Bay near Annapolis, Maryland. Sailboats in
the distance compete in a race. Sailing in
the bay is a popular recreational activity.
Facts About
MARYLAND
Flag
Population
(2000 census)
5,296,486—
rank, 19th state;
(2008 estimate)
5,633,597—
rank, 19th state
Capital
Annapolis
Area
12,407 sq mi
(32,133 sq km)—
rank, 42nd state
Statehood
April 28, 1788
Motto
Fatti Maschii,
Parole Femine
(Manly Deeds,
Womanly Words)
State bird
Baltimore oriole
State flower
Black-eyed Susan
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Maryland 69
Maseru
Population
(2004
estimate), urban
area, 178,300
Maseru is the capital of Lesotho, a country
in southern Africa. It is the country’s
only large city. It lies on the Caledon
River.
Maseru is a center of transportation. A
short railway connects the city with
South Africa’s railroad network. In addition,
farmers from the surrounding area
sell their crops in the city.
In the 1800s a people called the Sotho
took control of what is now Lesotho.
The chief of the Sotho, named Moshoeshoe,
founded Maseru in 1869. Great
Britain made the area a colony in 1871.
Maseru was the colony’s capital. In 1966
Lesotho became an independent country
with Maseru as its capital. Since then
the city has grown rapidly.
..More to explore
Lesotho
Massachuset
The Massachuset were Native Americans
who lived along the coast of what is now
the U.S. state of Massachusetts. The
state was named after the tribe.
The Massachuset lived in bark-covered
homes called wigwams.Wigwams were
large enough for several families. The
Massachuset grew corn, beans, and
squash. They also fished and hunted
deer and other animals.
In 1605 French explorers arrived in
Massachuset territory. The tribe welcomed
the traders who followed. But
many of the Massachuset died from
smallpox and other diseases brought by
the Europeans.
In 1646 an English pastor named John
Eliot came to live with the Massachuset.
He convinced many tribe members to
become Christians. The Christian Massachuset
moved to villages with Christian
Indians from other tribes. The
Indians in these villages became known
as Praying Indians. The most important
of the villages was Natick, near Boston.
In 1675 neighboring tribes declared war
on English settlers who were taking their
lands. This war became known as King
Philip’sWar. During the war neither
side trusted the Praying Indians. The
English raided the Praying Indians’ villages
and took some Massachuset captive.
They sold some of the captives as
slaves.
The surviving Massachuset scattered.
Many found homes among other Indian
tribes. By the 1800s the Massachuset no
longer existed as a separate tribe.
..More to explore
King Philip’sWar • Native Americans
A
Massachusetlanguage
Bible was the
first Bible ever
printed in
what is now
the United
States. It was
completed in
1663.
70 Maseru BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
Massachusetts
The U.S. state of Massachusetts got its
name from the region’s local Native
Americans, the Massachuset tribe. They
lived in the Great Blue Hill region in the
southeastern part of the state. The
Native American words that make up
the name Massachuset are thought to
mean “at or about the great hill.” Massachusetts
is nicknamed the Bay State
because early settlers made their home
along Cape Cod Bay. The state capital is
the historic city of Boston.
Geography
Massachusetts is located in the northeastern
United States in a region known
as New England. The state is bordered
on the north by New Hampshire and
Vermont. New York is on the western
border of Massachusetts. Massachusetts
shares its southern border with Connecticut
and Rhode Island. The Atlantic
Ocean shapes the state’s eastern border.
Cape Cod is in the southeastern part of
the state. It is a large peninsula that juts
into the Atlantic Ocean. Several islands
are also part of Massachusetts: Martha’s
Vineyard, the Elizabeth Islands, and
Nantucket.
Massachusetts has several natural
regions. It rises from a coastal plain and
lowland in the east to a raised, flat plateau
region in the center of the state.
The Berkshire Hills region is in western
Massachusetts.
People
Whites of European heritage
account for about four fifths of the
state’s population. The earliest European
settlers in what is now Massachusetts
were the English who arrived in the early
1600s. During the mid-1800s the Irish
arrived. They fled from Ireland in order
to escape the poverty and hunger of the
Irish potato famine. Later Italians, Portuguese,
Scandinavians, Poles, and others
came to the state.
Hispanic Americans now make up the
largest minority group in Massachusetts.
Puerto Ricans represent about half of
the Hispanic population in Massachusetts.
African Americans and Asians are
the next largest minorities.
Economy
A significant part of the economy in
Massachusetts is devoted to the research
and development of new technology.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Massachusetts 71
Many high-technology companies are
located in the Boston area.
Service industries such as education and
tourism are also important to the
economy. Massachusetts is famous for its
excellent colleges and universities. These
include the Massachusetts Institute of
