Maryland/DC Map

The Maryland-District of Columbia map is the only (NR) map that includes flags.  The map itself was designed after five western counties in Maryland pursued secession in 2013.  Even though the five counties were the initial target for a split, research showed that RED counties up and down the Chesapeake Bay deserved to be split off, too.   If the state was to separate, it only made sense to help the District of Columbia finally become a state of its own.  By combining the Greater Baltimore area and a number of Maryland BLUE counties heading south to Virginia, a District of Columbia map starts to take shape.  Unfortunately, land mass remained a concern.   (NR) solved the land mass problem by adding some Virginia counties just south of the Capital.  The District of Columbia as shown on the (NR) map demands attention, as does the new state boundaries of Maryland.

Note:  (NR) used Wyoming, the least populated state in the Union, as the benchmark for a minimum state population.  In 2017 the population of Wyoming was 579,315. The five western counties in Maryland had close to 600,000 in 2013 according to news sources, but lacked sufficient land mass to afford a diverse economy.  As a rule, for any (NR) STATE to be considered for a split, the NEW state needs a combined population of at least 570,000, sufficient land mass, and a sustainable-diverse economy.