| Capital city | Augusta |
| Population | 1.344.212 (2019) |
| Surface | 91.646 km² |
| Governor | Janet Mills (D) |
| Member of the US since | 1820 |
A map of Maine
Maine is one of the fifty states of the United States. The state is located in the northeast of the country, in the New England region . Maine’s abbreviation is Me. Its nickname is ‘The Pine Tree State’. That means ‘the Pine State’. A pine tree is a type of tree. With 1,344,212 residents, Maine is the 9th least populous state in the US. Maine borders only the state of New Hampshire. For the rest it borders on the sea and the country of Canada. The capital of Maine is Augusta. The first settlers in Maine settled on the coastal areas of Maine in the 17th century. Most inhabitants still live on the coast and the interiors are virtually empty. Maine is the most rural state in the United States. Maine was originally part of the state of Massachusetts. This continued until 1820. As a result of the Missouri Compromise, Maine seceded from Massachusetts and joined as a separate state. During the War of 1812, northern Maine was occupied by the British, who founded the colony of New Ireland here. Later, the exact border between Maine and Canada was established. Maine is best known for its wildlife and coastal small towns and islands. This makes Maine a popular vacation destination for Americans from New England and New York. In addition, Maine is known because many of Stephen King ‘s books are set in the state; King is also from Maine himself.
Geography
Landscape
Maine’s rocky coastline.
Maine is located in the northwestern United States and is the northernmost state after Alaska. It is sandwiched between the Canadian province of Québec and the Atlantic Ocean. In addition, Maine is the easternmost state of the United States and is the only state to have a border with only one other state; New Hampshire. Maine’s landscape consists mainly of forests, grassland, and lakes. Maine is very rural and most residents live in the coastal area in the south of the state. This means that the rest of the state is very sparsely populated. Maine has many lakes and rivers, Moosehead Lake being the largest. Another great lake in Maine is South Twin Lake. In the northwest of the state lie the Appalachians, which form the border with Canada. Mount Katahdin is located here, which is the highest point in the state at 1,606. Maine’s coastline consists of several inlets and many islands. There are still conflicts with Canada over two islands. Both the United States and Canada claim it as their territory, but neither country sees it as very important. Both islands are uninhabited and not very valuable. The many gorges in the coast were created during the last ice age. 80% of the state is covered in forests, making Maine a very green state. Maine is the US state with the highest percentage of forests. The forests in Maine are mixed, which means that there are both coniferous and deciduous trees. Maine also has many protected areas because of this, such as Roosevelt Campobello International Park, which is also located in Canada.
Largest Cities in Maine
| Name | Residents | County | |
| 1. | Portland | 66.882 | Cumberland County |
| 2. | Lewiston | 36.221 | Androscoggin County |
| 3. | Bangor | 31.903 | Penobscott County |
| 4. | South Portland | 25.483 | Cumberland County |
| 5. | Auburn | 23.033 | Androscoggin County |
| 6. | Biddeford | 21.488 | York County |
| 7. | Sanford | 21.028 | York County |
| 8. | Brunswick | 20.278 | Cumberland County |
| 9. | Saco | 19.485 | York County |
| 6. | Scarborough | 18.919 | Cumberland County |
Climate
Autumn in Maine
Maine has a humid continental climate. The state has hot summers, which can be very rainy at times. The winters are often cold and long and often there is a lot of snow. In principle, the coastal regions have the same climate as the rural regions, but on the coasts it can be slightly cooler in summer and slightly warmer in winter than in the interior. This is because the Atlantic Ocean slightly influences the weather in the coastal areas. In summer the temperature is between 24 and 27°C and in winter it is around -1°C. In the north it can be -15°C in winter. On the coasts, Maine occasionally has to deal with severe thunderstorms, but these are not very common. Maine almost never has to deal with tropical storms and hurricanes, as it is too north. Tornadoes almost never occur.
Population
Bangor in de winter
General
Maine is home to nearly 1.4 million residents and the state’s population is still growing a bit. Most residents live in the south, where most of the major cities can be found. The rest of the state is very sparsely populated and the far north is virtually unpopulated. 40% of Maine’s population lives in or around the city of Portland. Most Maine residents are white Americans (94.8%). Smaller populations include African Americans (1.2%), Latinos (1.5%), Asian Americans (1.2%), and Native Americans (0.6%). Most Maine residents are of English, Irish, German or French descent. Maine has the highest percentage of French Americans in the United States. Most of them are from Canada.
