Chesapeake Bay Map
Chesapeake Bay is a bay of about 11,600 km² (4,480 sq mi), bordered by the United States. This map shows Chesapeake Bay highlighted in blue on shaded relief, with the surrounding coasts, rivers, borders and major cities.
How to read this map
Chesapeake Bay covers about 11,600 km² (4,480 sq mi). Countries with a coast on Chesapeake Bay: the United States.
The blue outline marks Chesapeake Bay as mapped by Natural Earth. Towns and cities on the map include Philadelphia, Baltimore, Virginia Beach, Raleigh, Norfolk, Richmond, Harrisburg and Allentown. Labeled states and countries: Virginia, Washington, Maryland and Delaware.
Greens show lower elevations; tan and brown show higher land, with pale tones toward the highest terrain. Shadows emphasize the slopes, and vertical relief is exaggerated so landforms are easier to read. Dashed lines show country borders, and fine dashed lines show state or province borders.
The relief uses Terrain Tiles (SRTM, GMTED2010 and ETOPO1 elevation data). Rivers, lakes, borders and the outline of Chesapeake Bay come from Natural Earth, and the figures on this page from Wikidata. Natural Earth draws features at a small scale, so the outline is a guide to where Chesapeake Bay is, not a surveyed boundary.
Blank physical map
The blank version keeps the mapped features and removes the place labels. Download it for a geography worksheet or practice identifying the features.
Chesapeake Bay facts
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Length | 320 km (199 mi) |
| Area | 11,600 km² (4,480 sq mi) |
| Source | the Susquehanna River |
| Mouth | the Atlantic Ocean |
| Coastal countries | the United States |
| US states | Maryland and Virginia |
| Tributaries | Potomac River, James River, Patuxent River, Choptank River, Rappahannock River, York River, Nanticoke River, Patapsco River, Severn River and Back River |
Data sources and license
- Natural Earth (public-domain geography): Public domain.
- Terrain Tiles / Mapzen (SRTM, GMTED2010, ETOPO1): Open elevation data; source attribution retained.
- Wikidata (lengths, areas, countries and other facts): CC0 1.0.
Map design and rendered images: Atlas of Maps, CC BY 4.0. Source databases retain their own licenses; the map license does not replace them.
Maps of the coastal countries: United States. Compare with the map of the five oceans.
Frequently asked questions
How big is Chesapeake Bay?
Chesapeake Bay covers about 11,600 km² (4,480 sq mi).
Which countries border Chesapeake Bay?
the United States.
Can I download a blank map of Chesapeake Bay?
Yes. The blank version keeps the relief, rivers and borders and the highlighted sea but removes the place names. Both versions are free to download as PNG and as an A4 PDF.
Use this map
You can download, print and share this map for free, in class, in school projects, in presentations and on websites, as long as you credit the source: Chesapeake Bay Map · Atlas of Maps (atlasofmaps.com), license CC BY 4.0.
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