pop (2000e) 1 274 900; area 86 153 km²/33 265 sq mi. New England state in the NE corner of the USA, divided into 16 counties; bounded N by Canada, W by New Hampshire, E by the Atlantic; the Pine Tree State or Lumber State; explored by the Cabots in the 1490s; settled first by the French in 1604, and by the English in 1607; separated from Massachusetts in 1820, when admitted to the Union as 23rd state; capital, Augusta; largest town, Portland; the Kennebec and Penobscot Rivers run S to the Atlantic Ocean; crossed by the Appalachian Mts which rise to 1605 m/5266 ft at Mt Katahdin in Baxter State Park; dotted with over 1600 lakes, largest L Moosehead; N 80% forested; S coastal strip mainly arable; main industries include agriculture (especially potatoes), forestry, fishing, paper manufacturing, tourism.
background: none;">| Flag of Maine | Seal of Maine |
| Nickname(s): The Pine Tree State | |
| Motto(s): Dirigo | |
| Official language(s) | None (English de facto) | |
| Capital | Augusta | |
| Largest city | Portland | |
| Area | Ranked 39th | |
| - Total |
33,414 sq mi (86,542 km²) |
|
| - Width | 210 miles (338 km) | |
| - Length | 320 miles (515 km) | |
| - % water | 13.5 | |
| - Latitude | 43°4'N to 47°28'N | |
| - Longitude | 66°57'W to 71°7'W | |
| Population | Ranked 40th | |
| - Total (2000) | 1,274,923 | |
| - Density |
41.3/sq mi 15.95/km² (38th) |
|
| Elevation | ||
| - Highest point |
Mount Katahdin 5,268 ft (1,606 m) |
|
| - Mean | 591 ft (180 m) | |
| - Lowest point |
Atlantic Ocean 0 ft |
March 15, 1820 (23rd) |
| Governor | John Baldacci (D) | |
| U.S. Senators |
Olympia Snowe (R) Susan Collins (R) |
|
| Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 | |
| Abbreviations | ME US-ME | |
| Web site | www.maine.gov |
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States.
Geography
See also: List of Maine counties and List of Maine riversTo the south and east is the Atlantic Ocean, and to the north and northeast is New Brunswick, a province of Canada. Maine is both the northernmost state in New England and the largest, accounting for nearly half the region's entire land area. Maine also has the distinction of being the only state to border just one other state (New Hampshire to the west).
Maine is the most sparsely populated state east of the Mississippi River.
Areas under the protection and management of the National Park Service include:
Acadia National Park near Bar Harbor Appalachian National Scenic Trail Maine Acadian Culture in St. John Valley Roosevelt Campobello International Park near Lubec Saint Croix Island International Historic Site at CalaisClimate
The state experiences a continental climate, much more so in the southern part of the state, with Fahrenheit temperatures generally dipping into the 20s and 10s in the winter (-10 Celsius) and 80s and 90s in the summer (+30 Celsius). Maine, on occasion, is affected by tropical cyclones although by the time they reach the state, they have become extratropical, and the chances of one reaching Maine at hurricane strength are very slim. Maine has fewer days of thunderstorms than any state east of the Rockies, with most of the state averaging less than 20 days of thunderstorms a year. Tornadoes are rare in Maine with the state averaging less than 2 a year, mostly occurring in the southern part of the state. The coastal areas of western Maine first became the Province of Maine in a 1622 land patent. The territory of Maine was confirmed as part of Massachusetts when the United States was formed, although the final border with British territory was not established until the Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842. The dispute was settled, however, before any blood was shed.)
Because it was physically separated from the rest of Massachusetts and was growing in population at a rapid rate, Maine became the 23rd state on March 15, 1820 through the Missouri Compromise.
