MARYLAND (USA)

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Baltimore

Within its small, irregularly-shaped area, Maryland's attractions range from the frantic, boardwalk beaches of Ocean City to the sleepy fishing villages of the Chesapeake Bay , and the bustling urban center of Baltimore to peaceful Appalachian hill country. Once one of the world's most productive fishing areas, Maryland's Chesapeake has recently been brought back from the brink of complete annihilation due to pollution and overfishing. Its abundant oyster stocks are a thing of the past, but legendary soft-shell blue crabs and sweet rockfish are more plentiful than ever, and now support a diverse, decentralized economy, buoyed by the hundreds of weekend boaters who cruise from one to another of its colonial-era towns.

In a state with so much coastline, it is inevitable that Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean will be central to a visit to Maryland. A large part of the state's appeal is related to the sea, with fishing boats and 'watermen' who pull fresh seafood from Chesapeake Bay, historic waterfront towns and vibrant harbours, pleasure sailing, bustling ports and important shipyards, beaches and speciality crab cakes.

The maritime heritage of the Chesapeake Bay region is evident in the major attractions of Baltimore's Inner Harbor, the sailing capital of Annapolis and the sleepy boating communities on the East Shore, with old towns like St Michaels and Chrisfield preserving traditions from hundreds of years ago. The sprawling resort of Ocean City on the Atlantic Coast sees the most action, especially during summer when the miles of white beaches and the action-packed boardwalk are crowded with vacationers from around the state.

The inland regions have their own kind of charm with lakes, waterfalls, mountains and valleys, rivers and savage rapids that are a delight for kayakers and white-water rafters. Western Maryland has endless opportunities for the outdoor enthusiast as well as beautiful scenery, from hiking and fishing, to skiing in winter.

Maryland's heritage isn't quite as obvious as Virginia's, with nowhere near as many historical sites, but it boasts plenty of firsts for the United States, including the first Catholic Cathedral, gas-lit street and telegraph line between Baltimore and Washington DC. Kent Island on Maryland's Eastern Shore was the third permanent English settlement (behind Jamestown and Plymouth Rock) in 1631. And during the War of 1812, the British forces attempted a last-ditch effort to wrest back the colonies, in which they burned down much of Washington DC and moved onto the shipyards of Baltimore. In a valiant battle, they were staved off at Fort McHenry ; the fort's resistance inspired an onlooker, Francis Scott Key, to write the words to the United States' national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner .

Maryland's largest city is the busy port of Baltimore , a quirky and engaging metropolis with a revitalized urban waterfront, thriving cultural scene and eclectic neighborhoods that characterize its diverse residents. Western Maryland stretches over a hundred miles to the Appalachian foothills, its rolling farmlands noteworthy chiefly for the Civil War battlefield at Antietam . Just twenty miles south of Baltimore, along the Chesapeake Bay, picturesque Annapolis has served as Maryland's capital since 1694. Some of the state's most worthwhile destinations, from the pretty fishing and yachting town of St Michaels to the untouched wilderness of Assateague Island , are across the Chesapeake Bay on the eastern shore, connected to the rest of the state by the US-50 bridge but otherwise still a world apart - except for the sprawling resort of Ocean City.