Maryland

Maryland is a  located on the  in the  of the. It is comparable in size to the an country of. According to the most recent information provided by the, as of August 2007, Maryland is now the wealthiest state in the United States, with a median household income of $65,144, ahead of New Jersey which had previously held that title.

It was the seventh state to ratify the and bears two nicknames, the Old Line State and the Free State. Its history as a has led it to exhibit characteristics of both the  and  regions of the United States. As a general rule, the rural areas of Maryland, such as Western, Southern, and Eastern Maryland, are more Southern in culture, while densely-populated Central Maryland — areas in the and the  Regions — exhibit more Northern characteristics.

Maryland is a hub with over 350 biotechnology firms, making it the third-largest such cluster in the nation. Institutions and agencies located throughout Maryland include, , , the (FDA), and the  (NIH).

Physical geography
Maryland possesses a great variety of, hence its nickname, "America in Miniature." It ranges from sandy dotted with seagrass in the east, to low marshlands teeming with water snakes and large  near the bay, to gently rolling hills of  forest in the, and mountain  groves in the west.



Maryland is bounded on the north by, on the west by , on the east by and the , and on the south, across the , by  and. The mid-portion of this border is interrupted on the Maryland side by, which sits on land originally part of Maryland. The nearly bisects the state, and the counties east of the bay are known collectively as the. Most of the state's waterways are part of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, with the exception of a portion of drained by the, as part of the watershed of the , the eastern half of Worcester County, which drains into Maryland's Atlantic Coastal Bays, and a small portion of the state's northeast corner which drains into the  watershed. So prominent is the Chesapeake in Maryland's geography and economic life that there has been periodic agitation to change the state's official nickname to the "Bay State," a name currently used by.

The highest point in Maryland is, which is in the southwest corner of , near the border with West Virginia and near the headwaters of the North Branch of the Potomac River. Maryland's only ski area,, is located close to Backbone Mountain. In western Maryland, about two-thirds of the way across the state, is a point at which the state is only about 1 mi wide. This geographical curiosity, which makes Maryland the narrowest state, is located near the small town of, and results from Maryland's northern and southern boundaries being marked by the and the north-arching Potomac River, respectively.

Portions of Maryland are included in a number of official and unofficial geographic regions. For example, the comprises the Eastern Shore counties of Maryland, the entire state of Delaware, and the two counties that make up the, and the westernmost counties of Maryland are considered part of. Much of the Baltimore-Washington corridor lies in the rolling hills of the Appalachian.

A quirk of Maryland's geography is that the state contains no natural lakes. During the last, glaciers did not reach as far south as Maryland, and therefore did not carve out deep natural lakes as exist in northern states. There are numerous man-made lakes, the largest being, a reservoir in. The lack of glacial history also accounts for Maryland's soil, which is more sandy and muddy than the rocky soils of

Human geography


The majority of Maryland's population is concentrated in the cities and suburbs surrounding and Maryland's most populous city,. Historically, these cities and many others in Maryland developed along the fall line, the point at which rivers are no longer navigable from sea level due to the presence of rapids or waterfalls. Maryland's capital,, is one exception to this rule, lying along the close to where it empties into the Chesapeake Bay. Other major population centers include suburban hubs in, ,  and  in ,  in  and  in. The eastern, southern, and western portions of the state tend to be more rural, although they are dotted with cities of regional importance such as and  on the,  and  in southern Maryland, and  in.

Climate
Maryland has wide array of climates for a state of its size. It depends on numerous variables, such as proximity to water, elevation, and protection from northern weather due to s.

The eastern half of Maryland lies on the, with very flat topography and very sandy or muddy soil. This region has a (Köppen Cfa), with hot, humid summers and a short, mild to cool winter. This region includes the cities of, , , and southern and eastern greater.

