1.
Peninsula
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A peninsula is a piece of land surrounded by water on the majority of its border, while being connected to a mainland from which it extends out. Examples include the upper and lower peninsulas of the state of Michigan, the surrounding water is usually understood to be continuous, though not necessarily named as a single body of water. Peninsulas are not always named as such, one can also be a headland, cape, island promontory, bill, point, a point is generally considered a tapering piece of land projecting into a body of water that is less prominent than a cape. A river which courses through a very tight meander is also said to form a peninsula within the loop of water. In English, the plural of peninsula is peninsulas or, less commonly, peninsulas can be found on coastlines and in smaller bodies of water throughout the world, ranging in scale from square meters to millions of square kilometers. Theres the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe, and in Southern Europe theres the Iberian Peninsula, the Italian Peninsula, south America has the Brunswick Peninsula, and Antarctica has the Antarctic Peninsula. In Africa, theres the Horn of Africa, and in Australia, asia has the 3 largest peninsulas in the world, the Arabian Peninsula, the Indian Peninsula, and the Indochinese Peninsula
2.
United States
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Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east, the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean, the geography, climate and wildlife of the country are extremely diverse. At 3.8 million square miles and with over 324 million people, the United States is the worlds third- or fourth-largest country by area, third-largest by land area. It is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century, the United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the following the Seven Years War led to the American Revolution. On July 4,1776, during the course of the American Revolutionary War, the war ended in 1783 with recognition of the independence of the United States by Great Britain, representing the first successful war of independence against a European power. The current constitution was adopted in 1788, after the Articles of Confederation, the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and designed to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties. During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the end of slavery in the country. By the end of century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the status as a global military power. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the sole superpower. The U. S. is a member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States. The United States is a developed country, with the worlds largest economy by nominal GDP. It ranks highly in several measures of performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP. While the U. S. economy is considered post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge economy, the United States is a prominent political and cultural force internationally, and a leader in scientific research and technological innovations. In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere America after the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci
3.
Delaware
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Delaware is a state located in the Mid-Atlantic and/or Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, to the northeast by New Jersey, the state takes its name from Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, an English nobleman and Virginias first colonial governor. Delaware occupies the portion of the Delmarva Peninsula and is the second smallest, the sixth least populous. Delaware is divided into three counties, the lowest number of counties of any state, from north to south, the three counties are New Castle, Kent, and Sussex. While the southern two counties have historically been agricultural, New Castle County has been more industrialized. Before its coastline was explored by Europeans in the 16th century, Delaware was inhabited by groups of Native Americans, including the Lenape in the north. It was initially colonized by Dutch traders at Zwaanendael, near the present town of Lewes, Delaware was one of the 13 colonies participating in the American Revolution. On December 7,1787, Delaware became the first state to ratify the Constitution of the United States, the Delaware Indians, a name used by Europeans for Lenape people indigenous to the Delaware Valley, also derive their name from the same source. The surname de La Warr comes from Sussex and is of Anglo-Norman origin and it came probably from a Norman lieu-dit La Guerre. This toponymic could derive from the Latin word ager, from the Breton gwern or from the Late Latin varectum, the toponyms Gara, Gare, Gaire also appear in old texts cited by Lucien Musset, where the word gara means gore. It could also be linked with a patronymic from the Old Norse verr, Delaware is 96 miles long and ranges from 9 miles to 35 miles across, totaling 1,954 square miles, making it the second-smallest state in the United States after Rhode Island. Delaware is bounded to the north by Pennsylvania, to the east by the Delaware River, Delaware Bay, New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean, small portions of Delaware are also situated on the eastern side of the Delaware River sharing land boundaries with New Jersey. The state of Delaware, together with the Eastern Shore counties of Maryland, the definition of the northern boundary of the state is unusual. Most of the boundary between Delaware and Pennsylvania was originally defined by an arc extending 12 miles from the cupola of the courthouse in the city of New Castle and this boundary is often referred to as the Twelve-Mile Circle. This is the only nominally circular state boundary in the United States, to the west, a portion of the arc extends past the easternmost edge of Maryland. The remaining western border runs slightly east of due south from its intersection with the arc, the Wedge of land between the northwest part of the arc and the Maryland border was claimed by both Delaware and Pennsylvania until 1921, when Delawares claim was confirmed. Delaware is on a plain, with the lowest mean elevation of any state in the nation. Its highest elevation, located at Ebright Azimuth, near Concord High School, the northernmost part of the state is part of the Piedmont Plateau with hills and rolling surfaces
4.
