Hawaii

I have been to Hawaii once and I enjoyed the tropical weather that they have.
 

Geology of Maryland

There are six distinct provinces of Maryland: 
The Atlantic Continental Shelf Province
The Coastal Plain Province
The Piedmont Plateau Province
The Blue Ridge Province
The Ridge and Valley Province T
he Appalachian Plateaus Provinces.


 http://www.mgs.md.gov/esic/brochures/mdgeology.html

The North Pacific Coast

The North Pacific Coast area stretches from northern California to southern Alaska. 
This area has many beautiful landscapes.


 
Giant redwood trees can be found in Oregon.


One of the oldest railroads and first common carrier railroad was the Baltimore and Ohio railroad.


 
Baltimore and Ohio railroad in West Virginia, 1949



http://www.mdvaden.com/grove_of_titans.shtml

California

Demographics of Maryland (csv)
By race	White	Black	AIAN*	Asian	NHPI*
2000 (total population)	66.99%	29.02%	0.76%	4.53%	0.12%
2000 (Hispanic only)	3.73%	0.51%	0.10%	0.06%	0.02%
2005 (total population)	65.29%	30.16%	0.76%	5.30%	0.13%
2005 (Hispanic only)	5.01%	0.61%	0.12%	0.09%	0.03%
Growth 2000–05 (total population)	3.06%	9.89%	5.73%	23.72%	16.27%
Growth 2000–05 (non-Hispanic only)	0.76%	9.57%	2.48%	23.38%	13.02%
Growth 2000–05 (Hispanic only)	42.16%	27.78%	27.26%	48.06%	32.49%
* AIAN is American Indian or Alaskan Native; NHPI is Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

The demographics of Maryland show a diverse population.  German, Irish, English, Italian and unspecified American are the reported ancestries in Maryland.  In Baltimore and the southern Eastern Shore, there is a large population of African American.  People with British ancestry are found in the Eastern Shore and Sothern Maryland.  German American populations are found in the western and northern parts of Maryland.  Italians and Poles are also established in the large city of Baltimore.  Asian American populations are living in Montgomery County and Hispanics are in East Baltimore.  In addition, there is the Amish/Mennonite communities can be found in St. Mary's and Garett counties.












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The Southwest Border Area

The Southwest border areas are quite close in geography when it comes to low and high income societies due to the US-Mexico boder. 

 

The location of economic activity in Maryland is important and the activities are mostly in the tertiary service sector.  The Port of Baltimore provides transportation as one of the key service activities in Maryland.  The Port offers trucking admission, rail transport and there are quite a few different imported vehicles that come into the port.

Some of the most important imports of raw materials and bulk include iron ore, petroleum, sugar, and fertilizers.    

Another service activity in Maryland is the closeness of the government in Washington D.C.  The Baltimore/Washington area provides bio-research laboratories and there are a number of educational and medical reasearch facilities.


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The Empty Interior

Plant life in the distinctive east coast states are rich and plentiful.  Maryland's annual percipitation helps with the growth of smaller plants such as seagrass and different types of reeds.  The growth of enormous trees is also dependant on the annual percipitation. 


The Wye Oak tree is Maryland's honarary state tree and was the largest white oak tree in the United States.  The Wye Oak tree was destroyed during a thunderstorm in June of 2002.  It was assumed that the tree was over 460 years old when it was ruined. 

Numerous types of foreign species are grown in the warmer parts of Maryland.  Some of these species include:

 Crape Myrtle

 Italian Cypress

 Live Oak

   There is a rare population of wild horses that can be found on Assateague island which is located off the eastern coast of Maryland.

  The diamondback terrapin is the leading reptile and amphibian inhabitants.

  The Baltimore Oriole is the state bird of Maryland.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maryland

The Agricultural Core/ The Great Plains and Prairies

The Agricultural Core overlaps with the Manufacturing Core.

Some important facts about Maryland:

-About 40 percent of land is used for farming
-Agriculture is the largest commercial industry in the state
- Farmland is located in the north central part of Maryland as well as the upper Eastern Shore
-Department of Agriculture is in charge of marketing, animal industries and consumer services
-Maryland employs 350,000 in the agricultural industry
-The dairy and livestock industries are also very important to the state's agriculture
-Maryland has a variety of topography
-The east of Maryland has sandy dunes
-The west of Maryland has pine groves in the mountains
-Close to the bay there low marshlands
-The Piedmont Region has oak forests
-The state's nickname is America in Miniature





http://www.agclassroom.org/kids/stats/maryland.pdf

The Southern Coastlands

 Some of the specialty crops that are grown in the Southern Coastlands are rice, sugarcane and citrus fruits.  The average growing season in this region is over 10 months. 

Both Maryland and the Southern Coastlands fall under the humid, subtropical climate

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Agriculture in Maryland is part of the state's largest commercial industry.  Some of the top industries in Maryland are poultry, tobacco and fishing.  In addition to these industries, dairy and livestock are equally important.