Race and ancestry
| Demographics of Maine (csv) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| By race | White | Black | AIAN | Asian | NHPI |
| AIAN is American Indian or Alaskan Native NHPI is Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander | |||||
| 2000 (total population) | 98.08% | 0.77% | 1.03% | 0.93% | 0.06% |
| 2000 (hispanic only) | 0.66% | 0.06% | 0.03% | 0.02% | 0.01% |
| 2005 (total population) | 97.81% | 1.02% | 1.00% | 1.06% | 0.06% |
| 2005 (hispanic only) | 0.91% | 0.07% | 0.03% | 0.02% | 0.00% |
| Growth 2000-2005 (total population) | 3.37% | 37.45% | 0.77% | 17.68% | 2.76% |
| Growth 2000-2005 (non-hispanic only) | 3.09% | 38.61% | 0.95% | 18.10% | 9.48% |
| Growth 2000-2005 (hispanic only) | 44.03% | 22.69% | -5.57% | -3.52% | -43.56% |
The five largest ancestries in the state are: French or French Canadian (22.8%), English (21.5%), Irish (15.1%), American (9.4%) and Italian (4.6%). Maine is second only to New Hampshire in the percentage of French Americans among U.S. states. Census figures show Maine has a greater proportion of people speaking French at home than any other state in the nation, a result of Maine's large French-Canadian community.
Religion
The religious affiliations of the people of Maine are shown below:
Christian – 82% Protestant – 56% Baptist – 16% Methodist – 9% Pentecostal – 6% United Church of Christ – 3% Lutheran – 3% Other Protestant or general Protestant – 18% Roman Catholic – 25% Other Christian – 1% Other Religions – 1% Non-Religious – 17%Economy
The Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates that Maine's total gross state product for 2003 was US$41 billion. Maine's Portland International Jetport was recently expanded, providing the state with increased air traffic from carriers such as jetBlue.
Maine has very few large companies that maintain headquarters in the state, and fewer than before due to consolidations and mergers, particularly in the pulp and paper industry. The state of Maine has two major airports with scheduled commercial jet service (the Portland International Jetport and Bangor International Airport).
Law and government
See also: List of Governors of Maine, U.S. Senators from Maine, List of Maine State Senators, and As Maine goes, so goes the countryThe Maine Constitution structures Maine's state government, composed of three co-equal branches - the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. The state of Maine also has three Constitutional Officers (the Secretary of State, the State Treasurer, and the State Attorney General) and one Statutory Officer (the State Auditor).
The legislative branch is the Maine Legislature, a bicameral body composed of the Maine House of Representatives, with 151 members, and the Maine Senate, with 35 members. As with other state legislatures, the Maine Legislature can by a two-thirds majority vote from both the House and Senate override a gubernatorial veto.
State and local politics
In state general elections, Maine voters tend to accept independent and third-party candidates more frequently than most states. The locally organized Maine Green Independent Party also elected John Eder to the office of State Representative in the Maine House of Representatives, the highest elected Green official nationwide. Maine state politicians, Republicans and Democrats alike, are noted for having more moderate views than many in the national wings of their respective parties.
Maine is an Alcoholic beverage control state.
See also: Maine gubernatorial election, 2006Federal politics
Maine's federal politics are notable and are dramatic for several reasons. In 1968, Hubert Humphrey became just the second Democrat in half a century to carry Maine thanks to the presence of his running mate, Maine Senator Edmund Muskie. Maine has since become a left-leaning swing state, but has voted Democratic in four straight Presidential elections, casting its votes for Bill Clinton twice, Al Gore in 2000 and John Kerry (with 53.6% of the vote) in 2004. Though Democrats have carried the state in presidential elections in recent years, Republicans have largely maintained their control of the state's U.S. Senate seats, with Ed Muskie, William Hathaway and George Mitchell being the only Maine Democrats serving in the U.S. Senate in the past fifty years.
The Reform Party of Ross Perot achieved a great deal of success in Maine in the presidential elections of 1992 and 1996: in 1992 Perot came in second to Bill Clinton, despite the longtime presence of the Bush family summer home in Kennebunkport, and in 1996, Maine was again Perot's best state.