Eastern Shore of Maryland
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The Eastern Shore of Maryland is a part of the U. S. state of Maryland that lies predominantly on the east side of the Chesapeake Bay and consists of nine counties. As of the 2010 census, its population was 449,226, the term Eastern Shore distinguishes a territorial part of the State of Maryland from the Western Shore of Maryland, land west of the Chesapeake Bay. Marylands and Virginias Eastern Shore and all of Delaware form the Delmarva Peninsula, the counties comprising the Eastern Shore are Caroline, Cecil, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Annes, Somerset, Talbot, Wicomico, and Worcester counties. To the south, the Calvert-Scarborough Line separates Maryland from Virginia, a modern Worcester County highway map shows this location. Meanwhile, he negotiated treaties with Lower Eastern Shore Indian tribes harassing English settlers and these treaties defined standards of conduct for Indian-English relations, establishing an overall peace in the region. The northern limit is harder to locate, the coastal plain includes the Delmarva Peninsula and hence the Eastern Shore of Maryland. The geology of Delmarva is an part of the Eastern Shore. The Chesapeake and Delaware Canal crosses from Back Creek on the Elk River to Port Penn, Maryland south of the canal is considered the Eastern Shore by residents. The north-south section of the Mason–Dixon line forms the border between Maryland and Delaware, the border was originally marked every mile by a stone, and every five miles by a crownstone. The line is not quite due north and south, but is as straight as survey methods of the 1760s could make it and it was surveyed as a compromise solution to a century-long wrangle between the Penn and Calvert families of England. If the Chesapeake Bay/Delaware Bay watershed divide had been taken as the borderline, trade with Philadelphia was conducted by overland routes to Delaware towns like Odessa and Smyrna. Agricultural products and milled grain were taken up the Delaware River by shallop men in small vessels called shallops and these cultural connections continue to this day. Ocean City is a resort on what was once called the seaside or seaboard side. It is on a long north-south sandspit that is essentially a barrier island, William Claiborne was granted land in 1629 and named the land Kent County. In 1631, he sailed north up the Chesapeake Bay from its south, there he made a fortified settlement that is considered to be the first English settlement within the Province of Maryland. Talbot County was formed in 1662, Cecil County was formed in 1674, by proclamation of the Governor, from eastern portions of Baltimore County and the northern portion of Kent County. Wicomico County was formed in 1867, as the 9th and last county, created from Somerset,1642 Kent County-In 1642, the governor and council appointed commissioners for the Isle and County of Kent. This act appears to have led to the establishment of Kent County, name after Kent County,1661 Talbot County- named for Lady Grace Talbot, the wife of Sir Robert Talbot, an Irish statesman, and the sister of Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore
5.
Eastern Shore of Virginia
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The Eastern Shore of Virginia consists of two counties on the Atlantic coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The 70-mile-long region is part of the Delmarva Peninsula and is separated from the rest of Virginia by the Chesapeake Bay and its population was 45,553 as of 2010. The terrain is very flat, ranging from sea level to just 50 feet above sea level. The rural area has been devoted to cotton, soybean, vegetable and truck farming, since the late 20th century, vineyards have been developed in both counties, and the Eastern Shore has received recognition as an American Viticultural Area. It is characterized by sandy and deep soil, the weather in the area has temperate summers and winters, significantly affected by the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. At the northern end of the Atlantic side is the community of Chincoteague, famous for its annual wild pony roundup. Wallops Flight Facility, a NASA space launch base, is located near Chincoteague, tangier Island, off the western shore in the Chesapeake Bay, is another day-tourist destination. The Eastern Shore, geographically removed from the rest of Virginia, has had a history of settlement and development influenced by agriculture, fishing, tourism. William G. Thomas describes the Eastern Shore during the late 19th and early 20th century as a highly complex and interdependent landscape. The 23-mile-long Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, which is part of U. S. Route 13, spans the mouth of the Bay and connects the Eastern Shore to South Hampton Roads and the rest of Virginia. Before the Bridge-Tunnel was built in 1964, a provided the continuation of U. S.13 across this stretch of water. Accomac Shire was established in the Virginia Colony by the House of Burgesses in 1634 under the direction of King Charles I and it was one of the original eight shires of Virginia, and consisted of the whole Eastern Shore. The shires name comes from the Native American word Accawmack, in 1642, the name was changed to Northampton County by the English. In 1663, Northampton County was split into two counties, the northern two thirds took the original Accomac name, while the southern third remained as Northampton. In 1670, the Virginia Colonys Royal Governor William Berkeley abolished Accomac County, in 1940, the General Assembly officially added a k to the end of the countys name to arrive at its current spelling, which is Accomack County. Thomas The Countryside Transformed, The Eastern Shore of Virginia, the Pennsylvania Railroad, and the Creation of a Modern Landscape Southern Spaces,31 July 2007
6.
Cape Charles (headland)
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Cape Charles is a headland, or cape, in Northampton County, Virginia. Located at the tip of Northampton County, it forms the southern tip of the Delmarva Peninsula. Cape Henry, which forms the side of the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay. Cape Charles, Virginia Cape Henry Virginia Capes Merriam-Websters Geographical Dictionary, Third Edition
7.