Beyond this region lies the which lies in the transition between the  zone and the  zone (Köppen Dfa), with hot, humid summers and moderately cold winters where significant snowfall and significant subfreezing temperatures are an annual occurrence. This region includes, , , and northern and western greater. Extreme western Maryland, in the higher elevations of and  lie completely in the  (Köppen Dfa) due to elevation (more typical of inland  and the Midwestern U.S.) with milder summers and cold, snowy winters. Some parts of extreme western Maryland possess the cool summer Humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb), with summer average temperatures below 71°F. Precipitation in the state is very generous, as it is on most of the East Coast. Annual rainfall ranges from 40-45 inches (1000-1150 mm) in virtually every part of the state, falling very evenly. Nearly every part of Maryland receives 3.5-4.5 inches (95-110 mm) per month of precipitation. Snowfall varies from 9 inches (23 cm) in the coastal areas to over 100 inches (250 cm) a winter in the western mountains of the state.

Because of its location near the, Maryland is somewhat vulnerable to , although the , and the outer banks of to the south provide a large buffer, such that a strike from a major hurricane (category 3 or above) is not very likely. More often, Maryland might get the remnants of a tropical system which has already come ashore which dumps a huge amount of rain. Maryland averages around 30-40 days of thunderstorms a year, and averages around 6 tornado strikes annually.

Flora and fauna


As is typical of states on the, Maryland's plant life is abundant and healthy. A good dose of annual precipitation helps to support many types of plants, including and various  at the smaller end of the spectrum to the gigantic, a huge example of , the state tree, which can grow in excess of 70 feet (20 m) tall. Maryland also possesses an abundance of pines and s among its endemic tree life. Many foreign species are cultivated in the state, some as ornamentals, others as novelty species. Included among these are the, , in the warmer parts of the state, and even  in the warmer central and eastern parts of the state. USDA plant s in the state range from Zone 5 in the extreme western part of the state to 6 and 7 in the central part, and Zone 8 around the southern part of the coast, the bay area, and most of. Large areas of Maryland have problems with, an invasive plant species that chokes out growth of endemic plant life.

The state harbors a great number of, particularly in the woody and mountainous west of the state, and overpopulation can become a problem from year-to-year. The provides the state with its huge cash crop of s, and the southern and eastern portion of Maryland is warm enough to support a.

Lawns in Maryland carry a variety of species, mostly due to its location in the Transition Zone for grasses. The western part of the state is cold enough to support, and , which are widespread from the foothills west. The area around the is usually turfed with transition species such as, Tall fescue, and. can be grown in the parts of the state that are in Zone 8.

History


In 1629, in the, fresh from his failure further north with  Avalon colony, applied to  for a new royal charter for what was to become the. Calvert's interest in creating a colony derived from his and his desire for the creation of a haven for Catholics in the new world. In addition, he was familiar with the fortunes that had been made in tobacco in Virginia, and hoped to recoup some of the financial losses he had sustained in his earlier colonial venture in Newfoundland. George Calvert died in April 1632, but a charter for "Maryland Colony" (in, "Terra Maria") was granted to his son, , on ,. The new colony was named in honor of, Queen Consort of Charles I.

To try to gain settlers, Maryland used what is known as the, which originated in Jamestown.

On, , Lord Baltimore sent the first settlers into this area. Although most of the settlers were Protestants, Maryland soon became one of the few regions in the  where Catholics held the highest positions of political authority. Maryland was also one of the key destinations of tens of thousands of British convicts. The of 1649 was one of the first laws that explicitly dictated, although toleration was limited to Trinitarian Christians.

The royal charter granted Maryland the and territory northward to the fortieth parallel. This proved a problem, because the northern boundary would put, the major city in , partially within Maryland, resulting in conflict between the , which controlled Maryland, and the , which controlled Pennsylvania. This led to the (also known as the Conojocular War), a border conflict between Pennsylvania and Maryland, fought in the 1730s. Hostilities erupted in 1730 with a series of violent incidents prompted by disputes over property rights and law enforcement, and escalated through the first half of the decade, culminating in the deployment of military forces by Maryland in 1736 and by Pennsylvania in 1737. The armed phase of the conflict ended in May 1738 with the intervention of King George II, who compelled the negotiation of a cease-fire. A final settlement was not achieved until 1767, when the was recognized as the permanent boundary between the two colonies.

After made the practice of  mandatory, a large number of Puritans migrated from Virginia to Maryland, and were given land for a settlement called Providence (now ). In, the Puritans revolted against the proprietary government and set up a new government that outlawed both and Anglicanism. In, the  sent an army under the command of Governor  to put down the revolt. His army was decisively defeated by a  army near Annapolis in what was to be known as the "Battle of the Severn".

