Before I did my report I thought that Maine was a
state that had nothing in it and that Maine was not at all exciting and that it
was going to be boring to do my state report on.Before I did my report I thought that Maine was a
state that had nothing in it and that Maine was not at all exciting and that it
was going to be boring to do my state report on.
While doing my state report on Maine I have learned a lot of things about this state. Like did you know that Rhode Island and Delaware can both fit into one of the counties in Maine (Aroostook)? And, while Aroostook is the largest of the 16 counties in Maine, Cumberland has the most population (243,135).
I have learned that Maine has 62 lighthouses and it used to have 65. The residents are referred to as "Mainers"
And did you know that in Maine you can get your drivers license at 15 and get out of school in 9th grade? And did you know that you can be a Governor for 8 years, same as a President?
Did you know that Maine's Captain Hanson Gregory invented the doughnut hole in 1847? And, Maine produces 99% of the blueberries sold in the United States as well as a lot of potatoes?
And did you know that 84% of Maine is forest, the largest portion of forestland in any of the states?
Now I think that Maine is a beautiful state that
I would like to visit some day.
It is uncertain how Maine got it's name. It might have come from the former French province of Maine. Most think it comes from "the main" or "mainland."
The nickname for Maine is the Pine Tree State. Maine got it's nickname from the white pine. The white pine is the state tree and one of the most common trees in Maine. The white pine is an officially designated state symbol.
Early Historical FactsMicmacs were largely warlike people but then again the Wabanakis were peaceful. The Paleo indians hunted caribou between 10,000 and 12,000 years ago.
500 years before Columbus discovered America Leif Ericson and a crew of 30 Viking sailors are believed to have explored Maine's coast and tried to establish Maine. They didn't succeed and years later the French tried and got what they wanted.
The Popham colony was the first establishment in Maine. It was established in 1607 by English colonists.
The French tried to establish a settlement on the Maine coast. A severe winter and scurvy caused the settlers to flee to Nova Scotia - the place in Canada just above Maine.
Maine is the 23rd state in the United States.
Maine was originally part of Massachusetts. In 1820 the U.S. Congress established Maine as the 23rd state under the Missouri Compromise.
The people of Maine were mad because Massachusetts was unable or unwilling to provide protection for the people against British raids. With agreement, the separation movement went forward.
The population of Maine is about 1.2 million people.
There are 16 counties in Maine. The largest county in size is Aroostook measuring approximately 6,453 square miles. The largest county in population is Cumberland county with about 243,135 people.
The five largest cities and their populations (as
of 1992) are:
Portland with 64,385 people
Lewiston with 39,757 people
Bangor with 33,181 people
Auburn with 24,309 people
South Portland with 23,163 people
There is one major highway in the state. It is I-95 (with a cutoff called I-295). I-95 starts in Florida and ends at the border of Maine and Canada.
Physical FeaturesCoastal Lowlands are a strip of land along the irregular coastline seldom more than 10 to 20 miles wide. It probes more than 50 miles up into the Penobscot valley. Occasionally the lowlands disappear altogether.
The hilly belt which stretches across New England and the Maritime provinces of Canada southeast of and roughly parallel with the northern end of the Appalachian chain, is the transitional zone between the coast plain and the mountain region. In Maine it varies in width between about 30 miles in the southwest and 80 miles in the northeast.
The mountain region constituting the northeastern end of the Appalachian Mountain system, cuts about 150 miles into Maine as a lower extension of the White Mountain range of New Hampshire.
The uplands, a broad plateau sloping toward the north and east, form a relatively high flat region beyond the mountains. The eastern portion of this zone provides the bulk of Maine's famous potato crop. The western portion is heavily forested, primarily with softwoods and is largely uninhabited.
The highest point in the state is Katahdin Peak at 5,268 feet.
The lowest point in the state is sea level.
The area of the state is over 33,000 square miles.
It ranks 39th in size among the states.
Natural ResourcesSoils in southwestern Maine were formed primarily from granite; coastal, central, and eastern soils are composed of shale, sand, and limestone; while the soils in Aroostook County, in the northeast, which are among the most productive in the state, are largely composed of Caribou loom.
Forests cover 84% of Maine, the largest portion of forestland in any of the states. Maine has many different types of trees: red spruce, white spruce, fir, hemlock, white pine, beech, yellow and white birch, and sugar and red maple.
Maine has white tailed deer, moose, black bear, bobcats, Canada lynx, beavers, muskrats, otters, minks, fisher martens, weasels, raccoons, skunks, red fox, snowshoe rabbits and red squirrels.
High temperatures are 70 degrees F (21c).
Low temperatures are 22 degrees F (-5c).
The average rainfall is 36 to 48 inches in a year.
A total winter snowfall averages between 60 and 90 inches making Maine a popular place for skiers and other winter sports.
There is a national park called Acadia National Park. This was the first national park east of the Mississippi.
State parks are Mt. Blue State Park, Wolfe's Neck Woods State Park, Bradbury Mountain State Park, Terry Beach State Park, and Camden Hills State Park. Those are just some. There are 14 altogether.
A historical site is the Maine State House which has Maine's Liberty Bell, Samantha's Dream for Peace statue, Firefighters memorial and geological fossils in its floors.
You might want to visit the beaches.
Joshua Chamberlain received the only battlefield promotion to General during the Civil War. He was also the last Civil War soldier to die of wounds incurred in the war.
Angus King, Jr. is the Governor of Maine. He will be the Governor for 8 years. He was elected in 1994 and reelected in 1998.
Thomas Brackett Reed was an influential longtime speaker of the US House of Representatives.
William King was the leader of the movement for Maine's statehood and the first Governor.
EconomyManufactured products are paper products and leather products, lumber and wood products, food products, electrical machinery and equipment, clothing, textiles, rubber and plastic products, transportation equipment.
The minerals are slate, granite, beryl and iron.
Agricultural goods are coal, wood, potatoes, oysters, fish, lobster, peas, hog, beef, grapes, oat, rye, milk, eggs, hay, poultry, apples, blueberries.
Maine has 2 US Senators and 2 US Representatives. Maine has 4 electoral votes.
Maine is headed by the Governor, Angus S. King, Jr.
The State Legislature is made up of a 151 member House and a 35 member Senate which is elected every 2 years.
The President of the Senate is the Constitutional successor to the Governor.
Maine has a three tiered judicial branch including District judges, a Superior court and a Supreme court. The probate courts serve at the county level.
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