic life and seafood sector. Maryland was ranked fifth “greenest” state in the country by Forbes.com in 2007, behind three Pacific states and Vermont. Maryland is ranked 40th in the nation for total energy usage, and it managed less toxic waste per capita in 2005 than all but six states. Maryland joined the Regional Greenhouse Gas Endeavor (RGGI) in April 2007, a regional initiative to decrease greenhouse gas emissions that includes all of the Northeastern states, Washington, D.C., and three Canadian provinces. Maryland became the first state with known gas reserves to enact a bill prohibiting fracking in March 2017. Vermont has one, but it excludes shale gas, and New York has one as well, though it was enacted by executive order.

Maryland Climate

Due to local variations in elevation, proximity to water, and protection from colder weather due to downslope winds, Maryland features a diverse range of climates. The Atlantic Coastal Plain, with flat topography and sandy or muddy soil, runs through the eastern half of Maryland, which includes the cities of Ocean City, Salisbury, Annapolis, and the southern and eastern suburbs of Washington, D.C. and Baltimore. The climate in this area is humid subtropical (Köppen Cfa), with hot, humid summers and a brief, warm to chilly winter; it is located in USDA Hardiness Zone 8a. The Piedmont region, which includes northern and western greater Baltimore, Westminster, Gaithersburg, Frederick, and Hagerstown, receives average seasonal snowfall totals of more over 20 inches (51 cm) and is located in USDA Hardiness zones 7b and 7a.

Due to height, the upper altitudes of Allegany and Garrett counties in western Maryland—including the communities of Cumberland, Frostburg, and Oakland—show more characteristics of the humid continental zone. USDA Hardiness Zones 6b and lower apply to them. The state’s precipitation is typical of the East Coast. Annual precipitation ranges from 35 to 45 inches (890 to 1,140 mm), with higher elevations receiving more. 3.5–4.5 inches (89–114 mm) of rain falls on nearly every section of Maryland every month. The state’s average annual snowfall ranges from 9 inches (23 cm) at the coast to more than 100 inches (250 cm) in the western highlands.Maryland is fairly vulnerable to tropical cyclones due to its proximity to the Atlantic Coast, yet the Delmarva Peninsula and the outer banks of North Carolina provide a substantial buffer, ensuring that strong storms (category 3 or higher) impact only infrequently. The remains of a tropical system that has already come onshore and released the most of its energy are more common in Maryland. Every year, Maryland experiences 30–40 days of thunderstorms, with an average of six tornadoes.

History of Maryland

King Charles I granted a licence to George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore (1579–1632), for the land between Massachusetts to the north and Virginia to the south. After Baltimore’s death in April 1632, his son, Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore (1605–1675), was granted the charter on June 20, 1632. The new “Maryland Colony” was officially named after Henrietta Maria of France, Charles I of England’s bride. The name “Crescentia,” which means “country of growth or increase,” was proposed by the 1st Baron Baltimore, but “the King proposed Terra Mariae [Mary Land], which was agreed upon and inserted in the statute.”
St. Mary’s City, on the north bank of the Potomac River, was the province’s first capital, and the county that surrounded it, the first erected/created in the province, was first named Augusta Carolina, after the King, and afterwards dubbed St. Mary’s County.
In March 1634, Lord Baltimore’s first inhabitants arrived in the new colony, led by his younger brother, the Honorable Leonard Calvert (1606–1647), who served as Maryland’s first provincial governor. In what is now St. Mary’s County, they established their first permanent settlement. They bought the land from the region’s supreme leader, who was eager to start trading. St. Mary’s was Maryland’s initial capital, and it remained that way for 60 years, until 1695. More settlers arrived soon after. Their tobacco crops were a success, and the new colony immediately became profitable. However, due to the prevalence of malaria, yellow fever, and typhoid, Maryland’s life expectancy was around 10 years lower than that of New England.

