Which U.S. peninsula spans Delaware, Maryland and Virginia around Chesapeake Bay?

The Delmarva Peninsula is the U.S. peninsula spanning Delaware, Maryland and Virginia around Chesapeake Bay.

Its name combines the first syllables of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. Chesapeake Bay lies to its west, while Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean border much of its eastern side. The peninsula is mostly low and coastal, with sandy soils, tidal wetlands, farms and barrier-island beaches.

Nearly all of Delaware is on Delmarva, as are Maryland’s Eastern Shore counties and two Virginia counties. The peninsula’s southern tip is separated from the mainland by the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal in a broad geographic sense, although the canal is artificial and does not define the peninsula’s original natural form. Important places include Dover, Salisbury and Virginia’s Eastern Shore communities.