The State of Maine belongs to the New England region and is the easternmost land of the United States. The first memory of the settlement of Europeans here dates from 1604. Then on the island of the Holy Cross landed a French expedition led by Samuel de Champlain. Three years later, the Plymouth company established a British village here. Initially, the territory of Maine was part of Massachusetts, but on March 15, 1820, it separated and became the 23rd state state.
Geographic features
The region borders in the southwestern part with the state of New Hampshire, in the northwest with the Canadian provinces of Quebec and New Brunswick. The entire south-eastern border of Maine is washed by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The total area of the state is 91.6 thousand square kilometers. Moreover, more than 13% of its territory is covered by water. In addition, a significant part of it is the spurs of the Appalachian massif. The highest point here is Katahdin, and the largest lake is Mushead. In the eastern part of the state are the islands of North Rock and Macias. True, there is one caveat. It lies in the fact that so far between Canada and the United States the issue of their affiliation has not been settled.
Maine has a continental climate, which is expressed in snowy, cold winters and not very hot summers. Throughout the year, the air temperature here ranges from -18 to +27 degrees. Tropical storms, hurricanes, tornadoes and thunderstorms in the region are extremely rare.
origin of name
To this day, researchers have not come to a consensus on why the state of Maine got such a name. For the first time in history, the name is found in one of the documents of 1622. According to him, Captain John Mason and Sir Ferdinand Gorges received as a gift a plot of land intended to be called the "Province of Maine." In 2001, the local authorities decided to establish a holiday - Franco-American Day. The relevant written order states that the state received its current name in honor of the French province of the same name.
Population
The population of Maine is just over 1.3 million people. Despite the small area, quite impressive territories remain uninhabited. This can be explained by the prevailing mountainous terrain and rather severe weather conditions. In addition, throughout the year, the number of local residents varies depending on the season. The fact is that many Americans live here only in the summer, and leave at the end of the season.
As for the origin of the inhabitants of the state of Maine, approximately 22% of them are English, 15% are Irish, 14.2% are Canadians and French, almost 10% are Americans, 6.7% are Germans. The official language in the region is English. At the same time, more than 5% of the inhabitants speak French fluently.
Cities
The state has 488 settlements of various sizes. The largest of them is the city of Portland, whose population is about 63 thousand people. As for the smallest, the Fry Island resort village is considered to be such, in which not a single person is officially registered. The capital of Maine is the city of Augusta. The population of the administrative center is twenty thousand inhabitants. The city is in a very favorable, from a geographical point of view, position. In this regard, a number of agricultural and industrial enterprises operate here.
Tourism
Every year, a large number of tourists visit the state of Maine. Its sights are concentrated mainly in Portland and Augusta. In the first of the mentioned cities, the Art Museum, the Space Gallery and many local parks are especially popular. As for the capital, it is recommended to visit the Museum of the Military Historical Society, the State House, and the Lithgow Library. Most of the cultural heritage sites for Americans were erected at the very beginning of the twentieth century.
Separate words deserve the local nature. Thanks to the mountains, endless forests and beautiful ponds (one of the most picturesque is Chamberlain Lake), the state of Maine is visited by tens of thousands of travelers from the United States and other countries every year. Especially popular are ocean landscapes, a striking confirmation of which are the numerous easels on the ocean coast, which can be seen at any time of the year.
Economic development
The most developed industries in the state are industry and agriculture. Despite the prevalence of stony soil, potatoes, cabbage, broccoli, green peas and oats are grown in large volumes here. Numerous companies specializing in preparing vegetables for sale are available in Maine. It should also be noted quite developed woodworking, shipbuilding and textile industries. A separate income item of Portland was fresh sea fish. Be that as it may, only a quarter of the local population is involved in all of the above sectors combined. Most residents of the state work in the service sector and in the tourism business.