Chesapeake Bay
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It is the largest estuary in North America. With its northern portion in Maryland and the part in Virginia. More than 150 major rivers and streams flow into the bays 64, 299-square-mile drainage basin, the bay is approximately 200 miles long from its northern headwaters in the Susquehanna River to its outlet in the Atlantic Ocean. It is 2.8 miles wide at its narrowest and 30 miles at its widest, total shoreline including tributaries is 11,684 miles, circumnavigating a surface area of 4,479 square miles. Average depth is 21 feet, reaching a maximum of 174 feet, the bay is spanned twice, in Maryland by the Chesapeake Bay Bridge from Sandy Point to Kent Island and in Virginia by the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel connecting Virginia Beach to Cape Charles. Known for both its beauty and bounty, the bay became emptier, with crabs, oysters. Recent restoration efforts begun in the 1990s have been ongoing and show potential for growth of the oyster population. The health of the Chesapeake Bay improved in 2015, marking three years of gains over the past four years, according to a new report by the University of Maryland, the word Chesepiooc is an Algonquian word referring to a village at a big river. It is the seventh oldest surviving English place-name in the U. S. first applied as Chesepiook by explorers heading north from the Roanoke Colony into a Chesapeake tributary in 1585 or 1586. The name may refer to the Chesepian or Chesapeake people. They occupied an area which is now the Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, in 2005, Algonquian linguist Blair Rudes helped to dispel one of the areas most widely held beliefs, that Chesapeake means something like great shellfish bay. The name might actually have meant something like great water, or it might have just referred to a location at the bays mouth. In addition, the name is almost always prefixed by the in usage by local residents, The Chesapeake, The Chesapeake Bay, the Chesapeake Bay is an estuary to the North Atlantic, lying between the Delmarva Peninsula to the east and the North American mainland to the west. It is the ria, or drowned valley, of the Susquehanna River and it is not a fjord, because the Laurentide Ice Sheet never reached as far south as the northernmost point on the bay. The large rivers entering the bay from the west have broad mouths and are extensions of the ria for miles up the course of each river. The bay was formed starting about 10,000 years ago when rising sea levels at the end of the last ice age flooded the Susquehanna River valley. Parts of the bay, especially the Calvert County, Maryland and these cliffs, generally known as Calvert Cliffs, are famous for their fossils, especially fossilized shark teeth which are commonly found washed up on the beaches next to the cliffs. Scientists Cliffs is a community in Calvert County named for the desire to create a retreat for scientists when the community was founded in 1935
8.
Delaware River
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The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States. Its watershed drains an area of 14,119 square miles in five U. S. states—New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, not including Delaware Bay, the rivers length including its two branches is 388 miles. The Delaware River is one of nineteen Great Waters recognized by the Americas Great Waters Coalition, the Delaware River rises in two main branches that descend from the western flank of the Catskill Mountains in New York. The West Branch begins near Mount Jefferson in the Town of Jefferson in Schoharie County, the rivers East Branch begins at Grand Gorge near Roxbury Delaware County. These two branches flow west and merge near Hancock in Delaware County and the waters flow as the Delaware River south. The river meets tide-water at the junction of Morrisville, Pennsylvania and Trenton, the rivers navigable, tidal section served as a conduit for shipping and transportation that aided the development of the industrial cities of Trenton, Camden, and Philadelphia. The mean freshwater discharge of the Delaware River into the estuary of Delaware Bay is 11,550 cubic feet per second, in 1609, the river was first visited by a Dutch East India Company expedition led by Henry Hudson. Hudson, an English navigator, was hired to find a route to Cathay. Early Dutch and Swedish settlements were established along the section of river. Both colonial powers called the river the South River, compared to the Hudson River, lord de la Warr waged a punitive campaign to subdue the Powhatan after they had killed the colonys council president, John Ratcliffe, and attacked the colonys fledgling settlements. Lord de la Warr arrived with 150 soldiers in time to prevent colonys original settlers at Jamestown from giving up, the name of barony is pronounced as in the current spelling form Delaware and is thought to derive from French de la Guerre. It has often reported that the river and bay received the name Delaware after English forces under Richard Nicolls expelled the Dutch. However, the river and bay were known by the name Delaware as early as 1641, the state of Delaware was originally part of the William Penns Pennsylvania colony. In 1682, the Duke of York granted Penns request for access to the sea and leased him the territory along the western shore of Delaware Bay which became known as the Lower Counties on the Delaware. The Delaware Rivers watershed drains an area of 14,119 square miles and encompasses 42 counties and 838 municipalities in five U. S. states—New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware. This total area constitutes approximately 0. 4% of the mass in the United States. In 2001, the watershed was 18% agricultural land, 14% developed land, there are 216 tributary streams and creeks—an estimated 14,057 miles of streams and creeks—in the watershed. The waters of the Delaware Rivers basin are used to fishing, transportation, power, cooling, recreation
9.
Delaware Bay
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Delaware Bay is the estuary outlet of the Delaware River on the Northeast seaboard of the United States. Approximately 782 square miles in area, the fresh water mixes for many miles with the salt water of the Atlantic Ocean. The bay is bordered inland by the States of New Jersey and Delaware, the Delaware Bay is bordered by six counties, Sussex, Kent, and New Castle in Delaware, along with Cape May, Cumberland, and Salem in New Jersey. The Cape May-Lewes Ferry crosses the Delaware Bay from Cape May, New Jersey, to Lewes, management of ports along the bay is the responsibility of the Delaware River and Bay Authority. The shores of the bay are composed of salt marshes and mudflats. Several of the rivers hold protected status for their unique salt marsh bordering the bay. The bay is also a prime oystering ground, the Delaware Bay was designated a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance on May 20,1992. It was the first site classified in the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network, at the time of the arrival of the Europeans in the early 17th century, the area around the bay was inhabited by the Native American Lenape people. They called the Delaware River Lenape Wihittuck, which means the stream of the Lenape. The Delaware Bay was called Poutaxat, which means near the falls, in 1523 Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón had received from Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor a grant for the land explored in 1521 by Francisco Gordillo and slave trader Captain Pedro de Quejo. In 1525 Ayllón sent Quejo northward and received reports of the coastline from as far north as the Delaware Bay, in 1525 De Ayllon and Captain Quejo called Delaware Bay by the name Saint Christophers Bay. In the 1600s the bay was known as Niew Port May after Captain Cornelius May, another recorded European visit to the bay was by Henry Hudson, who claimed it for the Dutch East India Company in 1609. The Dutch called the estuary Godyns Bay, or Godins Bay after a director of the company, as part of the New Netherland colony, the Dutch established several settlements on the shores of the bay and explored its coast extensively. The resulting dispute with the Dutch colonial authorities in New Amsterdam was settled when Petrus Stuyvesant led a Dutch military force into the area in 1655, the Native American tribe living along the bay and river were later called the Delaware by the Europeans due to their location. The U. S. state also takes its name from the bay, conflicting crown grants were made to the James, Duke of York and William Penn on the west bank of the bay and river. Settlement grew rapidly, leading Philadelphia, upriver on the Delaware, Penn viewed access to the Delaware Bay as being so critical to Pennsylvanias survival that he engaged in an eighty-year long legal boundary dispute with the Calvert family to secure it. In 1782 during the American Revolutionary War, Continental Navy Lieutenant Joshua Barney fought with a British squadron within the bay, barneys force of three sloops defeated a Royal Navy frigate, a sloop-of-war and a Loyalist privateer. Fort Delaware was later constructed on Pea Patch Island, during the American Civil War it was used as a Union prison camp
10.