**Major crops in Maryland
       -soybeans
       -corn
       -wheat
       -hay
       -melons
       -beans
       -tomatoes
       -apples
       -peaches
       -stawberries

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The Changing South

Baltimore has a rich history and it is displayed through the beautifully designed architecturally buildings over each time period.  There are many important buildings that display a different style throughout the city



In the Mt. Vernon neighborhood of Baltimore lies the Washington Monument. 




The Legg Mason Building was built in 1973 and is the tallest building in Baltimore with a height of 529 feet.



The Emerson Bromo-Seltzer Tower  was built in 1911 and was the tallest building in Baltimore from 1911-1923.

Appalachia and the Ozarks

The Appalachian Mountains' served as a barrier during early European settlement.Since there are many steep slopes, it affects the use of the land.  The location of the Appalachian show narrow mountain valleys that are not really connected to roads or highways.     

The location of the Appalachian Mountains' will most likely affect Megalopolis in the future because of transportation routes.

Read more: http://www.america.gov/st/diversity-english/2008/May/20080614182950eaifas0.4753839.html#ixzz12gOrtdFq

http://www.america.gov/st/diversity-english/2008/May/20080614182950eaifas0.4753839.html

The Bypassed East

When comparing the climate of Baltimore to the Bypassed East:

Baltimore                                                                                                      
Hot humid summers
Cool winters
Coldest month's temperature between −3 °C  and 18 °C      
Warmest month above 22 °C (71.6 °F);

The Bypassed East
Often cold
Usually damp
Seldom hot

 The Bypassed East has a weather system where continental, polar, and maritime weather systems meet while Baltimore has humid sutropical climates.

http://www.america.gov/st/diversity-english/2008/May/20080614182349eaifas0.735882.html#ixzz12gFwDluJ

http://www.idcide.com/citydata/md/baltimore.htm

North American Manufacturing Core

                                                                      Some of the chief  exports of Baltimore are coal, corn, soybeans, lignite, coal coke, petroleum, and fuel oils.  Baltimore is also a distributor of imported wood, paper, and pulp.

Baltimore and one other U.S. port  have a main shipping channel which the depth is 50 feet.  In addition, there are 12 private terminals and 5 public terminnals that take care of the Port's traffic.

 
Baltimore was once an industrial town which focused on steel processing, shipping, auto manufacturing, and transportation.  Over a period of time the city was hit with deindustrialization.  Today Baltimore has some industry but it also has service economy that is modern.  This service economy aides in financial growth of business and heath service. the city suffered a deindustrialization which cost residents tens of thousands of low-skill, high-wage jobs.

Economic development in Baltimore affects Maryland.  The Port of Baltimore generates $3.2 billion in annual revenue and purchases.  There are also over 50 ocean carriers that the Port of Baltimore serves.




 http://www.msa.md.gov/msa/mdmanual/24dot/html/dotf.html#port

Megalopolis

The term Megalopolis means "very large city."  It is a chain of metropolitan areas and Baltimore falls into this region.  As mentioned in the book, Megalopolis gradually formed on the northeastern coast and consists of independent metropolitan areas like Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington D.C.  Quality harbors are essential for Megaloposis one of the areas with the most visits in the city of Baltimore is the Inner Harbor.  In the 1700's the Inner Harbor was considered to be one of the major seaports in Baltimore and has since devoloped to be the cultural center of Baltimore since the 1970's.




http://baltimore.org/about-baltimore/inner-harborhttp://www.america.gov/st/diversity-english/2008/May/20080614181129eaifas0.3639185.html

Foundations of Human Activity

Maryland was settled in the early 1600's and Baltimore was established as a town in 1729.  The town was named Baltimore after Lord Baltimore. 
It is Maryland's most populated city and has major industries as well as commericail activities.  Baltimore is a major city for scientific research development. This city is national headquarters to advanced medical treatment which includes two teaching hospitals.
The city's top industry is shipbuilding, sugar, and food processing.  Baltimore's exports are coal, grain, iron, steel, and copper. 



                             

Physical Environment

The climate in Baltimore is humid subtropical with July being the hottest month of the year and January being the coldest month.  During the summer Baltimore has high humidity, but there is precipitation throughout the year.  The average percipitation per month is 3- 4 inches.  Showers and thunderstorms happen through the spring summer and fall  In one year, Baltimore can see up to 105 sunny days.  During the winter, it is common for there to be lighter showers but for a longer period of time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltimore,_Maryland

Regions and Themes

Baltimore is located in north-central Maryland and is the largest city in Maryland.  It is divided into lower city and upper city due do the location of the fall line between Piedmont Plateau and the Alantic Coastal Plain.  According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 92.1 square miles (239 km²), of which, 80.8 square miles (209 km²) of it is land and 11.3 square miles (29 km²) of it is water. The total area is 12.24 percent water.

Baltimore is made up of nine geographical regions: Northern, Northwestern, Northeastern, Western, Central, Eastern, Southern, Southwestern, and Southeastern.  Although it is divided into nine regions, most locals tend to divide the city by North and South or East and West.



www.city-data.com/city/Baltimore-​Maryland.html

My Next Road Trip!

I chose Baltimore because my son thought that it would be a great place for us to visit on our next road trip!