The Puritan revolt lasted until. In that year the Calvert family regained control of the colony and re-enacted the Toleration Act. However, after England's "" of, when and his wife Mary came to the throne and firmly established the Protestant faith in England, Catholicism was again outlawed in Maryland, until after the American. Many wealthy plantation owners built chapels on their land so they could practice their Catholicism in relative secrecy. During the persecution of Maryland Catholics by the revolutionary government, all of the original Catholic churches of southern Maryland were burned down.

was the largest site of the original Maryland colony, and was the seat of the colonial government until. St Mary's is now an archaeological site, with a small tourist center. In, the seat of government was moved to Providence, which had been renamed. The city was renamed in honor of in.



Maryland was one of the that revolted against British rule in the. On, , Maryland became the 13th state to approve the ratification of the which brought into being the United States as a united,  and. It also became the seventh state admitted to the US after ratifying the new Constitution. The following year, in December of 1790, Maryland ceded land selected by President to the federal government for the creation of. The land was provided from and  Counties, as well as from  and  in  (though the lands from Virginia were later returned through ). The land provided to is actually "sitting" inside the state of Maryland (land that is now defunct in theory).

During the, the British military attempted to capture the port of Baltimore, which was protected by. It was during this bombardment that was written by.

Despite widespread support for the among many wealthy landowners, who had a vested interest in slavery, Maryland did not secede from the Union during the. This may be due in part to the temporary suspension of the Legislature by Governor and arrest of many of its  by President  prior to its reconvening. Many historians contend that the votes for secession would not have been there regardless of these actions. Of the 115,000 men who joined the militaries during the Civil War, 85,000, or 77%, joined the Union army. To help ensure Maryland's inclusion in the Union, President Lincoln suspended several civil liberties, including the writ of habeas corpus, an act deemed illegal by Maryland native Chief Justice. He ordered US troops to place artillery on to directly threaten the city of. Lincoln also helped ensure the election of a new pro-union governor and legislature. President Lincoln even went so far as to jail certain pro-South members of the state legislature at including the Mayor of Baltimore,. Ironically, the grandson of was included in those jailed. The Constitutionality of these actions is still a source of controversy and debate. Because Maryland remained in the Union, it was exempted from the anti-slavery provisions of the (The Emancipation Proclamation only applied to states in rebellion). A was held during 1864 that culminated in the passage of a new state constitution on November 1 of that year. Article 24 of that document outlawed the practice of. The right to vote was extended to non-white males in 1867.

Demographics
As of 2006, Maryland has an estimated population of 5,615,727, which is an increase of 26,128, or 0.5%, from the prior year and an increase of 319,221, or 6.0%, since the year 2000. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 189,158 people (that is 464,251 births minus 275,093 deaths) and an increase due to net migration of 116,713 people into the state. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 129,730 people, and migration within the country produced a net loss of 13,017 people.

In 2006, 645,744 were counted as foreign born, which represents mainly people from Latin America and Asia. About 4.0% are undocumented (illegal) immigrants.

Most of the population of Maryland lives in the central region of the state, in the and, both of which are part of the. The Eastern Shore is less populous and more rural, as are the counties of western and southern Maryland.

The two counties of Western Maryland (,, are mountainous and sparsely populated, resembling more than they do the rest of Maryland. Although the African American proportion is not as high as it was during the eighteenth century peak of tobacco plantation production (when it was 38%), Maryland still has the largest black population of any state outside of the . Maryland also has the  second largest Korean American population, trailing only Texas. In fact, 1.7% are Korean, while as a whole, almost 6.0% are Asian.

The of Maryland is located on the county line between  and, in the  of.

Race
The five largest reported ancestries in Maryland are (15.7%),  (11.7%),  (9%), unspecified  (5.8%), and  (5.1%).

are concentrated in, , and the southern Eastern Shore. Most of the and  are populated by Marylanders of British ancestry, with the Eastern Shore traditionally Methodist and the southern counties Catholic. Western and northern Maryland have large populations. and are centered mostly in the large city of. Jews are numerous throughout and in  northwest of. Hispanics are numerous in, /, and.