Atlantic Ocean
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The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the worlds oceans with a total area of about 106,460,000 square kilometres. It covers approximately 20 percent of the Earths surface and about 29 percent of its surface area. It separates the Old World from the New World, the Atlantic Ocean occupies an elongated, S-shaped basin extending longitudinally between Eurasia and Africa to the east, and the Americas to the west. The Equatorial Counter Current subdivides it into the North Atlantic Ocean, in contrast, the term Atlantic originally referred specifically to the Atlas Mountains in Morocco and the sea off the Strait of Gibraltar and the North African coast. The Greek word thalassa has been reused by scientists for the huge Panthalassa ocean that surrounded the supercontinent Pangaea hundreds of years ago. The term Aethiopian Ocean, derived from Ancient Ethiopia, was applied to the Southern Atlantic as late as the mid-19th century, many Irish or British people refer to the United States and Canada as across the pond, and vice versa. The Black Atlantic refers to the role of ocean in shaping black peoples history. Irish migration to the US is meant when the term The Green Atlantic is used, the term Red Atlantic has been used in reference to the Marxian concept of an Atlantic working class, as well as to the Atlantic experience of indigenous Americans. Correspondingly, the extent and number of oceans and seas varies, the Atlantic Ocean is bounded on the west by North and South America. It connects to the Arctic Ocean through the Denmark Strait, Greenland Sea, Norwegian Sea, to the east, the boundaries of the ocean proper are Europe, the Strait of Gibraltar and Africa. In the southeast, the Atlantic merges into the Indian Ocean, the 20° East meridian, running south from Cape Agulhas to Antarctica defines its border. In the 1953 definition it extends south to Antarctica, while in later maps it is bounded at the 60° parallel by the Southern Ocean, the Atlantic has irregular coasts indented by numerous bays, gulfs, and seas. Including these marginal seas the coast line of the Atlantic measures 111,866 km compared to 135,663 km for the Pacific. Including its marginal seas, the Atlantic covers an area of 106,460,000 km2 or 23. 5% of the ocean and has a volume of 310,410,900 km3 or 23. 3%. Excluding its marginal seas, the Atlantic covers 81,760,000 km2 and has a volume of 305,811,900 km3, the North Atlantic covers 41,490,000 km2 and the South Atlantic 40,270,000 km2. The average depth is 3,646 m and the maximum depth, the bathymetry of the Atlantic is dominated by a submarine mountain range called the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. It runs from 87°N or 300 km south of the North Pole to the subantarctic Bouvet Island at 42°S, the MAR divides the Atlantic longitudinally into two halves, in each of which a series of basins are delimited by secondary, transverse ridges. The MAR reaches above 2000 m along most of its length, the MAR is a barrier for bottom water, but at these two transform faults deep water currents can pass from one side to the other
11.
Elk River (Maryland)
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The Elk River is a tidal tributary of the Chesapeake Bay on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and on the northern edge of the Delmarva Peninsula. It is about 15 miles long, as the most northeastern extension of the Chesapeake Bay estuary, it has served as one entrance to the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal since the 19th century. The canal and river now serve as one boundary of the Elk Neck Peninsula, the river flows through Cecil County, Maryland, with its watershed extending into New Castle County, Delaware and Chester County, Pennsylvania. Elkton, the county seat of Cecil County, is located at its head and its total watershed area is 143 square miles, with 21 square miles of open water, so its watershed is 15% open water. It is south and east of the North East River, little Elk Creek rises near Oxford, Pennsylvania, and the East Branch and West Branch of Big Elk Creek rise to the south of Cochranville, Pennsylvania. They descend through the Pennsylvania and Maryland Piedmont, before reaching sea level at Elkton, there are several small creeks on the western shore, including Muddy Creek, Jones Creek, Bull Minnow Run, and Plum Creek. On the eastern shore major tributaries are Back Creek, much of which is now the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, small creeks include Pearce Creek, Cabin John Creek, Herring Creek, and Perch Creek. NOAA Nautical Chart 12274 Chesapeake Bay Program Watershed Profile, Elk River Lower Chesapeake Bay Program Watershed Profile, Upper Elk River Chesapeake Bay Program Watershed Profile, Bohemia River
12.