Maryland was established to provide a safe haven for the Roman Catholic minority in England. Although Maryland had the highest Catholic population of the English mainland colonies, it was still a minority faith, accounting for fewer than 10% of the overall population.
In 1642, a group of Puritans fled Virginia for Maryland, settling in Providence (now Annapolis) on the upper Chesapeake Bay’s western bank. Armed fighting erupted after a dispute with Virginia traders over Kent Island in the Chesapeake. In 1644, a Puritan named William Claiborne assumed control of Kent Island, while his associate, the pro-Parliament Puritan Richard Ingle, obtained control of St. Mary’s. [72] Both exploited religion to obtain support from the public. Claiborne and his Puritan allies ruled for two years, from 1644 to 1646, and were known as “The Plundering Time.” They kidnapped and imprisoned Jesuit priests before returning them to England.

Leonard Calvert arrived with troops in 1646 and reclaimed St. Mary’s City, restoring order. The “Act Concerning Religion” was passed by the House of Delegates in 1649, providing religious liberty to all Trinitarian Christians.The Puritans rose up against the proprietary rule in 1650. “The Catholics were thrown out of the legislature by the Protestants… and religious violence resurfaced.” The Puritans established a new government that outlawed both Catholicism and Anglicanism. During its reign, dubbed as the “plundering time,” the Puritan revolutionary government oppressed Maryland Catholics. All of southern Maryland’s original Catholic churches were burned destroyed by mobs. The Puritan rule continued until 1658, when the Calvert family and Lord Baltimore re-enacted the Toleration Act and recovered proprietary authority. Maryland made Catholicism illegal after England’s “Glorious Revolution” of 1688. The Maryland General Assembly banned Catholics from running schools, limited corporate ownership of property to prevent religious orders from extending or sustaining themselves, and supported the conversion of Catholic children in 1704. Officially, the celebration of Catholic sacraments was likewise prohibited. This situation persisted until the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783) was over. Wealthy Catholic planters built chapels on their properties so that they may practise their religion in relative privacy. Individual priests and lay leaders claimed Maryland farms owned by the Jesuits as personal property and bequeathed them to avoid legal limits on religious groups possessing property well into the 18th century.

1681–1760: Border Disputes

Articles of primary importance: Cresap’s War and the Penn–Calvert Boundary Dispute.Maryland was awarded land north of the Potomac River up to the 40th parallel by royal charter. When Charles II handed Pennsylvania a charter, an issue developed. The grant designated Pennsylvania’s southern border as the 40th parallel, which is the same as Maryland’s northern border. However, according to the grant, Charles II and William Penn thought that the 40th parallel would pass near to New Castle, Delaware when it fell north of Philadelphia, which Penn had previously chosen as his colony’s capital city. After the problem was revealed in 1681, negotiations began.

Penn’s getting the additional grant of what is now Delaware weakened a settlement made by Charles II in 1682. Penn was successful in arguing that Lord Baltimore’s Maryland charter only applied to undeveloped areas, and that Dutch settlement in Delaware predates his licence. The struggle was carried on by the descendants of William Penn and Lord Baltimore—the Calvert family, who controlled Maryland, and the Penn family, who controlled Pennsylvania—for nearly a century.
Maryland map from 1732.

In the 1730s, a border dispute with Pennsylvania sparked Cresap’s War. Hostilities broke out in 1730 and grew in intensity throughout the first part of the decade, culminating in the deployment of military forces by Maryland in 1736 and Pennsylvania in 1737. The armed phase of the dispute came to an end in May 1738, when King George II intervened and forced a cease-fire to be negotiated. In 1732, a temporary agreement was made.Negotiations went on until 1760, when a definitive agreement was struck. The Mason–Dixon line, now known as the Maryland–Pennsylvania boundary, was designated by the agreement as the line of latitude between Maryland and Pennsylvania. The Transpeninsular Line and the Twelve-Mile Circle around New Castle formed Maryland’s border with Delaware.

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