Maryland: The Old Line State

Maryland: The Old Line State book cover — ENCYCLOPÆDIA Britannica DISCOVER AMERICA Maryland The Old Line State CHICAGO LONDON NEW DELHI PARIS SEOUL SYDNEY TAIPEI TOKYO

Maryland: The Old Line State — page 1 — 4 MARYLAND INTRODUCTION Maryland is sometimes called America in Miniature a nickname reflecting both its small size and its great diversity At only 10,455 square miles Maryland is the ninth smallest state But within it one can find a great variety of landscapes and lifestyles The nickname is also deserved because of Maryland’s vital role in the history of the United States In 1814 while watching the British attack Baltimore’s Fort McHenry Francis Scott Key penned a poem called The Star-Spangled Banner which later became the country’s official national anthem Baltimore Maryland’s largest city has one of the busiest ports in the country This leading industrial center lies at the head of the Patapsco River estuary 15 miles above Chesapeake Bay which divides the state into two regions the Eastern Shore and Western Shore Baltimore is a popular tourist destination and contains many historic sites The Star-Spangled Banner the U S national anthem was written during a battle in Maryland during the War of 1812 and was inspired by the American flag The Potomac River runs along Maryland’s southwestern border Maryland was named for Britain’s Queen Henrietta Maria wife of King Charles I The U S Congress made The Star-Spangled Banner the official national anthem in 1931 It was written in September 1814 Maryland’s state flag honors two families that were important in the early history of the state the Calverts and the Crosslands The black and yellow design on the flag represents the Calvert family crest and the red and white shield represents the Crossland family crest

Maryland: The Old Line State — page 2 — INTRODUCTION 5 Maryland is located on the Atlantic coast and is part of an area of the United States often called the Middle Atlantic region Maryland is bordered to the north by Pennsylvania to the east by Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean and to the west by West Virginia To the south the Potomac River helps separate Maryland from West Virginia and Virginia On the Maryland side of the Potomac and surrounded by Maryland on three sides is the District of Columbia Washington D C Access to Maryland is made easy by the roughly 30,000 miles of highways that cross the state Interstate 95 I-95 connects the state to Washington D C in the south and to Philadelphia in the north The state’s biggest airport the Baltimore-Washington International Airport also serves Washington D C and provides service to most domestic and many foreign destinations For a scenic voyage to Virginia travelers can board White’s Ferry This ferry is the last operating ferry crossing the Potomac River It connects Montgomery County in Maryland to Loudoun County in Virginia Baltimore-Washington International Airport serves about 20 million commercial passengers each year Most transportation routes in Maryland run through Baltimore Maryland is also served by two airports in northern Virginia Both Dulles and Reagan Washington National airports provide passenger and freight access to the state The Chesapeake Bay Bridge opened in 1952 The 4 3-mile bridge links Maryland’s Eastern and Western shores easing transportation between the two sides of the state The country’s first federal highway the Cumberland Road ran from Cumberland Md to Vandalia Ill It was built between 1811 and 1837 0 0 Maryland Location Map Capital Annapolis Interstate highways 20 40 32 64 Km Mi Scale Population 5,296,486 Size 10,455 square miles Highest peak Backbone Mountain 3,360 feet

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