The history of Marylan included only Native Americans until Europeans, starting with John Cabot in 1498, began exploring the area. The first settlements came in 1634 when the English arrived in significant numbers and created a permanent colony. In 1776, during the American Revolution, Maryland became a state in the United States. It was a slave state with some Confederate sympathies, but remained in the Union during the American Civil War. Although small in size, the state has distinct socio-political-economic regions, including the major city of Baltimore, Baltimore's suburbs, the Washington suburbs, Western Maryland, and the Eastern Shore. Maryland is a democratic type of government.