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MAINE - USA
Maine is a state of the United States. It is probably named after the French
province of Maine. Another possibility for the name 'Maine' is that the
people living on islands along the coast of Maine used to speak of going to
the mainland as 'going over to the Main". Its U.S. postal abbreviation is
ME. Four U.S. Navy ships were named USS Maine in honor of the state. The
state is chilly, with moderately warm summers but very few actual hot days.
History
Originally settled in 1607 by the Plymouth Company, the coastal areas of
western Maine first became the Province of Maine in 1622 land patent.
Eastern Maine north of the Kennebec River was more sparsely settled and was
known in the 17th century as the Territory of Sagadahock. The province
within its current boundaries became part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in
1652, and was part of the State of Massachusetts when the United States was
formed. Because it was physically separated from the rest of Massachusetts
and was growing in population at a rapid rate, it became the 23rd state
along with Missouri on March 15, 1820. This has become known as the Missouri
Compromise because admitting both states into the union kept the balance
between slave and free states. Maine's original capital was Portland until
1832, when it was moved to the more geographically central city of Augusta.
Law and Government
The capital of Maine is Augusta and its governor is John Baldacci (Democrat).
Its two U.S. senators are Susan Collins (Republican) and Olympia Snowe
(Republican).
Maine's politics are notable for several reasons. In the 1930s, it was one
of very few states which remained dominated by the Republican Party. In the
1936 presidential election, Franklin Roosevelt received the Electoral Votes
of every state other than Maine and Vermont. Maine voters tend to accept
independent and third-party candidates more frequently than most states.
Maine has had two independent Governors recently (James B. Longley from 1975
to 1979 and Angus King from 1995 to 2003). The Reform Party of Ross Perot
achieved a great deal of success in Maine in the 1992 and 1996 Presidential
elections: in 1992 Perot came in second in Maine to Bill Clinton, despite
the longtime presence of the Bush family summer home in Kennebunkport, and
in 1996, Maine was again Perot's best state. The Green Party candidate won 9
percent of the vote in the 2002 gubernatorial election, more than in any
election for a statewide office for that party. The Green Party also elected
a State Representative in Maine, its highest elected official nationwide.
Maine politicians, Republicans and Democrats alike, are noted for having
more moderate views than many in their party.
Since 1969, Two of Maine's four electoral votes are awarded based on the
winner of the statewide election. The other two go to the highest vote-getter
in each of the state's two congressional districts.
Famous politicians from Maine include James Blaine, Edmund Muskie, Margaret
Chase Smith, William Cohen, George J. Mitchell, Olympia Snowe, and Hannibal
Hamlin.
Geography
To the south and east is the Atlantic Ocean, and to the northeast is New
Brunswick, a province of Canada. The Canadian province of Quebec is to the
northwest. Maine is the northernmost state in the New England region and the
easternmost state in the country (the easternmost city in the United States
is Eastport, Maine), bordered on the west by New Hampshire. It is the only
state that borders exactly one other state. Its largest lake is Moosehead
Lake, and its highest mountain is Mt. Katahdin, which is the northern
terminus of the Appalachian Trail.
It is the most sparsely populated state east of the Mississippi River, owing
in part to its huge relative size -- its land mass exceeds that of all other
New England states combined. It is appropriately called the "Pine Tree State",
as 90 percent of its land is forest. West Quoddy Head is the country's
easternmost piece of land. Along the famous rock-bound coast of Maine are
lighthouses, sandy beaches, quiet fishing villages and thousands of offshore
islands, including the Isles of Shoals, which straddles the New Hampshire
border. Jagged rocks and cliffs and thousands of bays and inlets add to the
rugged beauty of Maine's coast. Inland, there are sparkling lakes, rushing
rivers, green forests and towering mountains. Maine's Acadia National Park
is the only national park in New England, and the second most visited
national park in the United States.
Economy
Maine's total gross state product for 2001 was $37.4 billion, placing it
43rd in the nation. Its per capita personal income for 2000 was $25,623,
36th in the nation.
Maine's agricultural outputs are seafood (notably lobsters), poultry and
eggs, dairy products, cattle, blueberries, apples, and maple sugar.
Aroostook County is known for its potato crops. Its industrial outputs are
paper, lumber, and wood products, electronic equipment, leather products,
food processing, textiles, and tourism. Naval shipbuilding and construction
remain key as well, with Bath Iron Works in Bath and Portsmouth Naval Yard
in Kittery.
Maine ports play a key role in national transportation. Around 1880,
Portland's rail link and ice-free port made it eastern Canada's principal
winter port, until the aggressive development of Halifax, Nova Scotia, in
the mid-1900s. In 2001, Maine's largest city surpassed Boston as New
England's busiest port (by tonnage), due to its ability to handle large
tankers.
Demographics
As of 2000, the state's population was 1,274,923.
Education
Colleges and universities
Bates College
Bowdoin College
Central Maine Community College
Colby College
College of the Atlantic
Husson College
Maine College of Art
Maine Maritime Academy
St. Joseph's College
Southern Maine Community College
Thomas College
Unity College
University of Maine System
University of Maine at Augusta
University of Maine at Farmington
University of Maine at Fort Kent
University of Maine at Machias
University of Maine
University of Maine at Presque Isle
University of Southern Maine
University of New England
Professional sports teams
Portland Sea Dogs, minor league baseball
Portland Pirates, minor league hockey
Miscellaneous information
Maine has a long tradition of personal self-reliance, and Yankee ingenuity.
State bird: Chickadee
State flower: White Pinecone and Tassel (not actually a flower)
State tree: White Pine
State mammal: Moose
State insect: Honeybee
State song: You Are My Sunshine
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