Chesapeake Colonies

The Chesapeake Colonies were the Colony and Dominion of Virginia, later the Commonwealth of Virginia, and Province of Maryland, later Maryland, both colonies located in British America and centered around the Chesapeake Bay.

These colonies were founded in the 17th century and economies were dependent on the Bay's rich fisheries, docking ships, and plantations. The cash crop tobacco was especially important. The Bay's natural resources and utility as a shipping lane and port proved highly valuable.

See also

• First Families of Virginia
• Colonial families of Maryland
• Thirteen Colonies
• Middle Colonies
• Southern Colonies