Delaware is a first-level division of United States, in North America. Its mapped cities centre on 39.4522° N, 75.5358° W.

What is the largest city in Delaware?

Wilmington is the largest city mapped in Delaware, with a metropolitan population of about 161,560.

How many cities are in Delaware?

YearMaps maps 2 cities and towns in Delaware, with a combined metropolitan population of about 237,599. This counts mapped settlements, not every municipality.

Delaware Map — Cities & Geography, United States

Interactive Map of Delaware

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About Delaware

Delaware ( DEL-ə-wair) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey to its northeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state's name derives from the adjacent Delaware Bay, which in turn was named after Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, an English nobleman and the Colony of Virginia's first colonial-era governor.

Delaware occupies the northeastern portion of the Delmarva Peninsula, and some islands and territory within the Delaware River. It is the second-smallest and sixth-least populous state, but also the sixth-most densely populated. Delaware's most populous city is Wilmington, and the state's capital is Dover, the second-most populous city in Delaware. The state is divided into three counties, the fewest number of counties of any of the 50 U.S. states; from north to south, the three counties are: New Castle County, Kent County, and Sussex County. The southern two counties, Kent and Sussex, have historically been predominantly agrarian economies. New Castle is more urbanized and is considered part of the Philadelphia metropolitan area. Delaware is considered part of the Southern United States by the U.S. Census Bureau, but the state's geography, culture, and history are a hybrid of the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, and Southern regions of the country.

Before the Delaware coastline was explored and developed by Europeans in the 17th century, the state was inhabited by several Native American tribes, including the Lenape in the north and Nanticoke in the south. The state was first colonized by Dutch traders at Zwaanendael, near present-day Lewes, Delaware, in 1631. Delaware was one of the Thirteen Colonies that participated in the American Revolution against Great Britain, which established the United States as an independent nation.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Delaware (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Delaware in Depth

History

Before Delaware was settled by European colonists, the present-day state was home to the Eastern Algonquian tribes known as the Unami Lenape, or Delaware, who lived mostly along the coast, and the Nanticoke who occupied much of the southern Delmarva Peninsula. John Smith also showed two Iroquoian-speaking tribes, the Kuskarawock and Tockwogh, living north of the Nanticoke—they may have held small portions of land in the western part of the state before migrating across the Chesapeake Bay. The Kuskarawocks were most likely the Tuscarora.

The Unami Lenape in the Delaware Valley were closely related to Munsee Lenape tribes along the Hudson River.

Geography

Delaware is 96 miles (154 km) long and ranges from 9 to 35 miles (14 to 56 km) across, with a land area of 1,982 square miles (5,130 km2) and a total area of 2,489 square miles (6,450 km2), making it the second-smallest state by either metric in the United States after Rhode Island. Delaware is bounded to the north by Pennsylvania; to the east by the Delaware River, Delaware Bay, New Jersey, and the Atlantic Ocean; and to the west and south by Maryland. Small portions of Delaware are also situated on the eastern side of the Delaware River sharing land boundaries with New Jersey. The state of Delaware, together with the Eastern Shore counties of Maryland and two counties of Virginia, form the Delmarva Peninsula, which stretches down the Mid-Atlantic Coast.

Economy

According to a 2020 study by Kiplinger, Delaware had the 17th most millionaires per capita in the United States; altogether, there were 25,937 such individuals. The median income for Delaware households as of 2020 was $64,805.

Delaware's agricultural output consists of poultry, nursery stock, soybeans, dairy products and corn.

In 2025, 98.7% of the businesses in the state were small businesses and employed 50.6% of the state's work force.

Demographics

The United States Census Bureau determined that the population of Delaware was 989,948 on April 1, 2020, an increase from the 2010 census figure of 897,934.

Delaware's history as a border state has led it to exhibit characteristics of both the Northern and the Southern regions of the United States. Generally, the rural Southern (or "Slower Lower") regions of Delaware below the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal embody a Southern culture, while densely populated Northern Delaware above the canal—particularly Wilmington, a part of the Philadelphia metropolitan area—has more in common with that of the Northeast and the North.

Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Delaware (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Delaware: Key Facts

Key facts about Delaware
Population	989,948 (2020)
Area	6,452 km²
Capital	Dover
Head of government	Matt Meyer
Highest point	Ebright Azimuth
Established	7 December 1787

Facts from Wikidata Q1393 (CC0).

History of Delaware: Empires and States

The atlas records 7 polities whose mapped territory included part of Delaware, from New Sweden in 1640 CE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.

Polities that held Delaware, in chronological order
Polity	Period here
New Sweden	1640–1658 CE
New Netherland	1659–1669 CE
Kingdom of England	1670–1708 CE
English Colonial Empire	1670–1712 CE
British Colonial Empire	1709–1774 CE
The British Empire	1709–1774 CE
United States of America	1776–2024 CE

Historical Maps of Delaware

Delaware on the world map in each year one of these states held it:

Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.

Visiting Delaware

Delaware has beautiful beaches and parks. The more popular beaches are in: Rehoboth Beach, Lewes, Dewey Beach and Bethany Beach. Most parks in Delaware's very extensive and well maintained park system are free or low-cost. The First State National Historical Park a group of historical sites that cover the early colonial history of Delaware and the role Delaware played in the establishment of the United States, leading up to it being the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

It is one of the smallest states in the United States. It has beautiful beaches, and activities vary from business-friendly Wilmington to the rural southern parts of the state.

Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Delaware (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Largest Cities in Delaware

2 cities mapped. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.

Largest Cities in Delaware
#	Name	Population	Region	Role
1	Wilmington	161,560	Delaware	Populated place
2	Dover	76,039	Delaware	Admin-1 capital

Ports in Delaware

8 ports mapped. Ranked by approach channel depth, the figure that limits which ships can call. Harbours link to their write-up on the page of the sea or coast they lie on. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.

Ports in Delaware
#	Name	Channel Depth	Class	Sea	Max Vessel
1	Ocean City	56.7 m	Very Small	Atlantic Coast of the United States	medium vessels
2	Salisbury	56.7 m	Very Small	Atlantic Coast of the United States	medium vessels
3	Havre de Grace	53 m	Very Small	Atlantic Coast of the United States	medium vessels
4	Deepwater Point	45.7 m	Very Small	Atlantic Coast of the United States	large vessels
5	New Castle	42.1 m	Very Small	Atlantic Coast of the United States	large vessels
6	Marcus Hook	34.7 m	Small	Atlantic Coast of the United States	large vessels
7	Chester	34.7 m	Major	Atlantic Coast of the United States	large vessels
8	Salem Nj	16.5 m	Very Small	Atlantic Coast of the United States	medium vessels

Delaware: Quick Answers

Where is Delaware?: Delaware is a first-level division of United States, in North America. Its mapped cities centre on 39.4522° N, 75.5358° W.
What is the largest city in Delaware?: Wilmington is the largest city mapped in Delaware, with a metropolitan population of about 161,560.
How many cities are in Delaware?: YearMaps maps 2 cities and towns in Delaware, with a combined metropolitan population of about 237,599. This counts mapped settlements, not every municipality.