The state of Maryland was named for Queen Henrietta Maria, who was the wife of King Charles I of England.
In 1632 King Charles granted the land that was to become Maryland to Cecilius Calvert, and he and his descendants ran the colony for many years.
Calvert, a Roman Catholic, wanted to establish a colony where Catholics from England could worship without persecution.
Maryland is located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia to its south and west.
Maryland was the seventh state to ratify the United States Constitution, and is nicknamed the Free State.