Maryland has one of the largest proportions of racial minorities in the country, trailing only the four states.

Religion
Maryland was founded for the purpose of providing religious toleration of England's Catholic minority. Nevertheless, Parliament later reversed that policy and discouraged the practice of Catholicism in Maryland. Despite the founding intent of the colony, Catholics have never been in a majority in Maryland since early Colonial times. Nonetheless, it is the largest single denomination in Maryland. The present religious composition of the state is shown below:

Despite the Protestant majority, Maryland has been prominent in US Catholic tradition, partially because it was intended by George Calvert as a haven for English Catholics. Baltimore was the location of the first Catholic bishop in the U.S. (1789), and was the home and burial place of the first American-born citizen to be,. , the first Catholic University, was founded in 1789 in what was then part of Maryland.

Economy


The estimates that Maryland's gross state product in 2004 was US$228 billion. According to the 2007 American Community Survey released August 28, 2007 Maryland is currently the richest state in the country, with a median household income of $65,144 which puts it ahead of  and, which are second and third respectively. Two of Maryland's counties, Howard and Montgomery, are the third and seventh wealthiest counties in the nation respectively. Also, the state's poverty rate of 7.8% is the lowest in the country. Per capita personal income in 2006 was US$43,500, 5th in the nation. Average household income in 2002 was US$53,043, also 5th in the nation.

Maryland's economic activity is strongly concentrated in the tertiary service sector, and this sector, in turn, is strongly influenced by location. One major service activity is transportation, centered around the Port of Baltimore and its related rail and trucking access. The port ranked 10th in the U.S. by tonnage in 2002 (Source:, "Waterborn Commerce Statistics"). Although the port handles a wide variety of products, the most typical imports are raw materials and bulk commodities, such as, , , and s, often distributed to the relatively close manufacturing centers of the inland via good overland transportation. The port also receives several different brands of imported motor vehicles.

A second service activity takes advantage of the close location of the center of government in and emphasizes technical and administrative tasks for the defense/aerospace industry and bio-research laboratories, as well as staffing of satellite government headquarters in the suburban or exurban Baltimore/Washington area. In addition many educational and medical research institutions are located in the state. In fact, the various components of and its medical research facilities are now the largest single employer in the Baltimore area. Altogether, technical and administrative workers comprise 25% of Maryland's, one of the highest state percentages in the country.

Maryland has a large food-production sector. A large component of this is commercial fishing, centered in Chesapeake Bay, but also including activity off the short Atlantic seacoast. The largest catches by species are the, , , and. The Bay also has uncounted millions of overwintering waterfowl in its many wildlife refuges. While not, strictly speaking, a commercial food resource, the waterfowl support a tourism sector of sportsmen.



Maryland has large areas of fertile agricultural land in its coastal and zones, although this land use is being encroached upon by urbanization. Agriculture is oriented to dairying (especially in foothill and piedmont areas) for nearby large city milksheads plus specialty perishable horticulture crops, such as s, s,, es, s, , and (Source:USDA Crop Profiles). In addition, the southern counties of the western shoreline of Chesapeake Bay are warm enough to support a  zone, which has existed since early Colonial times but declined greatly after a state government buyout in the 1990s. There is also a large automated -farming sector in the state's southeastern part; is home to. Maryland's food-processing plants are the most significant type of manufacturing by value in the state.

Manufacturing, while large in dollar value, is highly diversified with no sub-sector contributing over 20% of the total. Typical forms of manufacturing include electronics, computer equipment, and chemicals. The once mighty primary metals sub-sector, which at one time included what was then the largest steel factory in the world at, still exists, but is pressed with foreign competition, , and company s. During World War II the (now part of  airplane factory near  employed some 40,000 people.

Mining other than construction materials is virtually limited to coal, which is located in the mountainous western part of the state. The brownstone quarries in the east, which gave Baltimore and Washington much of their characteristic architecture in the mid-1800s, were once a predominant natural resource. Historically, there used to be small gold-mining operations in Maryland, some surprisingly near Washington, but these no longer exist.

