Maryland

Maryland (MD) is a state in the east
of the United States. Its U.S. postal
abbreviation is MD. Its Associated
Press abbreviation is Md.              State nickname: Old Line State; Free State
USS Maryland was named in honor of
this state.

                                       Capital             Annapolis
                                       Largest City        Baltimore
                                       Area                Ranked 42nd
                                       Ê- Total            32,160 km2
                                       Ê- Land             25,338 km2
                                       Ê- Water            6,968 km2
                                       Ê- % water          21%
                                       Population          Ranked 17th
                                       Ê- Total (2000)     5,296,486
                                       Ê- Density          165/km2
                                       Admittance into
                                       Union
                                       Ê- Order            7th
History                                Ê- Date             April 28, 1788
                                       Time zone           Eastern: UTC-5/-4
The English colony of Maryland was
founded by Lord Baltimore who on March Latitude            37¡53'N to
25, 1634 led the first settlers into   Longitude           39¡43'N
this area which would soon become one                      75¡4'W to 79¡33'W
of the few dominantly Catholic regions Width               145 km
among the English colonies in America. Length              400 km
The Maryland toleration act was one of Elevation           Ê
the first laws that explicitly         Ê -Highest          1,024 meters
tolerated varieties of religion (as    Ê -Mean             105 meters
long as it was Christian), and is      Ê -Lowest           0 meters
sometimes seen as a precursor to the
First Amendment.                       ISO 3166-2:         US-MD

Originally, based on an incorrect map, the royal charter granted Maryland
the Potomac River and territory northward to the fortieth parallel. This was
found to be a problem, because the northern boundary would put Philadelphia,
the major city in Pennsylvania, within Maryland. The Calvert family, which
controlled Maryland, and the Penn family, which controlled Pennsylvania,
engaged two surveyors, Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon, to survey what
became known as the Mason-Dixon line which would form the boundary between
their two colonies.

Maryland was one of the thirteen colonies that revolted against British rule
in the American Revolution.

Maryland remained largely neutral in the United States Civil War. As it did
not secede (in part due to precautions taken by the government in
Washington, D.C.), it was not included under the Emancipation Proclamation
and retained legal slavery for some years after the Civil War.

Law and Government

As in all fifty states, the head of the executive branch of government is a
Governor. The legislative branch is called the General Assembly, and
consists of a 47-member Senate and a 141-member House of Delegates.

Geography

Maryland is bounded on the north by Pennsylvania, on the west by West
Virginia, on the east by Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean, and on the south,
across the Potomac River, by Virginia. Chesapeake Bay nearly bisects the
state.

   * Physical formations
        o Appalachian Mountains
        o Chesapeake Bay

Economy

   * Federal Agencies
        o National Institutes of Health
        o National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Goddard Space
          Flight Center
        o National Institute of Standards and Technology
        o Nuclear Regulatory Commission
        o National Security Agency

Military Facilities

   * Bethesda Naval Medical Center
   * Andrews Air Force Base
   * Aberdeen Proving Ground
   * Fort Meade

Transit

Maryland's major Interstate Highways include I-95, which enters the
northeast portion of the state, goes through Baltimore, and becomes the
Capital Beltway to the Woodow Wilson Bridge. I-68 connects the western
portions of the state to Frederick, and I-70 connects Frederick with
Baltimore.

Maryland's main airport is Baltimore-Washington International Airport
(formerly known as Friendship Airport).

Amtrak Trains serve Baltimore along the Northeast Corridor. MARC trains,
operated by the State's Transit Authority, connect nearby Washington, D.C.
and Baltimore, and other towns.

Demographics

As of 2000, the state's population was 5,296,486.

Important Cities and Towns

   * Annapolis - state capital
   * For a more exhaustive list, see List of cities in Maryland

Education

Colleges and Universities

    * Baltimore Hebrew            * Salisbury University
      University                  * Soujourner-Douglass College
    * Baltimore International     * Towson University
      College                     * The Uniformed Services University of
    * Bowie State University        the Health Sciences
    * Capitol College             * United States Naval Academy
    * Chesapeake College          * University of Baltimore
    * College of Notre Dame of    * University System of Maryland
      Maryland                         o University of Maryland, Baltimore
    * Columbia Union College           o University of Maryland, Baltimore
    * Coppin State College               County
    * Goucher College                  o University of Maryland, College
    * Frostburg State                    Park
      University                       o University of Maryland, Eastern
    * Hood College                       Shore
    * Johns Hopkins University         o University of Maryland University
    * Loyola College                     College
    * Maryland institute,         * Washington Bible College
      College of Art              * Washington College
    * Morgan State University     * Western Maryland College
    * Mount Saint Mary's          * Villa Julie College
      College
    * St. John's College,
      Annapolis
    * St. Mary's College of
      Maryland

Professional sports teams

    * National Football League               * Minor League baseball teams
         o Baltimore Ravens                       o Hagerstown Suns
         o Washington Redskins,                   o Bowie Baysox
    * Baltimore Bayhawks, Major League            o Frederick Keys
      Lacrosse                                    o Aberdeen IronBirds
    * Baltimore Orioles, Major League             o Delmarva Shorebirds
      Baseball

Miscellaneous information

The state bird is the Baltimore oriole; the state flower is the black-eyed
susan; state sport is jousting; state dog is the Chesapeake Bay Retriever;
state fish is the rockfish (striped bass); state cat is the calico cat; and
the state song is "Maryland, My Maryland." Nickname is "The Old Line State."

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