• Baltimore
  • Pingliang

Baltimore (/ˈbɔːltɪmɔːr/ BAWL-tim-or, locally: /bɔːldəˈmɔːr/ bawl-da-MOR or /ˈbɔːlmər/ BAWL-mər) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was designated an independent city by the Constitution of Maryland[a] in 1851, and today is the most populous independent city in the United States. As of 2021, the population of the Baltimore metropolitan area was estimated to be 2,838,327, making it the 20th largest metropolitan area in the country. Baltimore is located about 40 miles (64 km) north northeast of Washington, D.C., making it a principal city in the Washington–Baltimore combined statistical area (CSA), the third-largest CSA in the nation, with a 2021 estimated population of 9,946,526.

Prior to European colonization, the Baltimore region was used as hunting grounds by the Susquehannock Native Americans, who were primarily settled further northwest than where the city was later built. Colonists from the Province of Maryland established the Port of Baltimore in 1706 to support the tobacco trade with Europe, and established the Town of Baltimore in 1729. The first printing press and newspapers were introduced to Baltimore by Nicholas Hasselbach and William Goddard respectively, in the mid-18th century.

The Battle of Baltimore was a pivotal engagement during the War of 1812, culminating in the failed British bombardment of Fort McHenry, during which Francis Scott Key wrote a poem that would become "The Star-Spangled Banner", which was eventually designated as the American national anthem in 1931. During the Pratt Street Riot of 1861, the city was the site of some of the earliest violence associated with the American Civil War.

Pingliang, prefecture-level city of Gansu province. Located in the east of Gansu Province, the eastern foot of Liupan Mountain and the upper reaches of Jinghe River, it is the geometric center of Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia "Golden Triangle", across Longshan (Guanshan), east of Xianyang, Shaanxi, west of Dingxi and Baiyin of Gansu, south of Baoji of Shaanxi and Tianshui of Gansu, and adjacent to Guyuan of Ningxia and Qingyang of Gansu to the north. Pingliang is an important animal husbandry base and fur distribution center in northwest China, and the main agricultural and forestry product production base and animal husbandry in Gansu Province. Pingliang, known as "Longshang dry Wharf", is an important city that must pass through the ancient "Silk Road". It is historically known as "the first city of Chang'an in the west". Since ancient times, Pingliang has been an important town for the barrier of the three Qin dynasties and the control of Wuyuan. It is a "must-contend place for soldiers" and a traditional commodity distribution center in Longdong. The traffic and military focal point of the Central Plains leading to the western region and the eastern end of the ancient Silk Road, not only in the northwest region.
Travel Notes In Pingliang