Maryland imposes 4 brackets, ranging from 2% to 4.75% of personal income. The city of Baltimore and Maryland's 23 counties levy local "piggyback" income taxes at rates between 1.25% and 3.2% of Maryland taxable income. Local officials set the rates and the revenue is returned to the local governments quarterly. Maryland's state is 5%. All real property in Maryland is subject to the. Generally, properties that are owned and used by religious, charitable, or educational organizations or property owned by the federal, state or local governments are exempt. Property tax rates vary widely. No restrictions or limitations on property taxes are imposed by the state, meaning cities and counties can set tax rates at the level they deem necessary to fund governmental services. These rates can increase, decrease or remain the same from year to year. If the proposed tax rate increases the total property tax revenues, the governing body must advertise that fact and hold a public hearing on the new tax rate. This is called the Constant Yield Tax Rate process.

Baltimore City is the eighth largest port in the nation, and was at the center of the February 2006 over the  deal because it was considered to be of such strategic importance. The state as a whole is heavily industrialized, with a booming economy and influential technology centers. Its computer industries are some of the most sophisticated in the United States, and the federal government has invested heavily in the area. Maryland is home to several large military bases and scores of high level government jobs.

Roads


Maryland's include, which enters the northeast portion of the state, goes through , and becomes part of the eastern section of the  to the. connects the western portions of the state to at the small town of Hancock. I-70 continues east to Baltimore, connecting and  along the way. connects Baltimore to southern central Pennsylvania ( and ). Maryland also has a portion of that runs through the state near Hagerstown. , fully contained within Anne Arundel County and the shortest one- or two-digit Interstate highway outside of Hawaii, connects the Baltimore area to the Annapolis area.

There are also several in Maryland. Among them are, the McKeldin (Baltimore) Beltway, which encircles Baltimore; a portion of , the Capital Beltway, which encircles Washington, D.C.; and the extremely wide , which connects the Frederick area with the Washington area. The Capital Beltway is currently heavily ; however, the  or Intercounty Connector, which may begin construction in 2007, could be the beginning of an outer, second beltway. Construction of the ICC was a major part of the campaign platform of former Governor, who was in office from 2003 until 2007.



Maryland also has a system that contains routes numbered from 2 through 999, however most of the higher-numbered routes are either not signed or are relatively short. Major state highways include Routes (Governor Ritchie Highway/Solomons Island Road),, , ,  (York Road),  (Georgia Avenue), ,  (Indian Head Highway),  (Baltimore-Washington Parkway), , and.

Airports
Maryland's largest airport is (formerly known as Friendship Airport and recently renamed for former Supreme Court Justice, who was born in Baltimore). The only other airports with commercial service are at and. The Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C., are also serviced by the other two airports in the region,  and, both in.

Trains
trains serve Baltimore's, BWI Airport, , and Aberdeen along the. In addition, train service is provided to and  on the. commuter trains, operated by the State's Transit Authority, connect nearby, , , and many towns between. The subway and bus system serve Montgomery County and Prince George's County. The 's light rail and short subway system serve Baltimore City and adjacent suburbs.

Law and government
The is conducted according to the. The Government of Maryland, like the other 49, has exclusive authority over matters that lie entirely within the state's borders, except as limited by the. Maryland is a republic; the guarantees her "republican form of government" although there is considerable disagreement about the meaning of that phrase.

Power in Maryland is divided among three branches of government:, , and. The is composed of the  and the. is unique in the United States as the office is vested with significant authority in budgeting. The legislature may not increase the governor's proposed budget expenditures. Unlike most other states, significant autonomy is granted to many of Maryland's.

Most of the business of government is conducted in, the state. Virtually all state and county s are held in even-numbered years not divisible by four, in which the is not elected - this, as in other states, is intended to divide state and  politics.

The judicial branch of state government consists of one united District Court of Maryland that sits in every county and Baltimore City, as well as 24 Circuit Courts sitting in each County and Baltimore City, the latter being courts of general jurisdiction for all civil disputes over $25,000.00, all equitable jurisdiction and major criminal proceedings. The intermediate appellate court is known as the "" and the is the "". The appearance of the judges of the Maryland Court of Appeals is unique in that Maryland is the only state whose judges wear red robes.