Taal
Maine has no official language under the Constitution, but English is used in politics, law, education, and everyday life. This allows you to see English as basically the official language. 92% of Maine residents speak English at home. Maine has the highest number of French speakers in the United States. 5% of the state’s residents speak French at home.
Maine is known as a progressive state. It was one of the first states to legalize same- sex marriage.
This is mainly done by immigrants from the Canadian province of Québec; where French is an official language. In Maine, French is not recognized as an official language, although Maine has more French speakers than Louisiana (where French is recognized). The remaining households speak other languages, mainly Spanish. Spanish is therefore the third language of Maine. Although many residents speak a language other than English at home, they often speak English. They learned this as a second language or were raised bilingually.
Religion
Maine is one of the least religious states in the United States; 31% of the population says they have no religion. For the United States, this is a very low percentage. The largest religion is Protestantism, which is adhered to by 37% of the population. The main Protestant movements are Evangelism and Methodism. 28% of the population is adherent to the Roman Catholic Church. The remaining inhabitants are followers of the lesser religion, such as Judaism or Islam.
Politics
Maine’s Parliament Building
State level
Maine’s day-to-day management is the responsibility of a governor. The current governor of Maine is Democratic Party Janet Mills. The governor is assisted by a lieutenant governor (a sort of vice president). He is elected in Maine by the parliament. Maine has its own parliament, the Maine Legislature. This consists of two rooms;
- The House of Representatives, consisting of 151 members, is elected every two years. In addition, three indigenous peoples also have the right to send a non-voting member. Only one of these three nations has done this; the other two rejected this.
- The Senate, consisting of 35 members, is also elected every two years.
There are limits for both rooms; one can serve up to eight years. The Democratic Party has a majority in both chambers.
Administrative division
How many counties in Maine? Maine is divided into 16 counties. These are:
- Androscoggin County
- Aroostook County
- Cumberland County
- Franklin County
- Hancock County
- Kennebec County
- Knox County
- Lincoln County
- Oxford County
- Penobscot County
- Piscataquis County
- Sagadahoc County
- Somerset County
- Waldo County
- Washington County
- York County
National level
Maine is known as a blue state, meaning the Democratic Party has a majority in the state. During elections, Maine residents often vote for the Democratic Party as well. Maine has voted for the Democratic nominee in every presidential election since 1992. It is important to remember that Maine is divided into two constituencies for the presidential election. The first district consists of the south of the state and goes to the Democratic Party by default. The second district leans less towards the Democratic Party, but mostly votes Democratic.
The first constituency in the south and the second constituency in the north.
The only time this didn’t happen was in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections. Both times the first district voted for the Democratic candidate (Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020), while the second district voted for the Republican candidate (both times). Donald Trump). Maine has four electoral votes in presidential elections. Two of these are distributed among the constituencies and the other two vote as statewide. As a result, three of the four electoral votes are safe for the Democrats, while the second district elector can also go to the Republicans. Maine, along with Nebraska, is the only state to use electoral districts during presidential elections. Between 1820 and 1920, Maine was looked at during elections to predict how the entire United States would vote in elections. From this comes the expression As Maine goes, so goes the nation. This was because Maine was the most average state, but this was not always true. Today, Maine is leaning towards the Democrats, making it impossible to decide. Maine is represented by two representatives and two senators in the United States Congress. Both delegates are members of the Democratic Party. Of the senators, one is Republican (Susan Collins) and one is Independent (Angus King). Collins is one of the moderate Republicans and also has Democratic views, for example on same- sex marriage and abortion. Independent Senator King is affiliated with the Democratic Party, but is not a member himself.
Economy
Catching lobsters
Agriculture and fishing are primarily important to Maine. In agriculture, Maine mainly sells poultry, eggs, dairy products, blueberries and potatoes. A lot of maple syrup is also made. In the field of fishing, lobster catching and shrimp farming are also important. Wood construction is also important. Much paper and wood is made in Maine, as are textiles, technology, and leather products. Tourism is an important thing to Maine’s economy. People mainly come to Maine for outdoor sports, such as sport fishing, hunting, and skiing. In addition, many nature lovers come here to camp and go for walks. Traditionally, shipbuilding has been important to Maine, but has declined in recent years.