Maryland
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The states largest city is Baltimore, and its capital is Annapolis. Among its occasional nicknames are Old Line State, the Free State, the state is named after Henrietta Maria of France, the wife of Charles I of England. George Calvert was the first Lord of Baltimore and the first English proprietor of the colonial grant. Maryland was the state to ratify the United States Constitution. Maryland is one of the smallest U. S. states in terms of area, as well as one of the most densely populated, Maryland has an area of 12,406.68 square miles and is comparable in overall area with Belgium. It is the 42nd largest and 9th smallest state and is closest in size to the state of Hawaii, the next largest state, its neighbor West Virginia, is almost twice the size of Maryland. Maryland possesses a variety of topography within its borders, contributing to its nickname America in Miniature. The mid-portion of this border is interrupted by Washington, D. C. which sits on land that was part of Montgomery and Prince Georges counties and including the town of Georgetown. This land was ceded to the United States Federal Government in 1790 to form the District of Columbia, the Chesapeake Bay nearly bisects the state and the counties east of the bay are known collectively as the Eastern Shore. Close to the town of Hancock, in western Maryland, about two-thirds of the way across the state. This geographical curiosity makes Maryland the narrowest state, bordered by the Mason–Dixon line to the north, portions of Maryland are included in various official and unofficial geographic regions. Much of the Baltimore–Washington corridor lies just south of the Piedmont in the Coastal Plain, earthquakes in Maryland are infrequent and small due to the states distance from seismic/earthquake zones. The M5.8 Virginia earthquake in 2011 was felt moderately throughout Maryland, buildings in the state are not well-designed for earthquakes and can suffer damage easily. The lack of any glacial history accounts for the scarcity of Marylands natural lakes, laurel Oxbow Lake is an over one-hundred-year-old 55-acre natural lake two miles north of Maryland City and adjacent to Russett. Chews Lake is a natural lake two miles south-southeast of Upper Marlboro. There are numerous lakes, the largest of them being the Deep Creek Lake. Maryland has shale formations containing natural gas, where fracking is theoretically possible, as is typical of states on the East Coast, Marylands plant life is abundant and healthy. Middle Atlantic coastal forests, typical of the southeastern Atlantic coastal plain, grow around Chesapeake Bay, moving west, a mixture of Northeastern coastal forests and Southeastern mixed forests cover the central part of the state
13.
Virginia
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Virginia is a state located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, as well as in the historic Southeast. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are shaped by the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Chesapeake Bay, the capital of the Commonwealth is Richmond, Virginia Beach is the most populous city, and Fairfax County is the most populous political subdivision. The Commonwealths estimated population as of 2014 is over 8.3 million, the areas history begins with several indigenous groups, including the Powhatan. In 1607 the London Company established the Colony of Virginia as the first permanent New World English colony, slave labor and the land acquired from displaced Native American tribes each played a significant role in the colonys early politics and plantation economy. Although the Commonwealth was under one-party rule for nearly a century following Reconstruction, the Virginia General Assembly is the oldest continuous law-making body in the New World. The state government was ranked most effective by the Pew Center on the States in both 2005 and 2008 and it is unique in how it treats cities and counties equally, manages local roads, and prohibits its governors from serving consecutive terms. Virginias economy changed from agricultural to industrial during the 1960s and 1970s. Virginia has an area of 42,774.2 square miles, including 3,180.13 square miles of water. Virginias boundary with Maryland and Washington, D. C. extends to the mark of the south shore of the Potomac River. The southern border is defined as the 36° 30′ parallel north, the border with Tennessee was not settled until 1893, when their dispute was brought to the U. S. Supreme Court. The Chesapeake Bay separates the portion of the Commonwealth from the two-county peninsula of Virginias Eastern Shore. The bay was formed from the river valleys of the Susquehanna River. Many of Virginias rivers flow into the Chesapeake Bay, including the Potomac, Rappahannock, York, and James, the Tidewater is a coastal plain between the Atlantic coast and the fall line. It includes the Eastern Shore and major estuaries of Chesapeake Bay, the Piedmont is a series of sedimentary and igneous rock-based foothills east of the mountains which were formed in the Mesozoic era. The region, known for its clay soil, includes the Southwest Mountains around Charlottesville. The Blue Ridge Mountains are a province of the Appalachian Mountains with the highest points in the state. The Ridge and Valley region is west of the mountains and includes the Great Appalachian Valley, the region is carbonate rock based and includes Massanutten Mountain. The Cumberland Plateau and the Cumberland Mountains are in the southwest corner of Virginia, in this region, rivers flow northwest, with a dendritic drainage system, into the Ohio River basin
14.
