Maryland is named after the English Queen Henrietta Maria, known in England as Queen Mary, who was the wife of King Charles I. Although one of the smallest states in the U.S., it features a variety of climates and topographical features that have earned it the moniker of "America in Miniature". It ranges from sandy dunes dotted with seagrass in the east, to low marshlands teeming with wildlife and large bald cypress near the Chesapeake Bay, to gently rolling hills of oak forests in the Piedmont Region, and pine groves in the Maryland mountains to the west. It has a poluation of over 6 million people.
Did You Know?
Francis Key Scott, a Maryland lawyer, wrote the “Star-Spangled Banner” in 1814. It became America’s national anthem in 1931. The Francis Key Scott bridge is a 1,200-foot long bridge that crosses the Patapsco River in Baltimore. It is the second longest continuous truss bridge in the nation.
Maryland's economy benefits from the state's proximity to the federal government in Washington, D.C. with an emphasis on 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. Some of Amercia's largest companies are headquarted in Maryland including Black & Decker, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions and the Lockheed Martin Corporation.
Ft. Meade serves as the headquarters of the Defense Information Systems Agency, United States Cyber Command, and the National Security Agency/Central Security Service. The U.S. Naval Academy is located in Annapolis, Maryland.
