Draw Delaware Outline from Memory
How well do you know The First State? Draw Delaware from memory and score 0–100 based on how accurately you sketch its distinctive outline.
More US States to Draw
Why Delaware Looks the Way It Does
Delaware's top border is a circle because of a 350-year-old real-estate clause. The 1664 grant to the Duke of York defined the land as everything within twelve miles of the New Castle courthouse — so the boundary is literally a circle drawn around a building. When Mason and Dixon surveyed the region decades later, they incorporated the Twelve-Mile Circle into their lines, making it the only circular segment on any American state border.
Where the circle meets the straight lines, cartography produces oddities. The "Wedge" — the small triangle where the circle, the north-south line, and the Transpeninsular Line fail to meet cleanly — belonged to no state's clear title until Delaware and Pennsylvania settled it in 1921. The long arc bowing across the peninsula is the boundary of the same twelve-mile logic, extended; Delaware's western edge is essentially one royal measurement stretched across the map.
The eastern edge is the river, and Delaware owns it: under a 1682 grant the state holds the Delaware River and Bay's bed to the low-water mark on the New Jersey shore — giving it jurisdiction over the waterway to Philadelphia. The First State ratified the Constitution first in 1787, and its border is suitably first-principles: a circle, an arc, a wedge, and a river.
Quick Facts: Delaware
- Capital
- Dover
- Nickname
- The First State
- Statehood
- 1787
- Area
- 5,047 km²
- Borders
- Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland
What is "Drawing Delaware Outline from Memory"?
Drawing Delaware from memory means sketching the First State's border on a blank canvas without looking at a map. Focus on the state's distinctive features and overall proportions — that's what pushes your accuracy score up.
Delaware became a state in 1787 and is rated ★★ out of 4 for drawing difficulty — a manageable, compact shape for a first try. When you hit Reveal, your sketch is scored 0–100 against the real border, so every attempt teaches you something about the outline.
Delaware is a small, tall sliver on the Delmarva Peninsula with the most geometrically ornate border in America: the top is an arc — part of the Twelve-Mile Circle around New Castle — the western edge runs in straight lines and another long arc against Maryland, and the Delaware River and Bay curve along the entire right side.
How to Draw Delaware from Memory
Step 01
Draw the tall sliver first: a narrow, vertical block, roughly twice as tall as wide, hugging the Delaware River and Bay on the right. The bay should widen as it runs south, curving toward the Atlantic.
Step 02
The top is the famous part: don't draw a straight northern edge — draw a downward-curving arc, the bottom of the Twelve-Mile Circle centered on New Castle. Delaware is the only state whose border with a neighbor is a portion of a circle.
Step 03
The west side is a geometry set: a straight line down from the arc, a long shallow arc bowing east against Maryland (the Transpeninsular's tangent line), and a small triangular "Wedge" where the shapes collide. Sketch the long, gentle bulge — it's what separates Delaware from a plain rectangle.
A tall sliver with geometry homework: a circular top where the Twelve-Mile Arc curves away from Pennsylvania, straight lines down the middle, and the Delaware River and Bay gliding along the right.
How Delaware Is Scored
When you hit Reveal & compare, your sketch is measured against Delaware's real border, point by point, in the same canvas space. Three numbers come back:
Matched — the share of the real border your drawing covered. 100% means you traced every part of the outline.
Extra — how much of your drawing fell outside the true border. This catches sketches that are too big, mispositioned, or drifting off.
Missed — the border you didn't reach, the flip side of Matched.
The three combine into a single 0–100 accuracy score. The rating names give you a target: 80+ is Cartographer, 60+ is Border patrol, 40+ is Getting there, and below 40 is Try again.
Drawing large and roughly centered is the single fastest way to raise your score — a small sketch tucked in a corner overlaps less of the true border, so it scores lower. For Delaware, keep the whole outline in frame and let the distinctive parts do the work.
FAQ
- What makes Delaware's outline distinctive?
- Delaware is a small, tall sliver on the Delmarva Peninsula with the most geometrically ornate border in America: the top is an arc — part of the Twelve-Mile Circle around New Castle — the western edge runs in straight lines and another long arc against Maryland, and the Delaware River and Bay curve along the entire right side.
- How hard is it to draw Delaware from memory?
- Delaware is rated ★★ out of 4 for drawing difficulty — a manageable, compact shape for a first try. You can score your attempts immediately and watch your accuracy climb with practice.
- Which states border Delaware?
- Delaware shares its border with 3 US states — Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maryland are on this site. Drawing a neighbor right after Delaware helps anchor both outlines in your memory.
- How is my Delaware drawing scored?
- Your sketch is compared with Delaware's real border, point by point, in the same canvas space. Matched is the share of the border you covered, Extra is how much of your drawing fell outside it, and Missed is the border you didn't reach. The three combine into a single 0–100 accuracy score.
- Can I draw Delaware on mobile?
- Yes — Delaware works on desktop, tablet, and mobile. Draw with your finger on touchscreens; no app download is required and it runs directly in your browser.