Delmar, Maryland
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Delmar is a town in Wicomico County, Maryland, United States. The population was 3,003 at the 2010 census and it is included in the Salisbury, Maryland-Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area. When the population is added to twin city Delmar, Delaware, by comparison this is more than Pocomoke City, Maryland 4,184, Denton, Maryland 4,418, and Berlin, Maryland 4,485, but less than Fruitland, Maryland,4,866. The Town of Delmar was founded in October 1859 with the extension of the Delaware Railroad to the boundary of Delaware. Thus, in 1859, the two respective railroads met and the Town of Delmar was born, the name of Delmar was derived for this railroad center from the states whose line it straddles - DELaware and MARyland. These new developments made the Delmarva Peninsula an important link between the north and south. As a result of developments, a tremendous influx of experienced railroad men into the community. During this accelerated rapid growth period, Delmar became a boom town, new dwelling units sprang up all over town and new businesses were established to meet the demands of its growing population. By 1889, the population of the Town of Delmar had increased to 680 and was still growing, in 1888, the Town of Delmar, Maryland was granted a charter by the General Assembly of Maryland. An examination of this charter and the laws of Maryland fails to reveal any mention of the town of Delmar. Therefore, it could be assumed that up until this time there was little cooperation between halves of the Town of Delmar. The Town of Delmar was almost entirely destroyed by fire in 1892, the first fire destroyed everything in its path over a ten-acre area and the second major fire was almost as destructive. In each instance, the Town of Delmar was rebuilt and continued as a flourishing town, the first indication of any cooperation between Delmar, Maryland and Delmar, Delaware came in 1924 when surveys were conducted for a possible sewerage system for the entire Town of Delmar. Four years later the fourth, fifth and sixth grades were consolidated with classes in the Maryland school. This controversial decision represented one of the greatest steps forward educationally for the town of Delmar, Delmar is located at 38°27. 1′N 75°34. 2′W. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has an area of 1.73 square miles. The median income for a household in the town was $28,462, males had a median income of $29,643 versus $20,885 for females. The per capita income for the town was $13,821, about 16. 9% of families and 16. 9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23. 2% of those under age 18 and 18. 7% of those age 65 or over
15.
Chincoteague, Virginia
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Chincoteague is a town on Chincoteague Island in Accomack County, Virginia, U. S. The population was 2,941 at the 2010 census, the town is known for the Chincoteague Ponies, although these are not actually on the island of Chincoteague but on nearby Assateague Island. These ponies and the annual Pony Penning Day are the subject of Marguerite Henrys 1947 childrens book Misty of Chincoteague, Chincoteague is located at 37°56′5″N 75°22′4″W. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has an area of 37.3 square miles, of which 9.1 square miles is land and 28.2 square miles. The year of 1650 marks the first land grant issued on Chincoteague Island, daniel Jenifer became the first English landowner. In 1671, settlers came to the island, and by 1672 there were large farms by Bishops, Bowdens, by 1838, there were 36 houses on the island, and in 1861 the island voted 132-2 not to secede from the Union and against slavery. The town saw action in the war via the Battle of Cockle Creek fought in the bay in 1861. The Native American name for the island is Gingoteague, and the name of the town Chincoteague first appeared in the Decisions of the United States Board on Geographical Names in 1943, in 1962, a major noreaster winter storm, the Ash Wednesday Storm, struck the coast. The town was underwater, and went for days without electricity. The storm destroyed almost all structures on Assateague Island, where development was just beginning, following this, most of the island was preserved from development as Assateague Island National Seashore in 1965. The Assateague Lighthouse and Captain Timothy Hill House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, in the Pony Penning, which has been held annually since 1925, horses swim across the shallow water between the islands. If any animal is too small or weak to make the swim, they are placed on a barge, all the horses are herded into large pens after running through the middle of town and down Main Street. Pony Penning takes place on the last consecutive Wednesday and Thursday in July, the actual swim occurs on Wednesday, the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company auctions that years foals on Thursday, and on Friday the remaining ponies swim back to Assateague. The town features numerous small hotels, bed and breakfasts, and campgrounds that serve visitors to the region, the island also features many restaurants, ice cream parlors, and miniature golf courses. The island contains two museums, Beebe Ranch, and the Museum of Chincoteague Island, as of the census of 2000, there were 4,317 people,2,068 households, and 1,244 families residing in the town. The population density was 448.2 people per square mile, there were 3,970 housing units at an average density of 412.2 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 96. 92% White,0. 95% African American,0. 28% Native American,0. 28% Asian,0. 37% from other races, hispanic or Latino of any race were 0. 53% of the population. 33. 8% of all households were made up of individuals and 13. 9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older, the average household size was 2.08 and the average family size was 2.63
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Chesapeake & Delaware Canal
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The C&D Canal is owned and operated by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, Philadelphia District. The project office in Chesapeake City, Maryland, is also the site of the C&D Canal Museum, in Delaware, the canal is considered to divide the northern and southern parts of the state. It is also considered the beginning of the Delmarva Peninsula. As early as the 17th century, settlers to the New World realized that industrial and commercial growth would depend upon economical transportation of goods across both land and water, herman proposed that a waterway be built to connect the two. More than a century passed before any action was taken, in 1764, a survey of possible water routes across the Delmarva Peninsula was made. One was proposed by Thomas Gilpin, Sr and he proposed a canal across the Delmarva Peninsula to connect the Chester River at modern-day Millington, Maryland, to the Delaware River. He even bought 39 acres of land, largely in and around Millington, the idea was raised again in 1788 by regional business leaders, including noted