Annapolis is the capital city of the state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, 25 miles (40 km) south of Baltimore and about 30 miles (50 km) east of Washington, D.C., Annapolis forms part of the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area. The 2020 census recorded its population as 40,812, an increase of 6.3% since 2010.

Annapolis is the home of St. John's College, founded 1696. The United States Naval Academy, established 1845, is adjacent to the city limits.

Historic institutions

The State House
The Maryland State House is the oldest in continuous legislative use in the United States. Construction started in 1772, and the Maryland legislature first met there in 1779. It is topped by the largest wooden dome built without nails in the country. The Maryland State House housed the workings of the United States government from November 26, 1783, to August 13, 1784, and the Treaty of Paris was ratified there on January 14, 1784, so Annapolis became the first peacetime capital of the U.S.

It was in the Maryland State House that George Washington famously resigned his commission before the Continental Congress on December 23, 1783.

United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy was founded in 1845 on the site of Fort Severn, and now occupies an area of land reclaimed from the Severn River. Students that attend the Naval Academy are enrolled for four years with a following five year commitment to serving on active duty in the Marine Corps or Navy. Students hold the naval rank of Midshipman, and on average about 4,500 are enrolled.

St. John's College
St. John's College is a non-sectarian private college that was once supported by the state. It was opened in 1789 as the successor of King William's School, which was founded by an act of the Maryland legislature in 1696 and was opened in 1701. Its principal building, McDowell Hall, was originally to be the governor's mansion; although £4,000 was appropriated to build it in 1742, it was not completed until after the War of Independence.

Neighborhoods and suburbs

  - Admiral Heights
  - Arnold
  - Arundel on the Bay
  - Cape St. Claire
  - Church Circle and St. Anne's Church
  - Courthouse (1812) with series of rear annexes.
  - Crofton
  - Crownsville
  - Eastport
  - Edgewater
  - Highland Beach
  - Gambrills
  - Hillsmere Shores
  - Londontowne
  - Main Street, City Dock and City Markethouse on waterfront
  - Millersville
  - Naval Academy
  - Odenton
  - Parole
  - Riva
  - St. Margaret's
  - State Circle and Maryland Avenue
  - West Annapolis
  - West Street / Arts District