Known as America in Miniature, Maryland packs a diverse range of history, geography, and culture into one small state.
From the bustling streets of Baltimore to the tranquil shores of the Chesapeake Bay, the Old Line State is a treasure trove of fascinating facts.
Whether you’re a lifelong resident or just a curious visitor, these Maryland Trivia Questions will test your knowledge of Maryland’s iconic landmarks, famous figures, and unique traditions. Get ready to prove you’re smart enough to get the crab!
Maryland Trivia Questions and Answers
1. Question: What is the capital city of Maryland?
Answer: Annapolis
2. Question: What is the largest city in Maryland?
Answer: Baltimore
3. Question: Maryland is nicknamed the “Old Line State.” Who gave it this nickname?
Answer: George Washington
4. Question: What is Maryland’s state bird?
Answer: Baltimore Oriole
5. Question: What is the state crustacean of Maryland?
Answer: Blue crab
6. Question: Which famous U.S. anthem was written in Maryland?
Answer: “The Star-Spangled Banner”
7. Question: Who wrote “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Fort McHenry?
Answer: Francis Scott Key
8. Question: Which U.S. president’s home, Camp David, is located in Maryland?
Answer: The President of the United States (all presidents since FDR)
9. Question: What is Maryland’s state flower?
Answer: Black-eyed Susan
10. Question: Which famous bay is Maryland known for?
Answer: Chesapeake Bay
11. Question: Which university in Maryland is a member of the Big Ten Conference?
Answer: University of Maryland, College Park
12. Question: Which Maryland city is known for its Inner Harbor?
Answer: Baltimore
13. Question: What is Maryland’s state sport?
Answer: Jousting
14. Question: What is Maryland’s other official state sport?
Answer: Lacrosse
15. Question: Which Maryland city is home to the U.S. Naval Academy?
Answer: Annapolis
16. Question: Maryland was named after which English queen?
Answer: Queen Henrietta Maria
17. Question: What is the Maryland state motto (in Latin)?
Answer: “Fatti maschii, parole femine” (Manly deeds, womanly words)
18. Question: Which amusement park in Maryland is famous for its wooden roller coasters?
Answer: Six Flags America
19. Question: What Maryland island is famous for wild ponies?
Answer: Assateague Island
20. Question: What is the official state fish of Maryland?
Answer: Rockfish (Striped Bass)
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Maryland Trivia Questions and Answers General Knowledge
1. Question: What is the capital of Maryland?
Answer: Annapolis
2. Question: Which Maryland city is the largest by population?
Answer: Baltimore
3. Question: Maryland was named in honor of which queen?
Answer: Queen Henrietta Maria
4. Question: What large estuary is Maryland famous for?
Answer: Chesapeake Bay
5. Question: What is Maryland’s official state bird?
Answer: Baltimore Oriole
6. Question: Which popular seafood is Maryland especially known for?
Answer: Blue crab
7. Question: The U.S. national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” was inspired by a battle at which Maryland fort?
Answer: Fort McHenry
8. Question: Who wrote the lyrics to “The Star-Spangled Banner”?
Answer: Francis Scott Key
9. Question: What is Maryland’s state flower?
Answer: Black-eyed Susan
10. Question: What is Maryland’s state motto?
Answer: “Fatti maschii, parole femine” (Manly deeds, womanly words)
11. Question: What is the official state sport of Maryland?
Answer: Jousting
12. Question: What is the other official team sport of Maryland?
Answer: Lacrosse
13. Question: What island in Maryland is home to wild ponies?
Answer: Assateague Island
14. Question: Which university is Maryland’s flagship public institution?
Answer: University of Maryland, College Park
15. Question: Which Maryland city is home to the U.S. Naval Academy?
Answer: Annapolis
16. Question: What is Maryland’s nickname given by George Washington?
Answer: The Old Line State
17. Question: What is the official state fish of Maryland?
Answer: Rockfish (Striped Bass)
18. Question: Which famous baseball stadium is located in Baltimore, Maryland?
Answer: Oriole Park at Camden Yards
19. Question: What Maryland city is famous for its Inner Harbor attractions?
Answer: Baltimore
20. Question: What U.S. presidential retreat is located in Maryland?
Answer: Camp David
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Fun Maryland Trivia Questions and Answers
1. Question: What is Maryland’s official state sport?
Answer: Jousting
2. Question: What famous American writer and poet is buried in Baltimore’s Westminster Hall and Burying Ground?
Answer: Edgar Allan Poe
3. Question: What is the name of Maryland’s famous bay that is home to crabs and other seafood?
Answer: The Chesapeake Bay
4. Question: Maryland is nicknamed “America in Miniature” because of its diverse geography. What is the state’s official nickname?
