Update: I forgot to mention that I will be recording the #StateChallenge this weekend! I hope to turn it into a video to show what the quiz is all about for future participants!
The next #StateChallenge is going to be all about Maryland, USA and I have the honour of being the guest host for this quiz! I have only been to Maryland once and it was a long, long time ago so it’s time for me to do some online searching to find some interesting facts for all you avid #StateChallenge participants!
There are quite a lot of fascinating and fun facts about Maryland but let’s start off first with a bit of geography and history!
Maryland started out as one of the Thirteen Colonies of England in 1634 and was founded by George Calver, 1st Baron Baltimore. It was named after Queen Mary (Henrietta Maria of France), the wife of King Charles I of England, and initially started out as a haven for Catholics who were persecuted in England. The Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in Baltimore (Maryland’s most populous city) is America’s first Roman Catholic Cathedral and was opened in 1821.
In 1776, the United States of America came to be when the Thirteen Colonies declared independence but it was only on April 28, 1778, did Maryland obtain statehood and was the 7th to do so. Maryland’s state abbreviation is not MA nor ML… but rather MD.
If you look at the map of America and divided the country into four equal quadrants, Maryland would be in the top right quadrant but interestingly, the initial colonies in America were divided into three main ones: New England colonies, Middle colonies and Southern colonies. And despite being quite North, Maryland falls into the Southern Colonies.
It borders several other states: Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware and also, the District of Columbia (which is not a state). And it’s got a very strange shape with a huge amount of waterways and coastlines on the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean.
Geographically, Maryland has so many different types of climates and topographical features that it is sometimes called Little America or America in Miniature. However, the only nature feature it doesn’t have is the dessert!
The highest point in Maryland is the Hoye Crest which is located on Backbone Mountain. It has an elevation of 3,360 feet or 1,020 meters. For reference, the tallest building in America, the One World Trade Center, is only 1,776 feet or 541 meters.
The top largest cities in Maryland include Baltimore, Frederick, Rockville, Gaithersburg and Bowie but the state capital is Annapolis. And if you haven’t figured out yet, I’m trying to cram as much information into this post so as to make it really tough for you to remember everything for the quiz. Muahahaha!
Is your brain crying out yet? Well, I’m not quite done and here’s another spade load of fun facts! Ever wondered what the state symbols are for Maryland? Well, wonder no more.
- State Bird = Baltimore Oriole
- State Boat = Skipjack
- State Cat = Calico cat
- State Crustacean = Blue crab
- State Dessert = Smith Island cake
- State Dinosaur = Astrodon johnstoni
- State Dog = Chesapeake Bay retriever (was bred specifically for water sports, hunting, and search & rescue in the Chesapeake area)
- State Drink = Milk
- State Exercise = Walking (the only state in America to have a state exercise!!)
- State Fish = Rockfish
- State Flower = Black-eyed Susan
- State Folk Dance = Square dance
- State Fossil Shell = Ecphora gardnerae gardnerae (Wilson)
- State Gem = Patuxent river stone
- State Horse = Thoroughbred horse
- State Insect = Baltimore checkerspot butterfly
- State Motto = Fatti maschii, parole femine (literally translated to “manly deeds, womanly words” or more generally as “strong deeds, gentle words”). Maryland is the only state to boast a saying in Italian! And yes, it is a bit sexist!
- State Nickname = Free State; Old Line State
- State Reptile = Diamondback terrapin (also adopted as the mascot of University of Maryland)
- State Sport = Jousting
- State Team Sport = Lacrosse
- State Tree = White oak
And if you’re into your American sports, Maryland’s Major League Baseball team is Baltimore Orioles whilst its National Football League team is the Baltimore Ravens! Kraa kraa! Yes, ravens go “kraa kraa” whilst crows go “caw caw”. For real!
Nowadays, Maryland is considered as one of the richest states in America because of its proximity to Washington, DC, and also because of its economic diversity. Major industries include farming (tobacco, poultry, dairy products, corn and soybeans), steel, mining (coal) and fishing (crabs and oysters).
In an upcoming post, I hope to cover more fun/casual facts about Maryland so do stay tuned!
This post is part of the #StateChallenge organized by @Kwiksatik and @Denise_Barlock. If you want to find out more, check out this post. You can also find other submissions by searching the #StateChallenge hashtag
The #StateChallenge meet-up schedule:
State |
Meet-up date |
|---|---|
| Oregon - Guest Host - @anuspice (click here for more info) | Apr 3, 2021 |
| Maryland - Guest Host - @AdrianLunsong | Apr 10, 2021 |
| Colorado - Guest Host - @LeyleyS | Apr 17, 2021 |
| Indonesia - Guest Host - @Erna_LaBeau #WorldChallenge | Apr 24, 2021 |
Thank you for sharing so many fun facts!