Maine is the northernmost & easternmost portion of New England.  It is known for its jagged, mostly rocky coastline, low rolling mountains, heavily forested interior & picturesque waterways, as well as its seafood cuisine, especially lobster and clams.

For thousands of years, indigenous peoples were the only inhabitants of the territory known as Maine.  Algonquian - speaking people inhabited the area at the time the first European settlement by the French in 1604 was established on Saint Croix Island.  The first English settlement, in 1607, known as the Popham Colony, was short lived.  A number of English settlements were established along the coast of Maine in the 1620's but the climate and conflicts with the local peoples caused many of these to fail.

Patriot and Loyalist forces contended for Maine's territory during the American Revolution & the War of 1812.  Maine was part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts until 1820 when it voted to secede from Massachusetts.  On March 15, 1820, Maine was admitted to the Union as the 23rd state. 

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Information acquired from :    Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

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Capital -    Augusta

Population -    1,328,302 (2013)

State bird -    Black-capped Chickadee

State Fish -    Land-locked Salmon

State Flower -    White Pinecone, Tassel

State mammal -    Moose

State Drink -    Moxie

State Treat -    Whoopie Pie

State Tree -    Eastern White Pine

Sports Teams -     Professional ; Basketball - Maine Red Claws

                                                 Minor League Hockey - Portland Pirates

                                                 Minor League Baseball - Portland Sea Dogs

                                   NCAA ;  Maine Black Bears

Spoken Language - English 92%, French 5%

Largest City - Portland

Total Sq. Miles -     35,382 ;  210 X 320 miles

Agricultural Outputs -    poultry, eggs, dairy products, cattle, wild blueberries, apples, maple syrup & maple sugar.   Potato crops,                                             commercial fishing.

Western Maine -  Aquifers & springs.

Industrial Output -    Paper, lumber & wood products, electronic  equipment, leather products, food products, textiles & bio-                                                       technologies.  Naval shipbuilding & construction remain key as well.

Important People -    Lauren Oliver, Dean Koontz, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Henry David Thoreau, E.B. White, and home of Stephen King.

 

Maine is the #1 exporter of low-bush blueberries.  Maine was home of the largest toothpick manufacturing plant in the US producing 20 million toothpicks per day until it closed in 2003.  Forests cover nearly 90% of the state.

 

Tourism and outdoor recreation play major roles in Maine's economy.  

 

In 2001, Portland, Maine, surpassed Boston as New England's busiest port.

 

A citizen of Maine is called a 'Mainer", though usually only if three generations have lived in the state.  "Downeaster" applied to residents of the northeast coast of Maine.

 

Maine is the 39th most extensive & the 41st most populous of the 50 United Sates.  Also considered the safest state in the United States with respect to crime rates.

 

Points of Interest :    Acadia National Park, Casco Bay, Mount Desert Island, Old Port, Portland Head Light.

 

Destinations :    Bar Harbor, Bangor, Kennebunkport, Portland, Acadia National Park.