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NAME
Maryland was named in honor of Queen Henrietta
Maria (1609-1666), wife of Charles I of England
and daughter of Henry IV of France.
STATE CAPITAL
Annapolis: The original capital was St. Mary's City.
In 1694, the General Assembly designated Anne
Arundel Town the capital. After Queen Mary's
death in December 1694, Anne Arundel Town was
renamed Annapolis for Queen Mary's sister and
heiress apparent, Princess Anne. The government
moved to Annapolis in February 1694/5, when the
site was still known as Anne Arundel Town.
STATEHOOD
April 28,1788, the seventh state.
GOVERNMENT
Executive. The governor, elected by popular vote
for a four-year term, is the chief executive of the
State. Fifteen cabinet-level executive departments
oversee most State agencies. Legislative. The Gen-
eral Assembly, Maryland's bicameral legislature,
consists of a 47-member Senate and a 141-member
House of Delegates. As of January 1989, the Senate
has 40 Democrats and 7 Republicans; die House
of Delegates includes 125 Democrats and 16 Re-
publicans. The General Assembly meets each year
on the second Wednesday in January for 90 days to
enact laws. Judicial. The Judiciary consists of four
court divisions: the Court of Appeals, the Court of
Special Appeals, the Circuit Courts, and the District
Courts. Local. Of the 50 states, Maryland is among
those with the fewest number of local governments.
Local government exists in Maryland's 23 counties,
154 municipal corporations (including Baltimore
City), and special taxing districts.
AREA
In square miles: land, 9,837; inland water, 623;
Chesapeake Bay, 1,726; total, 12,186. Ranks 42nd
among the states.
PHYSIOGRAPHY
Divided into three provinces with progressively
higher altitudes from east to west: Coastal Plain
province extends from Atlantic Ocean to Fall Line;
Piedmont or "Foothill" province from Fall Line to
base of Catoctin Mountains; Appalachian province
from base of Catoctin Mountains to western
boundary of State. Mean elevation, 350 feet; max-
imum elevation, 3,360 feet at Backbone Mountain.
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POPULATION
4,216,975 in 1980 census; ranks 18th in popula-
tion among the states; ranks 6th in population
density with 447 persons per square land mile.
POPULATION PROJECTIONS
1990......................................................4,666,200
2000......................................................5,005,550
2010......................................................5,248,850
INCORPORATED CITIES OVER 10,000
POPULATION, 1986 (est.)
Baltimore..................752,800 Salisbury......................17,740
Rockville....................46,900 Greenbelt....................16,100
Bowie.........................35,740 Takoma Park...............14,360
Hagerstown................33,670 New Carrollton...........12,180
Frederick....................33,800 Laurel..........................12,190
Annapolis...................33,360 Hyattsville...................11,470
Gaithersburg...............32,350 Aberdeen.....................11,940
Cumberland...............23,230 Cambridge...................11,070
College Park................21,810 Westminster............... 10,230
UNINCORPORATED AREAS OVER 20,000
POPULATION, 1980
Bethesda.....................83,022 Towson.......................31,085
Silver Spring..............72,893 Security.......................29,553
Dundalk......................71,293 Lochearn.....................26,904
Columbia....................52,518 Middle River...............26,756
Wheaton-Glenmont ....48,698 Randallstown...............25,927
Aspen Hill .................47,445 South Gate..................24,185
Potomac.....................40,402 PikesviUe......................22,525
Essex..........................39,614 Ellicott City.................21,784
Glen Burnie................37,263 Carney.........................21,488
Oxon Hill..................36,262 Severna Park...............21,253
Parkville......................35,139 Milford Mill.................20,334
Catonsville.................33,206 Arbutus.......................20,163
Suitland-Silver Hill......32,164
PER CAPITA INCOME, 1985 (est.)
Maryland........................................................................$12,967
Allegany....................$ 8,771 Harford.....................$11,901
Anne Arundel..........$13,487 Howard.....................$16,222
Baltimore City..........$ 8,647 Kent..........................$ 9,785
Baltimore County.....$13,982 Montgomery.............$19,589
Calvert......................$11,780 Prince George's.........$13,067
Caroline...................$ 8,943 Queen Anne's............$11 012
Carroll......................$11,679 St. Mary's..................$10,435
Cecil.........................$10,226 Somerset...................$ 7,819
Charles......................$11,680 Talbot........................$12,828
Dorchester...............$ 9,085 Washington...............$ 9,814
Frederick...................$11,508 Wicomico..................$10,139
Garrett.....................$ 7,406 Worcester..................$10,227
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