Great Big Canvas images exemplify why Maryland is a playground for adventurers, historians, vacationers, history-buffs, and beachcombers. It is often called "America in Miniature" because of its diverse landscape and scenery-sandy dunes, low marshlands, sea grass, the Chesapeake Bay, the forested piedmont area, and its western pine groves. Maryland's tidal wetlands constitute the largest freshwater estuary in the world.
Its Eastern shoreline is a vacation paradise with outstanding beaches and seafood restaurants. The central region is densely populated and is home to Baltimore, the state's largest city, and Annapolis, its capital. With the nation's capital so close, Maryland showcases its heritage as part of the Chesapeake Bay Colonies (along with Virginia).
Maryland is the wealthiest state in America (median household income is US$65,144). It is host to many agencies and institutions like Johns Hopkins University, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Food and Drug Administration, the Food and Drug Administration, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
