State of Maine | |
Coordinates | 45°30’NB, 69°0’WL |
General | |
Surface | 86.542 km² (12.8% water) |
Residents | 1.344.212 (2019) (16.6 inhabitants/km²) |
Capital city | Augusta |
Politics | |
Governor | Janet Mills (D) |
Other | |
Time zone | Eastern Standard Time (UTC−5) |
Joined | March 15, 1820 |
Nickname | Pine Tree State |
Website | maine.gov |
The coast of Maine
Portland
Maine is one of the states of the United States. The standard abbreviation for the “Pine Tree State”, as its nickname goes, is ME. The capital is Augusta. Maine belongs to the New England region.
History
The original inhabitants of Maine were Algonk-speaking Wabanaki peoples, including the Abenaki.
Samuel de Champlain, a French explorer, founded the first European colony in the state in 1604. The French called the entire area Acadia. The first English settlement in Maine was the Popham Colony, founded in 1607 by the Plymouth Company. In 1652, Maine was annexed by the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
According to JIBIN123.COM, Maine was formally admitted as the 23rd state of the Union on March 15, 1820 as a result of the Missouri Compromise. Portland was the capital until 1832, after which the more centrally located Augusta became the state capital.
Around 1840 a conflict arose over the border between Maine and the then British colony of Canada. Although no fighting took place, it has come to be known as the Aroostook War. Finally, Maine’s border with Canada was established in 1842 in the Webster-Ashburton Treaty.
The state may have been named after the former province of Maine in France (divided into the departments of Sarthe and Mayenne after the French Revolution). Another possible origin of the name comes from the nickname Mayne that inhabitants of the offshore islands had off the mainland, in English mainland.
Geography
The state of Maine covers 86,542 km², of which 80,005 km² is land. The state is located in the Eastern time zone.
Maine is located on the Atlantic Ocean and borders Canada to the north and east and New Hampshire to the west and south. West Quoddy Head is the easternmost point of the continental United States.
Aside from the coastal areas, Maine is quite mountainous and hilly. The highest point is the top of Mount Katahdin (1608 m).
There are many islands along the coast. The main rivers are the Kennebec and the Penobscot. Maine also has numerous lakes, of which Moosehead Lake is the largest. Most of the state is forested.
Demographics
Maine had 1,329,328 residents. This equates to 16.6 per km² of land area, making Maine the most sparsely populated state east of the Mississippi. 5.3% of the population is Francophone, the highest percentage in the United States, although Louisiana has more French speakers, their percentage is smaller because the state has more people than Maine.
The top 5 largest cities by population are:
Place | City | Population (2006) |
1 | Portland | 63.011 |
2 | Lewiston | 35.734 |
3 | Bangor | 31.008 |
4 | South Portland | 23.784 |
5 | Auburn | 23.156 |
Religion
Religions in Maine:
- Christians – 82%
- Protestants – 45%
- Baptists – 16%
- Methodists – 9%
- Anglican – 8%
- United Church of Christ – 8%
- Pentecostal Movement – 6%
- Lutherans – 3%
- Other Protestant movements – 10%
- Roman Catholic – 37%
- Other Christian movements – 1%
- Protestants – 45%
- Other religions – 1%
- Non-religious – 17%
Economy
Maine’s gross product was $37 billion in 2001.
Administrative division
According to COUNTRYAAH, Maine is divided into 16 counties.
County | Inhabitants 1 July, 2007 |
County Seat | Inhabitants 1 July, 2007 |
Androscoggin | 106.815 | Auburn | 23.203 |
Aroostook | 72.047 | Houlton | 5140 |
Cumberland | 275.374 | Portland | 62.825 |
Franklin | 29.927 | Farmington | 4159 |
Hancock | 53.278 | Ellsworth | 7070 |
Kennebec | 120.839 | Augusta | 18.367 |
Knox | 40.781 | Rockland | 7480 |
Lincoln | 34.800 | Wiscasset | 1242 |
Oxford | 56.734 | Paris | 4969 |
Penobscot | 148.784 | Bangor | 31.853 |
Piscataquis | 17.180 | Dover-Foxcroft | 2582 |
Sagadahoc | 36.387 | Bath | 8959 |
Somerset | 51.658 | Skowhegan | 6796 |
Waldo | 38.511 | Belfast | 6754 |
Washington | 32.751 | Machias | 1329 |
York | 201.341 | Alfred | 2848 |
Politics
The executive branch of the state is headed by a governor, who is directly elected by the voters in the state. The 2018 gubernatorial election was won by Democratic Party ‘s Janet Mills. She took office as governor of Maine in January 2019.
The Legislature is made up of the Maine Senate (Maine Senate) with 35 members and the Maine House of Representatives (Maine House of Representatives) with 151 members plus three members representing the indigenous peoples (more specifically the Penobscot, the Passamaquoddy and the Maliseet).
Trivia
Stephen King ‘s books and film adaptations are often set in Maine. Maine is also the only US state that borders one other state, New Hampshire. In addition, Maine is the only state whose name contains only one syllable.