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The Eastern Shore of Maryland is composed of the state's nine counties east of Chesapeake Bay. The counties are:
Although the Eastern Shore comprises more than a third of Maryland's land area, only about 7% of Maryland's population lives on the Eastern Shore.
The main economic activities on the Eastern Shore are farming, seafood, and services related to tourism. Ocean City is the main resort destination on the Eastern Shore.
The Eastern Shore has always been a distinctive region, and has often attempted to split off from the state of Maryland. Proposals have been debated in the Maryland General Assembly in 1833-1835, 1852 and recently in 1999 for the Eastern Shore joining Delaware or becoming its own state.
Transportation across Chesapeake Bay was by ferries until 1952, when the William Preston Lane, Jr. Memorial Bridge was opened for traffic. The Bridge spans 4.35 miles of the Chesapeake Bay and is the longest continuous over-water steel structure.
The advent of easy transportation and tourism to the Eastern Shore did much to erode its distinctive culture and its many accents that date to the 17th and 18th centuries.
See also: Eastern Shore of Virginia
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