According to agooddir, Maryland is one of the 50 states of the United States of America. It is located in the northeast region of the Atlantic coast of the country. Its capital is the city of Annapolis. It owes its name to Queen Enriqueta María of France, wife of King Charles I of England(Maryland in English means “Land of Mary”). It was one of the Thirteen Colonies that rebelled against British rule in what is now the United States.

It is also known as the Old Line State, in homage to its “troops of the line”, which were repeatedly praised by George Washington for their excellent performance in the United States War of Independence.

The current American anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner, was written in 1812 by Francis Scott Key, a lawyer and amateur poet who was inspired to see American troops successfully defending themselves in Baltimore from an attack by United Kingdom naval troops.

Geography

Maryland is bordered to the north by Pennsylvania, to the west by West Virginia, to the east by Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean, and to the south, separated by the PotomacRiver, by Virginia. Near the center of the state, on the banks of the Potomac River, is the capital of the United States, Washington DC. The Chesapeake Bay practically divides the state in two. If we counted the Susquehanna River, which flows into the bay, the state would effectively be divided in two.

The length of the Maryland coastline in the Atlantic Ocean is 50 km. Counting all the regions bathed by the sea – bays, estuaries and oceanic islands – this extension rises up to 5134 km, thanks to the Chesapeake Bay. Most of the state’s rivers flow into the Chesapeake Bay. There are no natural lakes, although there are artificial lakes, created by dams to build hydroelectric plants. The largest of these artificial lakes has 1600 hectares. About 40% of the state is covered by forests.

Maryland is divided into five distinct geographic regions:

• The Appalachian Highlands.
• The Appalachian Valley.
• The Blue Ridge.
• The Piedmont.
• The Plains of the Atlantic.

Most of the population lives in the central region of the state, in the cities and residential neighborhoods that surround Washington DC and in the city of Baltimore, the most populous of Maryland.

Politics

The current Constitution of Maryland was adopted in 1867. Other older Constitutions were adopted in 1776, 1856 and 1864. Amendments to the Constitution can be proposed by the Legislative Branch, and to be approved they need at least 60% of the votes of both houses of the Legislature and that are subsequently approved in a vote by at least 51% of the electoral population of the state, in a referendum.

The top executive branch official in Maryland is the governor. He is elected by the population of the state and there is no limit on the number of re-elections. Three other officers are also elected by the population. The governor chooses a Secretary of State and a majority of the officers of the different councils of the state. The chambers of the Legislative Power can choose a Treasurer. All the aforementioned positions are re-voted every 4 years.

The State of Maryland has 23 counties and an independent city (Baltimore).

Demography

The population in Maryland has always been increasing, from the 319,728 residents registered in 1790 to the 5,773,552 registered in 2010.

About 93% of the state’s population lives in one of the five metropolitan regions of Maryland: Baltimore, Cumberland and Hagerstown, located in the state, and in urban areas belonging to the metropolitan regions of Washington DC (District of Columbia) and of Wilmington (Delaware). In total, more than 95% of the state’s population lives in cities.

Racial composition of the population:

• 3% are white (European or of European descent).
• 9% are African American.
• 0% are Latino or Hispanic).
• 9% are Asian.
• The rest are made up of people of other races.

The six largest groups in Maryland by descent are: African Americans, Germans (15.7%), Irish (11.7%), English (9%), Italians (6.8%), and Poles (6.2%).

Percentage of Maryland’s Population by Religious Affiliation:

• Roman Catholic Church – 22%
• Baptism – 17%
• Methodism – 10%
• Christianity (other denominations) – 6%
• Lutheranism – 5%
• Episcopalianism – 3%
• Judaism – 3%
• Mormonism – 3%
• Non-religious – 13%

Maryland was founded for the purpose of offering religious tolerance to the British Catholic population. Even so, later the British crown would decide to reverse this policy. Despite being the main reason for the founding of the state, the Catholic population never made up the majority of Maryland’s population since it began to be explored and colonized by Europeans.

In the urban area of Silver Spring is the world headquarters of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, a Christian denomination that has a membership of 0.3% of the population in the United States.