Delmarva

Delmarva (delmär'vu) [key], peninsula, c.180 mi (290 km) long, separating Chesapeake Bay on the west from Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean on the east; named for the three states (Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia) located in part on it. The western coast of the peninsula (largely comprising Maryland's Eastern Shore) is indented and marshy; the eastern (Atlantic) shore is more regular, with sandy beaches and offshore bars. The Chesapeake and Delaware Canal cuts across Delmarva's narrow neck. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge links Delmarva to W Maryland near Annapolis, and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel links Cape Charles, Va., the southern tip of the peninsula, with Norfolk, Va. Poultry raising, truck farming, fishing, and tourism are major Delmarva industries. Dover, Del., and Salisbury, Md., are the chief cities. Assateague Island, a national seashore, is off the east-central coast; to its south is Chincoteague Island, famous for its auction of wild ponies rounded up each summer on Assateague.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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