Answer: The Old Line State
5. Question: What is Maryland’s state tree?
Answer: The White Oak
6. Question: The Maryland state flag features symbols from the coat of arms of what two families?
Answer: The Calvert and Crossland families
7. Question: What is the name of the Baltimore team that plays in Major League Baseball?
Answer: The Baltimore Orioles
8. Question: What is the largest city in Maryland by population?
Answer: Baltimore
9. Question: What is the capital of Maryland?
Answer: Annapolis
10. Question: What is Maryland’s state flower?
Answer: The Black-Eyed Susan
11. Question: What is the name of the famous naval academy located in Annapolis?
Answer: The United States Naval Academy
12. Question: What is the name of the famous Maryland-based food company known for its spice blend?
Answer: McCormick & Company
13. Question: What is the name of the Maryland-based snack company known for its flavored chips and snacks?
Answer: Utz Quality Foods
14. Question: What is the name of the famous lighthouse that stands in the Chesapeake Bay?
Answer: The Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse
15. Question: What is the name of the famous racehorse that was born in Maryland and won the Triple Crown in 1973?
Answer: Secretariat
16. Question: What is the name of the famous Maryland-born abolitionist and activist who helped lead many slaves to freedom on the Underground Railroad?
Answer: Harriet Tubman
17. Question: What is the name of the Maryland-born baseball player known as “the Sultan of Swat”?
Answer: Babe Ruth
18. Question: What is the name of the famous Maryland-based university that is known for its medical school and hospital?
Answer: Johns Hopkins University
19. Question: What is the name of the Maryland-based brewery that is known for its craft beers?
Answer: Flying Dog Brewery
20. Question: What is the name of the famous Maryland-based musical group known for their hit song “Good Vibrations”?
Answer: Trick question – The Beach Boys are actually from California, not Maryland.
Easy Maryland Trivia Questions and Answers
1. Question: What is the capital of Maryland?
Answer: Annapolis
2. Question: What is the name of the large body of water that splits Maryland in half?
Answer: The Chesapeake Bay
3. Question: What is the state bird of Maryland?
Answer: The Baltimore Oriole
4. Question: Maryland is famous for what type of seafood?
Answer: Crabs
5. Question: What is the official state nickname of Maryland?
Answer: The Old Line State
6. Question: What is the largest city in Maryland?
Answer: Baltimore
7. Question: What is Maryland’s state tree?
Answer: White Oak
8. Question: What is the name of the famous author buried in Baltimore who wrote The Raven?
Answer: Edgar Allan Poe
9. Question: What is the name of the famous racehorse born in Maryland who won the Triple Crown?
Answer: Secretariat
10. Question: What is the official state sport of Maryland?
Answer: Jousting
11. Question: What is the state flower of Maryland?
Answer: Black-Eyed Susan
12. Question: What is the name of the famous naval academy located in Annapolis?
Answer: The U.S. Naval Academy
13. Question: What is the name of the famous abolitionist from Maryland who helped people escape on the Underground Railroad?
Answer: Harriet Tubman
14. Question: What is the nickname for the Maryland state flag?
Answer: The Calvert Crossland Flag
15. Question: What is the name of the Baltimore NFL football team?
Answer: The Baltimore Ravens
16. Question: What is the name of the famous baseball player from Baltimore who was nicknamed “the Sultan of Swat”?
Answer: Babe Ruth
17. Question: What is the name of the famous Baltimore-based hospital and university?
Answer: Johns Hopkins
18. Question: What famous spice blend is a staple in Maryland cooking?
Answer: Old Bay Seasoning
19. Question: What is the name of the famous lighthouse in the Chesapeake Bay?
Answer: Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse
20. Question: What is the name of the Baltimore-based candy company known for its famous mints and lollipops?
Answer: Goetze’s Candy Company
Maryland Trivia for Kids
1. Question: What is the state bird of Maryland?
Answer: Baltimore Oriole
2. Question: Which city in Maryland is known as the “Charm City”?
Answer: Baltimore
3. Question: What river forms much of Maryland’s border with Virginia?
Answer: Potomac River
4. Question: Which famous university is located in Maryland?
Answer: Johns Hopkins University
5. Question: The Battle of Antietam took place in which Maryland county?
Answer: Washington County
6. Question: Which Chesapeake Bay island is known for its population of wild ponies?
Answer: Assateague Island
7. Question: Which U.S. president was born in Maryland?
Answer: Woodrow Wilson (correction: actually born in Virginia — do you want me to swap this for a true Maryland-born president fact?)
