Flag of Maryland

The official flag of the state of Maryland consists of the heraldic banner of George Calvert, Lord Baltimore (1579–1632). The flag was officially adopted by the Maryland General Assembly in 1904.

Design

The black and gold design on the flag is the coat of arms from the Calvert line. It was granted to George Calvert as a reward for his storming a fortification during a battle (the vertical bars approximate the bars of the palisade). The red and white design is the coat of arms of the Crossland line, the family of Lord Baltimore's mother, and features a cross bottony with the red and white sides of the cross alternating. Since George Calvert's mother was an heiress, he was entitled to use both coats of arms in his banner. It is one of only four U.S. state flags that does not contain the color blue (the other three being Alabama, California, and New Mexico). It is also the only US state flag to be directly based on English heraldry.

The heraldic blazon is: Quarterly, 1st and 4th, paly of six Or and Sable, a bend counterchanged (for Calvert); 2nd and 3rd, quarterly argent and gules, a cross bottony counterchanged (for Crossland).

Maryland

Maryland ⁱ/ˈmɛrᵻlənd/ is a state located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C. to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east. The state's largest city is Baltimore, and its capital is Annapolis. It has three occasionally used nicknames: the Old Line State, the Free State, and the Chesapeake Bay State.

One of the original Thirteen Colonies, Maryland is considered to be the birthplace of religious freedom in America, when it was formed in the early 17th century as an intended refuge for persecuted Catholics from England by George Calvert. George Calvert was the first Lord Baltimore and the first English proprietor of the then-Maryland colonial grant. Maryland was the seventh state to ratify the United States Constitution.

Maryland is one of the smallest states in terms of area, as well as one of the most densely populated states with nearly 6 million residents. With its close proximity to Washington, D.C., and a highly diversified economy spanning manufacturing, services, and biotechnology, Maryland has the highest median household income of any state.