Sliced into two parts by the bountiful Chesapeake Bay, the State of Maryland was first inhabited by Algonquin and Susquehannock Indians.

In 1608, Captain John Smith explored the area, and later that century, religious freedom was promised to Christians, and Europeans arrived in great numbers.

The great city of Baltimore was founded in 1729, and in 1767, the colony's official boundaries with Pennsylvania and Maryland were agreed to, and subsequently called, the Mason and Dixon line.

Maryland, like all of the new colonies, protested the high taxes imposed by England, and sent delegates to the Continental Congress. Once the Revolutionary War ended, it became the seventh U.S. State.

It was here, during the War of 1812, and Maryland's defense of Fort McHenry, that Francis Scott Key wrote the Star-Spangled Banner

The Civil War's, most horrific battle - The Battle of Antietam Creek - was fought near Sharpsburg, and over 23,000 troops were either dead or wounded on one day.

The modern State of Maryland is a land of contrast; one with large cities and towns, a picturesque, rural atmosphere with thousands of family farms, and a relaxed island-like mentality.

Maryland is famed for its Chesapeake Bay economy and lifestyle, its northern and southern charms, and its very unique role in the building of America.

It displays the arms of George Calvert, the first Lord Baltimore. The alternating yellow and black are from Lord Calvert's family shield.

The red and white design is from Calvert's maternal family, the Crosslands. There are historians that believe those colors could represent his wife's family, the Mynnes.

Official name: Maryland
Capital: Annapolis
Statehood: April 28, 1788 the 7th state
State nickname: The Old Line State
Name for residents: Marylanders
State motto: Fatti maschii, parole femine
(Strong deeds, gentle words)
Abbreviation: MD