Maine is a constituent state of the United States of America. The largest of the six New England states in area, it lies at the northeastern tip of the country. Its 33,265 square miles (86,156 square kilometres), including 2,270 square miles of inland water area, represent nearly one-half of the total area of New England. Maine is bounded on the northwest and northeast by the Canadian provinces of Quebec and New Brunswick, respectively, and on the west by New Hampshire. The famed rocky coastline of the state is angled from southwest to northeast along the Atlantic Ocean. Maine's capital has been Augusta since its admission on March 15, 1820, as the 23rd state of the Union. There are two theories of the derivation of the state's name: that the state was named for the former French province of Maine and that it was so named for being the ''mainland,'' as opposed to the coastal islands.
Maine is the most sparsely populated state east of the Mississippi River. Nearly 90 percent of its total land area is under forest cover. It is also, by most statistical measures, an economically depressed state, but the rugged beauty and challenge of its climate and landscape and the character of its people have given Maine an importance beyond its economic and political power. Limited economic growth, in fact, has contributed to the preservation of much of its natural appearance. Since 1970 the state's southwestern coastal counties have recorded accelerating growth rates, increased residential and commercial construction, and increased tax revenues. Maine's economy remains dependent on manufacturing related to the timber harvest (mostly paper and paper products). The extractive industries of fishing, mining, and agriculture have been surpassed by trade and the recreational and service industries, these latter accounting for an increasing percentage of the state's income. The state epitomizes the increasingly difficult national choices between preservation of environmental quality and potential economic expansion.
The Appalachian Mountain chain extends into Maine from New Hampshire, terminating in Mount Katahdin, at 5,268 feet (1,606 metres) the state's tallest peak. The western and northwestern borders adjoining New Hampshire and Quebec have the most rugged terrain, with numerous glacier-scoured peaks, lakes, and narrow valleys. South and east of the mountain areas lie rolling hills and smaller mountains and the broad valleys of the Saco, Androscoggin, Kennebec, and Penobscot rivers. From Kittery, at the southern tip of the state, to Cape Elizabeth, just southwest of the state's largest city, Portland, long sand beaches are interrupted intermittently by rocky promontories. North and east of Cape Elizabeth the coastline of Maine is a series of peninsulas, narrow estuaries, bays, fjords, and coves, once glacier-covered mountains and valleys now partially submerged in the post-Ice Age rise in sea level. The Camden Hills and Mount Desert Island are the largest of the coastal mountains. The tides along this famous rockbound coast are among the strongest in the world, running between 12 and 24 feet (3.7 and 7.3 metres). Off the coast of the state lie about 1,200 islands, some no more than rocky ledges, others topped with trees and sheltering the homes of fishermen, lobstermen, and summer residents. All told, the coast of Maine—including the bays, islands, and inlets washed by the tides—totals some 3,500 miles (5,630 kilometres).
Maine forests include heavy stands of pine, spruce, and fir among the softwoods. Sugar maple, yellow birch, aspen, and paper birch dominate the extensive stands of hardwoods. Among the fauna are deer, moose, black bear, fox, lynx, hare, raccoon, porcupine, skunk, and woodchuck. Songbirds, lake birds, seabirds, and many game species abound throughout the state. Among the many aquatic species are the seal, whale, porpoise, lobster, shrimp, clam, haddock, cod, mackerel, and Atlantic and landlocked salmon, as well as many freshwater game fishes.
Maine's forest and waterpower resources invited exploitation during the early years of the Industrial Revolution; for a long time, skilled, low-cost labour provided an advantage to the textile and shoe industries until those industries moved their operations to factories in low-wage areas of the South and overseas. Aroostook county, where the potato is the main crop, is one of the few areas with rich agricultural soils. Terrain and soil conditions throughout most of the state are inadequate for large-scale farming. With the exception of lobster production, fishing is a marginal industry. As a result of these factors, Maine is a relatively poor state, with the lowest income per capita in New England.
Tourists—attracted by Maine's picturesque lakes, streams, and coast and the opportunities for swimming, boating, fishing, hunting, hiking, and winter sports—account for a large portion of retail sales and service income. Acadia National Park, which extends over most of Mount Desert Island and Isle au Haut, was the first national park east of the Mississippi River. Other recreational attractions include Baxter State Park, a wilderness area of 200,000 acres (80,940 hectares) surrounding Mount Katahdin; the 92-mile Allagash Wilderness Waterway; and more than 100 state parks and historic sites.
Maine depends heavily on its roads for ground transportation. Railroads carry freight but no longer carry passengers. Buses provide interstate, intrastate, and some suburban and urban passenger transportation. Portland and Searsport are the major seaports. State and private passenger and freight ferry services operate to many of the coastal islands, and Portland and Bar Harbor have ferry connections with Yarmouth, N.S., Can. Several airlines operate from Presque Isle, Bangor, and Portland to points outside Maine; commuter airlines provide intrastate and interstate service to other Maine communities. Some international nonscheduled air passenger and freight traffic is routed through Bangor International Airport.
