Maryland packs so much into its relatively small area, one of its nicknames is ‘America in Miniature’.
Located just below the Mason-Dixie line at the border between the northern and southern states, Maryland exhibits characteristics typical of both sides of the divide, alongside a varied and beautiful landscape.
The one kind of American landscape you won’t find in Maryland is desert – it’s simply too wet! As well as the huge Chesapeake Bay, it has nearly 50 rivers and creeks, as well as streams, lakes, ponds – and of course the Atlantic Ocean.
Chesapeake Bay is the US’s largest estuary. Separating Maryland from neighboring Virginia, it’s one of the state’s most-visited attractions. Tourists flock from all over the US and beyond to enjoy the bay’s popular activities – fishing, crabbing, swimming, boating and sailing.
Other natural attractions are the Piedmont Plateau, which features rolling hills, quarries and waterfalls, and the Appalachian Mountains, which combine forests, swamps, vineyards and farmland.
Maryland’s largest city is major sea port Baltimore, which shot to prominence in recent years as the setting for the hit US television series The Wire. However, the show’s focus on the darker, poorer sides of the city belies the fact that Maryland’s median income is among the highest in the US – and that another of its nicknames is simply ‘Land of Pleasant Living’.
Maryland: Fast facts
• Located in north-east of US; borders with Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Delaware, Virginia and Atlantic Ocean
• Capital is Annapolis and largest city is Baltimore
• Service sectors, including tourism, retailing, communications and finance, account for more than 80% of Marylanders’ jobs
• Famous Marylanders include singer Eva Cassidy, musician Frank Zappa, actor David Hasselhoff, and R&B artist Toni Braxton
• The Susquehanna River, which flows into Chesapeake Bay, reaches one mile across at some points,
• Maryland is one of the US’s leading producers of poultry
• The state’s famous Blue Crab (it really is blue) is known for its sweet taste
Top universities in Maryland
Maryland is home to one of the US’s most prestigious universities, John Hopkins University, which is ranked 16 in the 2011/12 QS World University Rankings.
John Hopkins ranks even higher in the subject rankings for medicine (8th), biological sciences (13th), reflecting the state’s strong reputation in the fields of life sciences and biotechnology.
The state’s largest university is the University of Maryland, based in the city of College Park, which is very close to the US’s federal capital, Washington, D.C.
More states on the north east coast:
