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Maryland [meʹrələnd], abbreviated MD, US state; 25 316 km2,
6 million inhabitants (2018).Maryland is located around Chesapeake Bay on the
East Coast. The capital is Annapolis. District of Columbia, viz. The area of
the Federal Capital of Washington, erupted from Maryland in 1790 and forms an
enclave on the Virginia border.
Maryland. State Map.
Nature
The flat coastal state of eastern Maryland, with large marshlands, is divided
into an eastern and a western part of Chesapeake Bay. The Piedmont Plateau,
further west, is a rolling landscape that rises from east to west. It turns into
a narrow area that belongs to the Appalachian wooded plateau in the far
west. The state's highest peak, Backbone Mountain (1,024 m asl), is in this
area.
Maryland. Lake Redington in Central Maryland.
The climate in eastern Maryland is a rainy coastal climate with cold
winters. In Baltimore, the average temperature in January is + 1 °C and in July
+ 25 ° C. The high-lying areas in the west have a more continental climate. The
annual rainfall is 1 100 mm.
Population
During the 2000s, Maryland's population has increased slightly less than the
United States average. Just over 30 percent of the population is African
American and just under 60 percent white. About 95 percent of the population
lives in the metropolitan area, the majority in Baltimore (621,800 residents,
2016), and in the part of the Washington region that belongs to
Maryland. Central locations in the state's northwest are Hagerstown and
Cumberland.
Business
Service and service industries and industry are essential elements of
Maryland's economy. Federal establishments and institutions account for a
significant part of employment. However, the industry, mainly the iron and steel
industry, has declined somewhat in importance during the 2000s. The transport
sector is also of great importance for the state's economy. Baltimore's port is
one of the largest in the United States and handles, for example, large
quantities of raw materials for inland industries. Agriculture is primarily
focused on the metropolitan market (vegetables, dairy and poultry products). The
role of traditional tobacco growing has diminished.
Tourism and gastronomy
A historic trip in the United States can begin at the Potomac Outfall
in Chesapeake Bay. There, in 1634, the first 250 English colonists landed and
built Saint Mary's City, which then became the capital of the colony until 1694.
Many historic buildings remain in Annapolis, and here is also the 1845 US
Naval Academy. Maryland has many memorials from the Civil War and the Civil War,
which attracts many American visitors.
The city of Baltimore with its museums, art galleries etc. is the state's
main tourist destination. Ocean City is the leading seaside resort on the
Atlantic Ocean, and along Chesapeake Bay there are also a number of recreational
resorts.
Maryland. The Seven Foot Knoll lighthouse in
Baltimore is now a popular museum.
Maryland has plenty of corn, dairy products, poultry and even some game. The
oysters from Chesapeake Bay became an early concept and were even used to fill
the traditional turkey. Otherwise, the blue-shell crabs dominate; they turn into
soups, Maryland Crab Cakes or stew. When sewing shells, they are
especially sought after and deep fried whole.
History
Maryland was founded in 1634 as a refuge for persecuted Catholics in
England. Later, Protestants also immigrated, leading to disputes and making
Maryland in 1691 a British crown colony. Maryland was one of the 13 colonies
that formed the United States in 1776. The economy was based on agriculture,
mainly tobacco cultivation on large plantations with slave labor. Therefore, at
the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, there were strong sympathies for joining
the Southern States, but Maryland was held, because of its strategically
important location, in an iron grip of the Northern State Army and forced to
remain in the Union. Through its good transportation links, Maryland has
developed into an important trade and industrial state with Baltimore as an
important export port. Politically, the Democratic Party has dominated since the
Civil War.
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