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Maine is in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The territory that is now Maine was at one time a part of Massachusetts. Congress established Maine as the 23rd state under the Missouri Compromise of 1820. This arrangement allowed Maine to join the Union as a free state, with Missouri entering a year later as a slave state, thereby preserving the numerical balance between free and slave states in the nation. Maine is the northernmost portion of New England. It is known for its scenery — its jagged, mostly rocky coastline, its low, rolling mountains, and its heavily forested interior — as well as for its seafood cuisine, especially lobsters and clams. While there is evidence that Maine's earliest inhabitants were descendants of Ice Age hunters, the Micmacs and Abanakis (or Wabanakis) were credited with the earliest settlement of Maine. |
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| Capital |
Augusta |
| Population |
1,274,923 |
| Governor |
John Baldacci (D, to January 2011) |
| Entered the Union |
March 15, 1820, as the 23rd State |
| Motto |
Dirigo (I direct) |
| Nickname |
Pine Tree state |
| Flower |
White Pine cone and tassel |
| Bird |
Chickadee |
| Song |
State of Maine Song |
| Major Active Sports Teams |
None |
| Origin of Name |
Originally used to distinguish the mainland from the offshore islands. Considered a compliment to Henrietta Maria, Queen of Charles I of England. She was said to have owned the province of Mayne in France |
| Major Industries |
Banking, insurance, tourism, manufacturing, agriculture, ocean products, wood pulp and paper products |
| Historical Sites |
Wadsworth-Longfellow House, Fort Edgecomb, Fort Halifax, Fort Kent, Fort Knox, Fort McClary, Fort O'Brien, Fort Point, Fort Popham, Eagle Island, Arnald Trail |
| Points of Interest |
Bar Harbor, Allagash National Wilderness Waterway, Roosevelt Campobello International Park, and the St. Croix Island National Monument |
| Bordering States |
Maine borders the state of New Hampshire, the country of Canada, and the Atlantic Ocean. |
| Flag |
The state coat of arms is placed on a blue field. In the center of the shield a moose rests under a tall pine tree. A farmer and seaman represents the work that people did in early times. The North Star represents the state motto: "Dirigo". ( "I Direct" ) |
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Did You Know …
• Maine has 62 lighthouses. One of the most famous is Portland Head Light, which was commissioned by President George Washington.
• Almost 89% of Maine is forested.
• Nearly 90 percent of the nation's lobster supply is caught off the coast of Maine, approximately 40 million pounds. Other ocean products are sardines and Atlantic salmon.
• Maine produces 98% of the nation's low-bush blueberries. Other agricultural and farm products include apples, potatoes, dairy products, vegetables, poultry and eggs.
• The state fish of Maine is the Landlocked salmon, state animal is the Moose, state fossil is Pertica quadrifaria, state insect is the Ho neybee, state tree is the White pine tree and the state mineral is Tourmaline.
• There is evidence that Native Americans were living in Maine more than 2000 years ago.
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Famous People from the State of Maine …
• Joshua L. Chamberlain (1828 - 1914), Civil War general, governor of Maine, president of Bowdoin College.
• Dorothea Dix (1802 - 1887), humanitarian and social reformer.
• Stephen King, writer whose novels often are made into motion pictures. Some works include The Shining, Salem's Lot, Carrie, Pet Sematary, and Midnight Shift.
• Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 - 1882), poet and scholar.
• George Putnam, publisher.
• Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811 - 1896), abolitionist and humanitarian, author of Uncle Tom's Cabin.
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For more information about the State of Maine, please visit their official website at: http://www.state.me.us/
For more information about the Grange in the State of Maine, please visit the Maine State Grange website at: http://www.mainestategrange.org |
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