Blank Delaware map

What the outline shows

The map draws Delaware's boundary alone. The north edge with Pennsylvania is a curve: an arc of a circle centred on the courthouse in New Castle, twelve miles in radius. The west edge with Maryland is a straight line running due south, the eastern leg of the Mason–Dixon survey. The short south edge is another straight line to the Atlantic. The east side is the shore of the Delaware River, Delaware Bay and, at the bottom, about 25 miles of open ocean coast. Inside the outline nothing is drawn; press Capital to place Dover near the centre of the state and Abbreviation to stamp "DE". The whole state fits on one sheet with room to spare, so the print is at a large scale.

Portrait or landscape

Delaware is about 100 miles from the top of the arc to the southern border and only about 30 miles wide at the bottom, narrowing to less than ten miles near Wilmington. Print in portrait. Landscape would reduce the state to a thin sliver across the middle of the page. Even in portrait there is generous space on either side, useful for labels pointing to the three counties or the towns along the bay. The circular arc is short and can look like a straight line if the print is small; the portrait print keeps it clearly curved.

Five classroom exercises

1. Draw the three counties, New Castle, Kent and Sussex, from north to south, and mark the seats: Wilmington, Dover and Georgetown.
2. Trace the Delaware River and Bay along the east side and mark where the river becomes the bay, near the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal.
3. Draw the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal across the top of the state, linking Delaware Bay to the Chesapeake, and note it cuts the state's northern tip off from the rest by water.
4. Mark Cape Henlopen at the mouth of the bay and Fenwick Island at the Maryland line, then draw the short Atlantic coast between them.
5. Explain the Twelve-Mile Circle: draw its centre at New Castle and show how the northern border is part of that circle.

How to recognise the Delaware outline

• A tall, narrow shape, wider at the bottom than the top, like a tooth or a stalactite.
• A curved top edge, the only arc border in the country.
• A dead-straight left side, part of the Mason–Dixon Line.
• The right side widens out as the river opens into Delaware Bay.

Answer key and related maps

• Delaware map — the labeled version with capital, cities and borders; use it as the answer key.
• Printable Delaware map — the same outline with cities, county lines and the capital printed on.
• Delaware county map — all 3 counties with their seats.
• Dover — the capital, in Kent County.
• Neighbours: Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland blank maps.
• Mason–Dixon Line and Mid-Atlantic region map.
• All blank state maps and the printable US maps index.