One of the original 13 states to
join the Union (in 1788), Maryland is in the middle of the
Eastern Seaboard. It's believed that Lord Baltimore, who received
a charter for the land in 1632, named the state after Queen
Henrietta Maria, wife of King Charles I. The Mason and Dixon line
was drawn in the 1760s to settle a dispute between the Penn and
Calvert families. In addition to marking the boundary between
Pennsylvania and Maryland, it is the traditional boundary between
the North and the South. Maryland is known as the "Free
State"; its flower is the black-eyed susan; and its capital
is Annapolis, home of the U.S. Naval Academy.
State Flower: Black-eyed Susan
State Motto: Manly deeds, womanly
words or Strong deeds, gentle Words (Depending on latin
translation)
State Nickname: Free State; Old
Line State
State Bird: Baltimore oriole
Land area: 9,775 sq mi. - Length:
250 miles - Width: 90 miles
10 largest cities (1999 est.):
Baltimore, 632,681; Frederick, 48,710; Gaithersburg, 48,395;
Rockville, 48,160; Bowie, 41,091; Hagerstown, 34,611; Annapolis,
33,125; College Park, 27,467; Cumberland, 22,615; Greenbelt,
22,154 - Persons per square mile (1999): 529.1
