Maine

Maine
State
State of Maine
Flag Seal
Nicknames: The Pine Tree State Vacationland
Motto(s): "Dirigo" (Latin for "I lead", "I guide", or "I direct" )
Anthem:State of Maine
Map of the United States with Maine highlighted
Country	United States
Before statehood	Part ofMassachusetts(District of Maine)
Admitted to the Union	March 15, 1820 (23rd)
Capital	Augusta
Largest city	Portland
Largest county or equivalent	Cumberland
Largest metroandurbanareas	Portland
Government
•Governor	Janet Mills(D)
•Senate President	Troy Jackson(D)
Legislature	Maine Legislature
•Upper house	Senate
•Lower house	House of Representatives
Judiciary	Maine Supreme Judicial Court
U.S. senators	Susan Collins(R) Angus King(I)
U.S. House delegation	1.Chellie Pingree(D) 2.Jared Golden(D)(list)
Area
• Total	35,385sq mi (91,646 km2)
• Land	30,862 sq mi (80,005 km2)
• Water	4,523 sq mi (11,724 km2) 13.5%
• Rank	39th
Dimensions
• Length	320 mi (515 km)
• Width	205 mi (330 km)
Elevation	600 ft (180 m)
Highest elevation (Mount Katahdin)	5,270 ft (1,606.4 m)
Lowest elevation (Atlantic Ocean)	0 ft (0 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	1,362,359
• Rank	42nd
• Density	43.8/sq mi (16.9/km2)
• Rank	38th
•Median household income	$56,277
• Income rank	35th
Demonym	Mainer
Language
•Official language	None
•Spoken language	English:92.91% French:3.93% Other: ≤ 3.16%
Time zone	UTC−05:00(Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00(EDT)
USPS abbreviation	ME
ISO 3166 code	US-ME
Traditional abbreviation	Me.
Latitude	42° 58′ N to 47° 28′ N
Longitude	66° 57′ W to 71° 5′ W (45°N 69°W/45; -69)
Website	maine.gov

Maine state symbols
Flag of Maine
Living insignia
Bird	Chickadee
Crustacean	Lobster
Fish	Landlocked Atlantic salmon
Flower	White pine cone
Insect	Honey bee
Mammal	Moose
Tree	Eastern white pine
Inanimate insignia
Beverage	Moxie
Food	Blueberry pie Whoopie pie
Fossil	Pertica quadrifaria
Gemstone	Tourmaline
Soil	Chesuncook soil series
State route marker
State quarter
Released in 2003
Lists of United States state symbols

Maineis thenortheast-moststatein theUnited States.ThecapitalisAugusta,although the city ofPortland,farther south, is the largest in the state. Maine became the 23rd state, on March 15, 1820.It was previously a part of Massachusetts. Commercial Fishing, includinglobstertrapping,is a traditional and still vital part of the coastal economy. Tourism is a large industry insouthernMaine because of its manybeachesand picturesque coastal villages. Southern Maine is the part of the state that has the most people. Many other areas, to the North, are far more rural.

Geography

To the south and east is theAtlantic Oceanand to the north and northeast isNew Brunswick,and the country ofCanada.The Canadian province ofQuebecis to the northwest. Maine is both the northernmost state in New England and the largest,accountingfor nearly half theregion'swhole land area. Maine also has thedistinctionof being the only state to border just one other state (New Hampshire to the west). ThemunicipalitiesofEastportandLubecare the easternmost city and town in the United States.Estcourt Stationis Maine's northernmost point and also the northernmost point in the New England region of theUnited States.

Maine'sMoosehead Lakeis the biggest lake that is completely in New England (Lake Champlainis located betweenVermont,New York,which is not considered part of New England, and the province ofQuebecin Canada). A number of other Maine lakes, like asSouth Twin Lake,are said by Thoreau.Mount Katahdinis both the northern terminus of theAppalachian Trail,which extendstoSpringer Mountain,Georgia,and the southern terminusof the new "International Appalachian Trail" which, when finished, will run toBelle Isle,Newfoundland and Labradorin Canada.

Maine is the only state that shares its borders with only one otherAmerican statesince it only bordersNew HampshireandCanada.