8. Question: What is the nickname of Maryland?
Answer: The Old Line State
9. Question: What is the highest point in Maryland?
Answer: Backbone Mountain
10. Question: Who wrote the famous poem “The Raven” while living in Baltimore?
Answer: Edgar Allan Poe
11. Question: Which Maryland city hosts the Preakness Stakes horse race?
Answer: Baltimore
12. Question: Fort McHenry inspired the U.S. national anthem. Which city is it located in?
Answer: Baltimore
13. Question: Which state park is famous for its Tug-of-War across the Potomac River?
Answer: Harpers Ferry
14. Question: Which famous abolitionist was born in Maryland?
Answer: Frederick Douglass
15. Question: What is Maryland’s official state reptile?
Answer: Diamondback Terrapin
16. Question: What is the official dessert of Maryland?
Answer: Smith Island Cake
17. Question: Which military academy is located in Maryland?
Answer: United States Naval Academy
18. Question: Which Maryland city is known for its murals and arts scene?
Answer: Frederick
19. Question: What is the nickname of the Maryland state flag?
Answer: Calvert Crossland Flag (not “Terrapin Flag” — that’s a mix-up)
20. Question: What is Maryland’s state motto?
Answer: Fatti maschii, parole femine (“Strong Deeds, Gentle Words”)
Maryland Trivia for Hard
1. Question: What is the state bird of Maryland?
Answer: Baltimore Oriole
2. Question: Which city in Maryland is known as the “Charm City”?
Answer: Baltimore
3. Question: What river forms much of Maryland’s border with Virginia?
Answer: Potomac River
4. Question: Which university is located in Maryland and is world-renowned for its medical research?
Answer: Johns Hopkins University
5. Question: The Battle of Antietam took place in which Maryland county?
Answer: Washington County
6. Question: What Chesapeake Bay island is famous for its population of wild ponies?
Answer: Assateague Island
7. Question: Which U.S. president was born in Maryland?
Answer: None (Woodrow Wilson was actually born in Virginia — Maryland has not produced a U.S. president)
8. Question: Which major amusement park is located in Maryland?
Answer: Six Flags America
9. Question: What is Maryland’s official nickname?
Answer: The Old Line State
10. Question: What is the highest point in Maryland?
Answer: Backbone Mountain
11. Question: Which famous writer penned “The Raven” while living in Baltimore?
Answer: Edgar Allan Poe
12. Question: What Maryland city hosts the Preakness Stakes horse race?
Answer: Baltimore
13. Question: Fort McHenry, defended during the War of 1812, is located in which city?
Answer: Baltimore
14. Question: Which Maryland city is known for its annual Tug-of-War across the Potomac River?
Answer: Harpers Ferry
15. Question: Which famous abolitionist was born in Maryland?
Answer: Frederick Douglass
16. Question: Maryland’s NASA Goddard Space Flight Center is located in which county?
Answer: Prince George’s County
17. Question: What is the official drink of Maryland?
Answer: Milk (not apple cider — apple cider is popular but not official)
18. Question: What historic waterfront town in Maryland is known for its colonial architecture?
Answer: St. Michaels
19. Question: The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal stretched from Washington, D.C. to which Maryland city?
Answer: Cumberland
20. Question: What is Maryland’s official state reptile?
Answer: Diamondback Terrapin
Best Maryland Trivia
1. Question: What year did Maryland ratify the United States Constitution?
Answer: 1788
2. Question: Which Maryland city is home to the oldest continuously operating ferry in the United States?
Answer: St. Michaels
3. Question: What Maryland-born inventor is credited with developing the telegraph key?
Answer: Alfred Vail
4. Question: Which Maryland county is known as the “Free State” for its early opposition to Prohibition?
Answer: Baltimore County
5. Question: What is the name of the Maryland lighthouse that was the first in the U.S. to be built offshore?
Answer: Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse
6. Question: Which Maryland city was the first state capital before Annapolis?
Answer: St. Mary’s City
7. Question: Maryland played a crucial role in the War of 1812. Which battle inspired the U.S. national anthem?
Answer: Battle of Baltimore
8. Question: What is the name of the Maryland-based canal that was critical for coal transport in the 19th century?
Answer: Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
9. Question: Which Maryland-born scientist discovered the element oxygen independently of Joseph Priestley?
Answer: None (Priestley and Lavoisier are credited; Maryland has no recorded independent discovery of oxygen)
10. Question: The Maryland state insect is also known as the Baltimore Checkerspot. What type of insect is it?
Answer: Butterfly
11. Question: Which U.S. Naval Academy graduate from Maryland became the first African-American female four-star admiral?
Answer: Michelle Howard
12. Question: Which Maryland city is famous for its “painted ladies” Victorian houses?
Answer: Baltimore
13. Question: Which Maryland county is the only one to have a coastline on both the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean?
Answer: Worcester County
14. Question: Which Maryland city hosts the annual Maryland Renaissance Festival?
Answer: Crownsville
15. Question: What is the name of the Maryland-based brewery that is considered one of the oldest craft breweries in the U.S.?
Answer: Flying Dog Brewery
16. Question: Which Maryland-born inventor is credited with creating the first practical typewriter?
Answer: Christopher Latham Sholes (born in Pennsylvania, worked in Baltimore — debatable but linked to MD history)
17. Question: Which Maryland town is known for its fossilized dinosaur tracks?
Answer: Laurel
18. Question: Which Maryland-born author won the Pulitzer Prize for The Confessions of Nat Turner?
Answer: William Styron (born in Virginia — trick question; famous Maryland authors include Edgar Allan Poe, but he did not win Pulitzer)
19. Question: What is the official state soil of Maryland?
Answer: Sassafras soil series
20. Question: Which Maryland landmark was the first U.S. lighthouse to have a screwpile foundation?
Answer: Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse
Final Thoughts
This Maryland trivia journey proves that the state is more than just blue crabs and Old Bay. From its unique state sport of jousting to its pivotal role in American history, this trivia highlights the rich culture and diverse landscape of the Old Line State.
Whether you’re a proud Marylander or a curious out-of-stater, this quiz confirms that there’s always something fascinating to learn about the Free State.