Delmarva Paninsula

The Delmarva Peninsula is about 290 km (180 miles) long and separates Chesapeake Bay on the west from Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean on the east. The peninsula was named for the states of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia that are all partly located on it.

The western coast of the peninsula is indented and marshy and largely comprises Maryland's Eastern Shore. The Eastern, or Atlantic shore is more regular. It boasts sandy beaches and offshore bars. The Chesapeake and Delaware Canal cuts across the narrower northern part of the Delmarva Peninsula. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge links Delmarva to western Maryland near Annapolis. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel links Cape Charles at the southern tip of the peninsula with Norfolk, both in Verginia.

Dover, in Delaware and Salisbury, in Maryland, are the largest cities on the peninsula. Assateague Island is a national seashore. It lies off the peninsula's east-central coast. South of that island is Chincoteague Island, which is famous for its auction of wild ponies that are rounded up each summer on Assateague. Poultry raising, truck farming, fishing and tourism are major industries in the Delmarva region.

The Delmarva Peninsula is 80 km east from Washington D.C.