Climate

Maine has ahumidcontinentalclimate (Köppen climate classification:Dfb), with warm (although mostly not hot), humidsummers.Wintersare cold and snowy all over the state, and are mostly more severe in the northern parts of Maine. Coastal areas aremoderatedsomewhat by theAtlantic Ocean.Daytime highs are mostly in the 75–80 °F (24–27 °C) range all over the state in July, with overnight lows in the high 50s°F (around 15 °C).Januarytemperaturesrange from highs near 32 °F (0 °C) on the southern coast to overnight lows below 0 °F (−18 °C) in the farnorth.

Maine is mostly safe fromhurricanesandtropical storms.By the time they reach the state, many have becomeextratropicaland few hurricanes have made landfall in Maine. Maine has fewer days ofthunderstormsthan any other state east of the Rockies, with most of the state with less than 20 days of thunderstorms a year.Tornadoesare rare in Maine, about two peryear,mostly happening in the southern part of the state.

Monthly Normal High and Low Temperatures °F (°C) For Various Maine Cities
City	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Caribou	19/0 °F (−7/−17 °C)	23/3 °F (−5/−16 °C)	34/15 °F (1/−9 °C)	47/29 °F (8/−1 °C)	63/41 °F (17/5 °C)	72/50 °F (22/10 °C)	76/55 °F (24/12 °C)	74/53 °F (23/11 °C)	64/44 °F (17/6 °C)	51/34 °F (10/1 °C)	37/24 °F (2/−4 °C)	25/8 °F (−3/−13 °C)
Portland	31/12 (−0/−11 °C)	34/16 (1/−9 °C)	42/25 (5/−4 °C)	53/35 (11/2 °C)	63/44 (17/6 °C)	73/53 (22/11 °C)	79/59 (26/15 °C)	77/57 (25/14 °C)	69/48 (20/9 °C)	58/37 (14/3 °C)	47/30 (8/−1 °C)	36/19 (2/−7 °C)
[1]Archived2008-07-23 at theWayback Machine

History

Humans have lived in Maine for many thousands of years. ThePenobscot,Mi’kmaq,Maliseet,Passamaquoddy,andPenobscotNative Americangroups all lived there before Europeans found Maine.

Early during the colonial time, Maine was part ofMassachusetts.It became its own state in 1820, the 23rd state in the United States of America. Its northern border with Canada was set in 1842.

Population

A population map of Maine.

As of 2008, Maine has anestimatedpopulation of 1,321,504, which is anincreaseof 6,520, or 0.5%, from the past year and an increase of 46,582, or 3.7%, since the year of 2000. This has a natural increase since the last census of 6,413 people (that is 71,276 births minus 64,863 deaths) and an increase because of "net migration" of 41,808 people into the state.Immigrationfrom outside theUnited Statesmade a net increase of 5,004 people, and migration within the country made a net increase of 36,804 people. The populationdensityof the state is 41.3 people persquare mile.

Economy

Cape Neddick Light

TheBureau of Economic Analysisestimatesthat Maine's total gross stateproductfor 2007 was $48 billion. Its per capita personal income for 2007 was $33,991, 34th in thecountry.

People in Maine produceagriculturalgoods likepoultry,eggs,dairy products,cattle,wildblueberries(the state makes 25% of all blueberries in North America, making it the largest blueberry maker in the world),apples,maple syrupandmaple sugar.Aroostook County is known for itspotatocrops.Commercialfishing,once a mainstay of the state's economy, maintains a presence, mostlylobsteringandgroundfishing.Western Maine aquifersand springs are a big source of bottledwater.Maine's company outputs makepaper,lumberand wood products,electronicstuff,leatherthings,foodproducts,textiles,andbio-technology.Naval shipbuildingand building remain key as well, with Bath Iron Works in Bath and Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery. Naval Air StationBrunswickis also in Maine, and serves as a large support base for theU.S. Navy.However, the BRAC campaign recommended Brunswick's closing,despitea new government-funded effort to upgrade itsfacilities.

References

Notes

Related pages

• Colleges and universities in Maine
• List of counties in Maine
• List of rivers of Maine