Politics
Since pre- times, Maryland politics has been largely controlled by the. Even as the politics of the Democratic party have shifted, over the last century, the views of the state have shifted with them. Blue-collar "" frequently vote Republican, but Maryland is nonetheless well-known for its loyalty to the Democratic Party, especially inside metropolitan areas. The state is dominated by the two urban/inner suburban regions of Baltimore and Washington, D.C. . In addition, many jobs are directly or indirectly dependent upon the federal government. As a result, Baltimore, Montgomery County and Prince George's County often decide statewide elections. This is balanced by lesser populated areas on the Eastern Shore, Western Maryland, and outer suburbs that tend to support Republicans, even though seven of nine Shore counties have Democratic-majority voter rolls.



Maryland has supported the Democratic nominee in the last four presidential elections, and by an average of 15.4%. In 1980, it was one of just six states to vote for. Maryland is often among the Democratic nominees' best states. In 1992, fared better in Maryland than any other state except his home state of. In 1996, Maryland was Clinton's 6th best, in 2000 Maryland ranked 4th for Gore and in 2004 showed his 5th best performance in Maryland.

Both Maryland Senators and six of its eight Representatives in Congress are Democrats, and Democrats hold super-majorities in the state Senate and House of Delegates. The previous Governor,, was the first Republican to be elected to that office in four decades, and after one term lost his seat to  , a.

U.S. Congressman, a , is the  for the  of the. His district covers parts of and  counties, in addition to all of,  and  counties in.

easily won the state's 10 electoral votes in 2004 by a margin of 13 percentage points with 55.9% of the vote. However, presidential election years are not deeply contested as national party resources are spent mostly in.

The 2006 election cycle witnessed no significant change in this pattern of Democratic dominance, even though there were two major highly-contested races. After Democratic Senator announced that he was retiring, Democratic Congressman  defeated Republican Lieutenant Governor, with 55% of the vote, against Steele's 44%. The governorship was also a point of interest, as Republican incumbent was defeated by Democratic challenger, the Mayor of Baltimore, 53%-46%. , another leading candidate for the Democratic slot, pulled out of the highly anticipated primary, announcing his withdrawal on, , citing.

While Maryland is a Democratic party stronghold, perhaps its best known political figure is a Republican - former Governor, who served as United States Vice President under. He was Vice President from 1969 to 1973, when he resigned in the aftermath of revelations that he had taken while he was Governor of Maryland. In late 1973, a court found Agnew guilty of violating tax laws

The late Supreme Court Justice was raised in Baltimore, and during his time on the bench represented the liberal wing of the court that helped protect abortion on a federal level, and uphold laws eliminating racial discrimination in the public and private spheres.

Primary and secondary education


Public primary and secondary education in Maryland is overseen by the. The highest educational official in the state is the, currently , who is appointed by the to a four-year term of office. The Maryland General Assembly has given the Superintendent and State Board autonomy to make educationally-related decisions, limiting its own influence on the day to day functions of public education. Each county and county-equivalent in Maryland has a charged with running the public schools in that particular jurisdiction.

Maryland has a broad range of private primary and secondary schools. Many of these are affiliated with various religious sects, including of the,  schools,  schools, and  schools. In 2003, Maryland law was changed to allow for the creation of publicly funded charter schools, although the charter schools must be approved by their local Board of Education and are not exempt from state laws on education, including collective bargaining laws.

Colleges and universities
The oldest college in Maryland, and the third oldest college in the United States, is, founded in 1696 as King William's School. Maryland has 18 other private colleges and universities, the most prominent of which is, founded in 1876 with a grant from Baltimore entrepreneur.

The first and largest public university in the state is the, which was founded as the Maryland Agricultural College in 1856 and became a public in 1864. The majority of public universities in the state are affiliated with the. Two state-funded institutions, and, as well as two federally-funded institutions, the  and the  are not affiliated with the University System of Maryland.

Sports


Due to the presence of two major metropolitan areas in the state, those surrounding and, Maryland has a number of major and minor professional sports franchises. Two teams of the play in Maryland, the  in Baltimore and the  in. The are the  franchise in the state. The 's and the 's  used to play in Maryland until the construction of a new Washington-based arena in 1997. There are also a number of smaller sports franchises in the state, including five minor league baseball teams.