In Maryland, the diversity of natural resources is greater than in most other states. Its position on the Atlantic seaboard, its 2,319 square miles of inland waterways including the Chesapeake Bay, and its wide range of soils, topography, and climate support a wide variety of plants, mammals, insects, and reptiles.
Many species reach their northern, southern, western, or eastern limits of distribution in Maryland.
This diversity has earned Maryland its nickname-America in Miniature. Maryland spans 262 miles from the Atlantic Ocean to the northwest corner of the State. The State ranks 42nd in size with about 6.3 million acres. It is believed that nearly all of Maryland was forested when Lord Calvert arrived and founded St. Mary's City in 1634. There has been a dramatic chanage in forest cover from 1634 to 1992.