Delmarva, peninsula, E Va., E Md., central and S Del., c.180 mi/290 km long, separating Chesapeake Bay on the W from Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean on the E; 38°30'N 75°30'W. Name derived from abbreviations of 3 states that comprise it (Del., Md., and Va.). Referred to in Md. and Va. as the Eastern Shore (of Chesapeake Bay). The W coast of the peninsula is jagged and marshy, deeply indented by river estuaries, branches of Chesapeake Bay. The E shore has a relatively even coastline, with beaches and barrier isls. with backwater bays. The Chesapeake and Delaware Canal (part of Intracoastal Waterway) crosses the Delmarva’s narrow neck (16 mi/26 km base); 12 mi/19 km SSW of Wilmington, Del. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge–Tunnel links Cape Charles, Va., at the S tip of the peninsula, with Norfolk, Va. Poultry raising, fruit and vegetable farming, fishing, and tourism are major industries. Dover, Del., and Salisbury, Md., are the main cities of the peninsula. On the Delmarva’s E shore is Assateague Isl. Natl. Seashore (Md., Va.) and Chincoteague Natl. Wildlife Refuge, both famous for wild horses.