Philadelphians Benjamin Franklin and Benjamin Rush. The canal would reduce, by nearly 300 miles, the routes between Philadelphia and Baltimore. In 1802, following actions by the legislatures of Maryland, Delaware, and Pennsylvania, more surveys followed, and in 1804, construction of the canal began under Benjamin Latrobe. The work included 14 locks to connect the Christina River in Delaware with the Elk River at Welch Point, Maryland, the canal company was reorganized in 1822, and new surveys determined that more than $2 million in capital was needed to resume construction. Eventually, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania purchased $100,000 in stock, the State of Maryland, $50,000, the federal government invested $450,000, with the remainder subscribed by the public. The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers played a vital yet unofficial role for the company in 1823 and 1824. The engineer officers and two civilian engineers recommended a new route with four locks, extending from Newbolds Landing Harbor, westward to the Back Creek branch of the Elk River, Maryland. Canal construction resumed in April 1824, and within several years some 2,600 men were digging and hauling dirt from the ditch, laborers toiled with pick and shovel at the immense construction task, working for an average daily wage of 75 cents. The swampy marshlands along the planned route proved a great impediment to progress. It was 1829 before the C&D Canal Company could, at last and its construction cost of $3.5 million made it one of the most expensive canal projects of its time. In 1825, due to the efforts of Benjamin Wright, the company fired the chief engineer, John Randel Jr. who had surveyed its route. Randel sued the company for breach of contract, and in 1834 a jury returned an award to Randel of $226,885.84, the canal companys appeals went as high as the United States Supreme Court, which affirmed the award
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Chesapeake Bay Bridge
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The Chesapeake Bay Bridge is a major dual-span bridge in the U. S. state of Maryland. Spanning the Chesapeake Bay, it connects the states rural Eastern Shore region with the urban Western Shore, the original span opened in 1952 and with a length of 4.3 miles, was the worlds longest continuous over-water steel structure, the parallel span was added in 1973. The bridge is part of U. S, routes 50 and 301, and serves as a vital link in both routes. As part of cross-country U. S. Route 50, it connects the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area with Ocean City, Maryland and Rehoboth Beach, Delaware and other coastal tourist resorts destinations. As part of U. S. Route 301, it serves as part of a route for Interstate 95 travelers. Because of this linkage, the bridge is busy and has known as a point of traffic congestion, particularly during peak hours. Studies exploring the possibility of building a bridge across the Chesapeake Bay may have conducted as early as the 1880s. In 1927, local businesspeople were authorized to finance the construction of a Baltimore to Tolchester Beach crossing. Plans for the new bridge were made, but construction was canceled following the Stock Market Crash of 1929 with the collapse of the American economy, ferries were used as the main mode of transportation across the Bay from the colonial period until the completion of the 1952 Bridge. The first service ran from Annapolis to Broad Creek on Kent Island, in 1919, the Claiborne-Annapolis Ferry Company began running ferries between Annapolis and Claiborne, a community near St. Michaels. In July 1930, the Claiborne-Annapolis Company added a new route, one running from Annapolis to Matapeake. The auto and passenger ferries were taken over by the State Roads Commission in 1941, two years later the Roads Commission moved the western terminus of the old Annapolis–Matapeake ferry to Sandy Point, shortening the cross-bay trip. A1938 proposal by the Maryland General Assembly was the first to call for a bridge at the Sandy Point-Kent Island location, although the legislation authorizing the new bridge passed, the involvement of the United States in World War II delayed the bridges construction. In 1947, with the war over, the Assembly, under the leadership of Maryland Governor William Preston Lane, as both the longest continuous over-water steel structure, and the third longest bridge in the world. On November 9,1967, the bridge was dedicated to Governor Lane, who had died earlier that year, also in 1967, due to increasing traffic volumes, the Maryland General Assembly authorized three possible new crossings, all suggested during the 1964 Chesapeake Bay crossing study. Construction of the new span began in 1969 to the north of the original bridge. Several incidents related to the bridge have occurred, in some cases, these have caused significant closures and traffic congestion on either side approaching the bridge. The bridge has been closed four times due to extreme weather, the first time was September 18,2003, during Hurricane Isabel and its high winds
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Lewes, Delaware
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Lewes /ˈluːᵻs/ is an incorporated city on the Delaware Bay in eastern Sussex County, Delaware. According to the 2010 census, the population is 2,747, along with neighboring Rehoboth Beach, Lewes is one of the principal cities of Delawares rapidly growing Cape Region. The city lies within the Salisbury, Maryland–Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area, Lewes proudly claims to be The First Town in The First State. Lewes was the site of the first European settlement in Delaware, the colony had a short existence, as a local tribe of Lenape Native Americans wiped out the 32 settlers in 1632. A total of 35 men were to be included in the settlement, led by a Pieter Cornelisz Plockhoy of Zierikzee, the area was slow to resettle, but a new settlement gradually regrew around the Hoernkills. In late December 1673, when the area was held again by the Dutch. A log courthouse was authorized to be built at this time, a Church of England congregation was established by 1681 and a Presbyterian church was built in 1682. In 1682, the Delaware colonies were given to William Penn by English King Charles II in payment of a family debt. When Penn arrived in the New World later that year, he renamed the county as Sussex, Lewes became and remained the county seat of Sussex County until 1791, when it was moved to a more west-central county location, the current town of Georgetown. On April 5 and 6,1813, during the War of 1812, a cannonball from the bombardment is lodged in the foundation of Cannonball House, which now serves as the towns maritime museum. Lewes was incorporated by an act of the assembly on Feb.2,1818. The act provided for five persons to be chosen as commissioners to be known as Trustees of the Town of Lewes, Lewes Beach itself was an important stop on the Underground Railroad in the years leading up to the American Civil War. As a border state, Delaware was not part of the Confederacy, several houses in