Delmarva

Delmarva , peninsula, c.180 mi (290 km) long, separating Chesapeake Bay on the west from Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean on the east; named for the three states (Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia) located in part on it. The western coast of the peninsula (largely comprising Maryland's Eastern Shore) is indented and marshy; the eastern (Atlantic) shore is more regular, with sandy beaches and offshore bars. The Chesapeake and Delaware Canal cuts across Delmarva's narrow neck. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge links Delmarva to W Maryland near Annapolis, and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel links Cape Charles, Va., the southern tip of the peninsula, with Norfolk, Va. Poultry raising, truck farming, fishing, and tourism are major Delmarva industries. Dover , Del., and Salisbury , Md., are the chief cities. Assateague Island, a national seashore, is off the east-central coast; to its south is Chincoteague Island, famous for its auction of wild ponies rounded up each summer on Assateague.