Population: 5 828.289 thousand people (2011)
Area: 32133.0 sq. km
According to citypopulationreview.com, Maryland is a small state located in the eastern United States. It is believed that already about 12,000 years ago these lands were inhabited by people whose main occupations were hunting and fishing. By the time of the European colonization of America, the Algonquian peoples of the Nantikouk lived on the east coast of the Chesapeake Bay, in the west – the Shawnee, and in the area of Baltimore and Washington – the Piscataway.
In 1524, a French expedition led by Giovanni da Verrazano visited the east coast of North America, and 2 years later the Spaniards arrived in the Chesapeake Bay. The British appeared in this area only in 1608, when Captain John Smith from Virginia visited here, and already in 1631, William Clairborne founded the first trading settlement on this place.
In 1632, a patent for the settlement of the future province of Maryland was granted by Charles I to the Irish Baron Baltimore – George Calvert. However, the baron dies in the same year, and the territory passes into the possession of his son, Kelicius Calvert. At the end of March 1634, the British founded the settlement of St. Mary here, named after Henrietta Maria, the queen’s heavenly patroness.
In 1649, the Maryland Toleration Act was passed in the colony, which proclaimed freedom of religion. From 1692-1715, the government of Maryland was concentrated in the hands of the royal governors, and in 1694 Providence became the provincial capital, later renamed Annapolis.
In the first quarter of the 18th century, in order to avoid disagreements between Pennsylvania and Maryland, a border was drawn between the colonies – the Mason-Dixon Line, which is the actual border between the south and north of the United States. In 1776, Maryland adopted its own constitution, and 12 years later, Maryland became a US state. In 1791, land was allocated for the creation of the metropolitan District of Columbia and the founding of the city of Washington.
Tourism has been actively developing in the state since the 80s of the XX century. The main attention of tourists is attracted by the Ocean City resort and Baltimore attractions, the main of which are the Inner Harbor and the National Aquarium.
BALTIMORE
Time zone: UTC-5, summer UTC-4
The city of Baltimore is located in northeastern Maryland, where the Patapsco River flows into the Chesapeake Bay. The division of the city into “upper” and “lower” is literally: part of the Baltimore territories is located on the Piedmont Plateau at an altitude of 150 meters, and the other part is on the Atlantic Plain at sea level. See Maryland counties.
The history of these places dates back to the 18th century. A small settlement, thanks to its favorable location for the port, in 1729 received the status of a city. The successful start of Baltimore’s development did not insulate it from the problems that arose later. Today, the city has a fairly low standard of living by American standards. About a quarter of those living here are below the poverty line. Many people have fled their homes in the last few decades. The remaining population is predominantly black. Most of them have only secondary education.
The reasons for the decline lie in the decline in the importance of shipping. The result of this was the reduction of jobs in the steel industry, shipbuilding plants. It is precisely those areas that, until the end of the 20th century, were the basis of the economy of Baltimore
Economic and social problems affected the appearance of the city. The western and eastern regions are notorious for high crime rates. With its abandoned houses with boarded up windows, garbage on the streets, Baltimore is more like some city in Eastern Europe during the period of perestroika, and not at all a modern American metropolis.
This contrast becomes more noticeable if, immediately after walking through disadvantaged places, you get to the tourist center of the city: Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. A wonderful view of the bay with ships, modern buildings around the bay, a motley crowd of tourists – all this looks like a window into another world.
In addition to popular attractions such as the National Aquarium; baseball stadium Oriole Par; Basilica of Baltimore (Baltimore Basilica); the Washington Monument, Baltimore has the Edgar Allan Poe Museum. The whole life of a talented American writer is connected with this city. Visiting the house where the author of blood-chilling stories lived, it becomes clearer where Poe drew the gloom of his stories.
To immerse yourself in the local life full of contrasts, you need to visit the Lexington Market and taste the best crabcakes in the city – a local delicacy made from blue crab meat, which are found only here.
Going to Baltimore, you can safely count on vivid impressions. Although its inhabitants are striving to move on to new lines of development, this place still retains the unforgettable charm of a port city.