Lewes thus housed escaping slaves, these safe houses were identified by the residents placing a single candle in the top window of the house. It was one of the largest and most heavily armed coastal fortifications ever built, fort Miles never saw any major action, except for range practice, it fired its guns only once between its establishment and the end of World War II. Fort Miles ceased operation altogether in 1991 and was deeded to the State of Delaware, georges Chapel, Lewes, Townsend Site, and Wolfes Neck Site are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Schellenger 1913–1914 Dr. James T. Thompson 1900–1913 Alfred L. Burton 1898–1900 Six men who served as Delaware governor were born in or made their home in Lewes, three of the men lived on Lewes Second Street. Brothers Daniel and Caleb Rodney, descendants of Caesar Rodney each served as governor of Delaware, each a member of the Federalist party, Daniel served from 1814–1817 while Caleb served as acting governor from 1822–1823. Ebe Walters Tunnell moved to Lewes in 1873 to enter the drug, Tunnell worked his way up the state government hierarchy before unsuccessfully running for governor in 1892
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Cape May, New Jersey
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Cape May is a city at the southern tip of Cape May Peninsula in Cape May County, New Jersey, where the Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean. One of the countrys oldest vacation resort destinations, it is part of the Ocean City Metropolitan Statistical Area, in the summer, Cape Mays population is expanded by as many as 40,000 to 50,000 visitors. The entire city of Cape May is designated the Cape May Historic District, the city was named for 1620 Dutch captain Cornelius Jacobsen Mey who explored and charted the area between 1611–1614, and established a claim for the province of New Netherland. It was later settled by New Englanders from the New Haven Colony, what is now Cape May was originally formed as the borough of Cape Island by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 8,1848, from portions of Lower Township. It was reincorporated as Cape Island City on March 10,1851, Cape May began hosting vacationers from Philadelphia in the mid 18th century and is recognized as the countrys oldest seaside resort. It became increasingly popular in the 18th century and was considered one of the finest resorts in America by the 19th century, in 1878 a five-day-long fire destroyed square blocks of the town center and as part of the reconstruction efforts replacement homes were almost uniformly of Victorian style. That designation is intended to ensure the preservation of these buildings. Cape May Naval facilities, listed below, provided significant help in reducing the number of ships, Cape May is generally low-lying, its highest point, at the intersection of Washington and Jackson Streets, is 14 feet above sea level. Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the city include Poverty Beach, Cape May borders West Cape May Borough, Lower Township, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Delaware Bay. The Cape May-Lewes Ferry provides transportation across the Delaware Bay to Lewes, Cape May Harbor Fest celebrates life in and around the harbor, with the 2011 event commemorating the 100th anniversary of the harbors creation. Cape May is the southernmost point in New Jersey, it is at approximately the latitude as Washington. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Cape May has a subtropical climate, typical of coastal New Jersey, with hot, humid summers. Precipitation is distributed evenly throughout the year. Snowfall averages 15.7 inches per season, mostly from December to February. Extremes in temperature have ranged from −2 °F on January 17,1982 up to 106 °F on July 7,1966, since 1894, because of the warmer wintertime temperatures, Hardy Palms including Trachycarpus fortunei and Needle Palms work quite well in the landscape. Wine grapes also do well, given the long growing season. As of the census of 2010, there were 3,607 people,1,457 households, the population density was 1,500.6 per square mile. There were 4,155 housing units at a density of 1,728.5 per square mile
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New Jersey
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New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania, New Jersey is the fourth-smallest state but the 11th-most populous and the most densely populated of the 50 United States. New Jersey lies entirely within the statistical areas of New York City. New Jersey was inhabited by Native Americans for more than 2,800 years, in the early 17th century, the Dutch and the Swedes made the first European settlements. New Jersey was the site of decisive battles during the American Revolutionary War in the 18th century. In the 19th century, factories in cities such as Camden, Paterson, Newark, Trenton, around 180 million years ago, during the Jurassic Period, New Jersey bordered North Africa. The pressure of the collision between North America and Africa gave rise to the Appalachian Mountains, around 18,000 years ago, the Ice Age resulted in glaciers that reached New Jersey. As the glaciers retreated, they left behind Lake Passaic, as well as rivers, swamps. New Jersey was originally settled by Native Americans, with the Lenni-Lenape being dominant at the time of contact, scheyichbi is the Lenape name for the land that is now New Jersey. The Lenape society was divided into clans that were based upon common female ancestors. These clans were organized into three distinct phratries identified by their animal sign, Turtle, Turkey, and Wolf and they first encountered the Dutch in the early 17th century, and their primary relationship with the Europeans was through fur trade. The Dutch became the first Europeans to lay claim to lands in New Jersey, the Dutch colony of New Netherland consisted of parts of modern Middle Atlantic states. Although the European principle of ownership was not recognized by the Lenape. The first to do so was Michiel Pauw who established a patronship called Pavonia in 1630 along the North River which eventually became the Bergen, peter Minuits purchase of lands along the Delaware River established the colony of New Sweden. During the English Civil War, the Channel Island of Jersey remained loyal to the British Crown and it was from the Royal Square in St. Helier that Charles II of England was proclaimed King in 1649, following the execution of his father, Charles I. The North American lands were divided by Charles II, who gave his brother, the Duke of York, the region between New England and Maryland as a proprietary colony. James then granted the land between the Hudson River and the Delaware River to two friends who had remained loyal through the English Civil War, Sir George Carteret and Lord Berkeley of Stratton, the area was named the Province of New Jersey. Since the states inception, New Jersey has been characterized by ethnic, New England Congregationalists settled alongside Scots Presbyterians and Dutch Reformed migrants
Media related to Delmarva Peninsula at Wikimedia Commons