Important cities and towns
|
Largest cities and towns: Portland (64,249) Lewiston (35,690) Bangor (31,473) South Portland (23,324) Auburn (23,203) Biddeford (22,000) Brunswick (21,172) Sanford (20,806) Augusta (18,560) Scarborough (16,970) Saco (16,822) Westbrook (16,142) Waterville (15,605) Windham (14,904) Gorham (14,141) York (12,854) Kennebunk (10,476) Falmouth (10,310) Kittery (9,543) Presque Isle (9,511) Wells (9,400) Standish (9,285) Bath (9,266) Orono (9,112) Topsham (9,100) Lisbon (9,077) Cape Elizabeth (9,068) Brewer (8,987) Skowhegan (8,824) Caribou(8,312) Old Town (8,130) Winslow (7,743) Rockland (7,609) |
Education
Colleges and universities
| Bangor Theological Seminary Bates College Beal College Bowdoin College Colby College College of the Atlantic Husson College Maine College of Art Maine Community College System Central Maine Community College Kennebec Valley Community College Eastern Maine Community College Northern Maine Community College Southern Maine Community College Washington County Community College York County Community College | Maine Maritime Academy St. Joseph's College Thomas College Unity College University of Maine System University of Maine at Augusta University of Maine at Farmington University of Maine at Fort Kent University of Maine at Machias University of Maine University of Maine at Presque Isle University of Maine School of Law University of Southern Maine University of New England |
Professional sports teams
Portland Sea Dogs, minor league baseball, Eastern League (U.S. baseball) Portland Pirates, minor league hockey, American Hockey League Lewiston MAINEiacs, junior hockey, Quebec Major Junior Hockey LeagueMiscellaneous topics
Maine is probably named after the French province of Maine. Another possibility for the name "Maine" is that the people living on islands along the coast of Maine used to speak of going to the mainland as "going over to the main."
Maine is the only U.S. state to have a name one syllable long;
Estcourt Station is Maine's northernmost point and also the northernmost point in the New England region of the United States. Maine is the only state that borders only one other U.S. state (New Hampshire).
State symbols
State berry: Wild Blueberry State bird: Black-capped Chickadee State cat: Maine Coon State fish: Landlocked Salmon State flower: White Pinecone and Tassel State fossil: Pertica Quadrifaria State gemstone: Tourmaline State herb: Wintergreen State insect: European honey bee State mammal: Moose State number: 23 State Beverage: Moxie State soil: Chesunook soil series State song: State of Maine Song State tree: Eastern White Pine State vessel: Arctic exploration schooner Bowdoin State motto: Dirigo (I lead)(See also: www.maine.gov portal.)
Famous Mainers
A citizen of Maine is known as a "Mainer," though the term "Down Easter" may be applied to residents of the southeast coast of the state. White, novelist (lived in Maine for 28 years) Sarah Orne Jewett, writer
| Government and politics James G. Mitchell, politician (former U.S. Senate Majority Leader) Edmund Muskie, politician, Secretary of State to Jimmy Carter 1980 Margaret Chase Smith, politician, first woman elected to both houses of the United States Congress Samantha Smith, "America's Youngest Ambassador" Olympia Snowe, Senior Republican Senator from Maine Military Joshua Chamberlain, governor, Civil War General and hero, Medal of Honor recipient Oliver Otis Howard, Civil War General, founder of Howard University Henry Knox, first U.S. Secretary of War Gary Gordon, Medal of Honor recipient (3 OCT 1993, Mogadishu, Somalia) Bob Newman, Marine and radio talk show host Sports Joan Benoit Samuelson, marathon runner Bill Swift, baseball player Bob Stanley, baseball player Tim Sylvia, Current Ultimate Fighting Championship Heavyweight Champion Scott Garland AKA "Scotty 2 Hotty, Professional Wrestler Dave Graham, rock climber Mike Bordick, MLB baseball player Rick DiPietro, NHL hockey player Ricky Craven, NASCAR driver Seth Wescott, 2006 Olympic Gold Medalist - Snowboard Cross David Chamberlain, X-Country Skier Simon Dumont, 2004 and 2005 Winter X Games Gold Medalist - Ski Halfpipe Les Otten, Red Sox owner Louis Sockalexis, first American Indian (Penobscot) MLB baseball player Matt Stairs, MLB Baseball Player | |
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