Map of Maryland and Flag | Maryland Outline, Counties, Cities and Road Map

Illustrated map of Maryland, USA. Travel and attractions
Illustrated map of Maryland, USA. Travel and attractions

The State of Maryland is in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The state is just north of the Mason-Dixon. Maryland is most well known for water bodies, including the Atlantic Ocean, the Chesapeake Bay and numerous lakes and rivers, and beautiful beaches and seashores.

Maryland is also known for being home to Harriet Tubman, a leading American abolitionist, and human rights activist. After escaping slavery, she helped many other slaves escape through the Underground Railroad.

Map of Maryland

BOOK HOTEL IN ANY PART OF MARYLAND AT GREAT PRICES

The lovely State of Maryland has a population of approximately 6 million people. It’s not a large state compared to the rest of the United States, and it could fit in the State of Texas about twenty times.

Traveling through the beautiful state, you will see various mountain ranges, including the Appalachian Mountains, the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Bear Pond Mountains, and the Monadnocks Mountains. Four major rivers run through Maryland, including the Susquehanna, the Patapsco, the Potomac River, and the Patuxent River. All four of them empty into the Chesapeake Bay.

All of the lakes in the state of Maryland were man-made. Those lakes include its most extensive, The Deep Creek Lake, Liberty Reservoir, the Prettyboy Reservoir, and the Loch Raven Reservoir. The state of Maryland has 281 named islands, with eight of them being well-known tourist spots. The Islands include Assateague Island, Pooles Island, Fenwick Island, Kent Island, Eastern Neck Island, Gibson island, Tilghman Island, and Hart-Miller Island.

There are five major cities in Baltimore, Frederick, Gaithersburg, Rockville, and Bowie.

Maryland Flag

Maryland Flag
Maryland Flag

Maryland residents love their state flag and are a beautiful flag with a long, fascinating history. The unique banner stands out with its bright colors and patterns. The design is called the shield in the coat of arms and comes from the famed Calvert family. The Calvert family was a group of colonial proprietors. George Calvert was the 1st Baron Baltimore and an English colonizer.

Before the Civil War, the colors used today, the yellow and black colors of the Calvert family colors, were used to describe it. After the state’s independence, leaders banned the original flag. Today, the flag that flies was reintroduced in 1854 but wasn’t made official until after the Civil War in 1904.

Before 1904, many different flags were also called banners (all unofficial) used—the most well-known being a flag that consisted of Maryland’s seal on a blue background. Today the Maryland Seal included the Maryland state flag, but before 1876, that was not the case.

Today’s flag includes four distinct sections. The first and fourth sections are black, and gold with six vertical lines alternating. It’s striped with opposite colors down the middle. The second and third sections are red and gold. The flag also has a cross decorated with trefoil knobs and represents the Crossland family name. Alicia Crossland’s family was also entitled to be represented on the flag as she was an heiress.

Places to visit in Maryland

The state of Maryland is full of interesting landmarks and exciting places to visit or vacation. Five of Maryland’s most popular places to visit are below.

Ocean City Maryland: Ocean City is located on the Atlantic Ocean and has been a favored tourist vacation spot for many years. The residents who live there year-round treasure it as well. Visitors love to relax on miles and miles of beach and visit its famous wooden boardwalk.

The boardwalk consists of hotels, amusements, shops, and restaurants. Residents built the first BoardWalk in 1900. Back then, they packed up the boardwalk during the winter months, but today it stands year-round.

Baltimore’s Inner Harbor: The Inner Harbor is a popular tourist attraction, a historic seaport, and a landmark of Baltimore, a city located in Maryland. A trip to the Inner Harbor offers sightseeing, concert venues, and famous restaurants and pubs. The Harbor is also home to the National Aquarium and Maryland’s Science Center.

Annapolis: Overlooks the Chesapeake Bay and is known as the sailing capital of the United States. Annapolis is in a county called Queen Anne County, named after the 18th-century queen. It’s had a country status for 300 years. Overlooking the beautiful Chesapeake Bay, Annapolis is a great place to get out on the water.

Many have referred to Annapolis as the Sailing Capital of the United States for many years. The fantastic sites to explore by boat are countless. An interesting fact that isn’t well known is that Annapolis was the capital of the United States for a brief period, from 1783–1784.

National Harbor: the National Harbor is a new city, and the Gaylord National resort opened in 2008. It’s located south of Washington DC, along the Potomac River near the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. The Harbor is a favored place for tourists as it’s home to some of Maryland’s best entertainment venues, including casinos and countless shops and restaurants.

The Harbor also includes the National Harbor’s signature giant Ferris Wheel which overlooks the Potomac River.

Frederick: This old city is located in western Maryland and adored by history buffs. Touring the city, you’ll find extensive Civil War history, and it’s home to the National Museum of Civil War Medicine. Other sites, including Frederick History Bicycle Loop, are ten miles long. It stops at approximately 20 historical sites along the way and the Monocacy National Battlefield.

Maryland’s History

Maryland’s extensive history dates all the way back to the beginning of European exploration, starting with the Venetian John Cabot. Cabot explored the North American East Coast for the Kingdom of England in 1498.

After settlement by Europeans close by Maryland, King Charles I granted the colonial Province of Maryland the state to Sir George Calvert. During the Revolutionary War, Maryland became the seventh state in the U.S. to ratify the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union. The ratification began shortly after the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in July 1776.

After the Revolutionary War, numerous Maryland planters freed their slaves, which changed the economy considerably. Maryland remained loyal to the States even when there was a divide during the Civil War. It was among the four states that officially remained in the Union. At the same time, many other Marylanders “went south” to fight for the seceded Confederacy.

In Review

Maryland is a beautiful state on the east coast with countless attractions and places to visit. The state is rich with history, has beautiful mountains, islands, waterways, and beaches along the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.

BOOK HOTEL IN ANY PART OF MARYLAND AT GREAT PRICES

See Also

US STATES MAPS AND FLAGS

Interesting Things to know about Maryland

Hi and welcome to my travel blog! Based in London, I work in investment banking in a quantitative field and although I am not part of the travel industry, I have a ton of passion for travel. My blog is a reference guide for my fellow travelers with the same passion as me. Hopefully the blog is easy to navigate and my aim is to bring the most relevant and interesting information before you begin your journey!