It's believed that Lord Baltimore, who received a charter for the land in 1632, named the state after Queen Henrietta Maria, wife of King Charles I. One of the original 13 states to join the Union (in 1788), Maryland is in the middle of the Eastern Seaboard. The Mason and Dixon line - marking the boundary between Pennsylvania and Maryland - was drawn in the 1760s to settle a dispute between the Penn and Calvert families. In addition it is the traditional boundary between the North and the South. Chesapeake Bay, which cuts deep into Maryland, provides the state with several excellent harbors including Baltimore and Annapolis, the home of the United States Naval Academy. The long Chesapeake Bay shoreline offers opportunities for boating, fishing and swimming. Old mansions and historic sites throughout the state appeal to visitors. One of Maryland's most famous annual events is the Preakness Stakes, a horse race run each May at the Pimlico race track in Baltimore.

GOVERNMENT
Capital: Annapolis
Governor: Robert L. Ehrlich, R (to Jan. 2007)
Senators: Barbara A. Mikulski, D (to Jan. 2005); Paul S. Sarbanes, D (to Jan. 2007)
House of Representatives: 8 districts | Search by zip code

ECONOMY
Total Gross State Product 1999 (millions of dollars): 174,710; National rank: 16; Percent change since 1990: 52%; National Rank based on Growth Rate: 39 (Including Washington, DC)
Per Capita Personal Income 2001: $35,279; National Rank: 6 (116% of the national average)
State Exports 2001 (millions of dollars): 4,975; National Rank: 29
Agriculture: Seafood, poultry and eggs, dairy products, nursery stock, cattle, soybeans, corn.
Industry: Electric equipment, food processing, chemical products, printing and publishing, transportation equipment, machinery, primary metals, coal, tourism.