![[photo, Skipjack H. M. Krentz on Miles River, St. Michaels, Maryland]](/msa/mdmanual/37mun/stmichaels/images/1198-1-1009.jpg)
Bays |
Lighthouses |
Canals |
Port of Baltimore |
Creeks |
Rivers |
Lakes |
Waterfalls |
Skipjack H. M. Krentz on Miles River, St. Michaels, Maryland, February 2005. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.
![[photo, Dragon pedal boats, Inner Harbor, Baltimore, Maryland]](/msa/mdmanual/36loc/bcity/images/1198-1-4306.jpg)
![[photo, Sailboats at City Dock (State House dome in background), Annapolis, Maryland]](/msa/mdmanual/26excom/images/i005004a.jpg)
Maryland is defined as much by its waterways as by the geographic boundaries of its land. Most important is the Chesapeake Bay around which land joins into the Eastern Shore and Western Shore of Maryland.
The extensive coastline that edges the Atlantic Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay is riddled with rivers, bays, and creeks that merge with other Bay tributaries. It is the fourth longest tidal coastline in the continental United States.
Sailboats at City Dock (State House dome in background), Annapolis, Maryland, June 2000. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.
![[photo, Boat rack along St. Mary's River, St. Mary's City, Maryland]](/msa/mdmanual/25univ/stmarys/images/1198-1-3962.jpg)
The waterways of Maryland are of particular concern to the Critical Area Commission for the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays. In conjunction with local governments, the Commission seeks to protect the "critical areas" around the Chesapeake Bay, and the Atlantic coastal bays of Assawoman, Isle of Wight, Sinepuxent, Newport, and Chincoteague.
Water quality standards for the Chesapeake Bay and other State waters are set and maintained by the Science Services Administration of the Department of the Environment.
Boat rack along St. Mary's River, St. Mary's City, Maryland, May 2009. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.
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