Please turn on sound to hear the State Song of Maine
March 2009
MAINE FROM A-Z
Dirigo (I Guide)
Facts about Maine for each letter of the alphabet.
Click on highlighted word for more information.
A IS FOR AGRICULTURE, APPALACHIAN TRAIL, & ARCHEOLOGY
AGRICULTURE in Maine has developed into a diverse economy.
Potatoes are the biggest agricultural product, and the state has been growing potatoes longer than any other state.
Apples are another important crop and the state produces over a dozen varieties. Apple Sunday is in March and the
Great Maine Apple Day is in November.
The state is the largest producer of blueberries in the world and the wild blueberry is the State Berry. Dairy products include chickens and dairy cows, and the state is the largest producer of brown eggs in the world. The
U.S. Department of Agriculture, The
National Agriculture Satistic Service, and
AG in the Classroom provide information for kids.
One of the oldest agricultural fairs in the state takes place during the Labor Day Weekend in Bluehill. The Aroostook Plateau has good farmland and is where Maine Potato crops prosper. The
State Soil is Chesuncook Soil Series. Maine has
4-H Clubs and chapters of
Future Farmers of America.
Maine has several
ARCHAEOLOGY regions ranging from pre-historic to Industrial. Archaeology
events and programs are held during the year. The Maine Historical Preservation Commission has regular excavations and there are many museums in the state with collections of artifacts. Native Americans created the "prehistoric" record and Eureopeans created the "historic" record. Archaeology and paleontology events are held throughout the year. The month of October is Archaeology Month.
B IS FOR FOR BEACHES, BIRDS, & BRIDGES
During the last Ice Age, scenic cliffs, bay, coves, and beaches were carved into the rocky shoreline of Maine. The state has both saltwater and freshwater
BEACHES. The are many programs which monitor the beaches for safety.
Kennebunkport is a seaside community in Maine where former president
George Bush has a summer home, and his son
President George W. Bush visits often. Special
events are held there throughout the year.
Maine has over 400 species of
BIRDS including eagles, sparrows, owls, seagull, and chickadees. Birdwatching is popular and there a several
Birding Hotspots. The State bird is the
chickadee. The ruby-throated hummingbird is the only species of humingbird found in the state. Over a dozen birds are on the
endangered list including the American peregrine falcon and Roseate tern. The
Maine Audobon Society has programs, trips, camps, and group activities. The
Project Puffin hopes to restore puffins to Maine.
The State Capital of Maine is
Augusta. It replaced Portland as the capital in 1832 because it was more centrally located. The dome of the Capitol building has a statue of a woman holding a pine branch - symbol of the Pine Tree State. Farmington is the
Earmuff Capital of the world.
Wiscasset is called the Worm Capital of the World.
Maine has all forms of
COMMUNICATION including newspapers, magazines, radio, and television, telephone, and internet. The Telephone Area code for Maine is 207. Internet access is available in schools and libraries and there are many
Internet Service Providers throughout the state.
Webcams are located throughout the state.
Maine has 16
counties, 22 cities, 435 towns, 33 plantations, and 424 unorganized townships. The largest county is
Aroostook which is also the largest county east of the Mississippi.
Sagadahoc is the smallest county.
Cumberland County has the largest population and
Piscataquis has the smallest. Portland is the largest city. It is also the chief seaport and the closes U.S. port to Europe.
York became the first incorporated city in the country in 1642. The term county is used in 48 of the 50 states for the level of
government below the state government. Maine has one of the oldest constitutions of any in the country.
D IS FOR FOR DAMS & DINOSAURS
Maine has nearly 1,000
DAMS which control waterways and provide
hydroelectric power. There are 45 dams in
Piscataquis County. The
Veazie Hydro Station is one of the oldest continuously operating hydro generating facility in the U.S. Historic dams in the state date back a century or more. Many dams that were used for sawmills remain on the rivers. The state also has many
reservoirs. Two types of
Geothermal Power is being used commercially and
Small Windpower is being used.
Although
DINOSAURS probably lived in Maine, their remains have never been found in the state. Maine has an interesting
paleontology history and a variety of
Fossils have been found in several places in the state. The state fossil is the
pertica quadrifaria.
E IS FOR EARTHQUAKE, EDUCATION, & EVENTS
Maine is in an
EARTHQUAKE zone and has experienced
numerous earthquakes in the past 100 years. The largest was near Eartport in 1904. Another hazard is
hurricanes which effect the entire state especially the coast and southern areas.
Maine has a variety of
FISH.
Wild Atlantic Salmon is protected as an endangered species. The State fish is the Landlocked Salmon.
Both
saltwater and freshwater
fishing are popular. Maine has 2 National Fish Hatcheries -
Green Lake and
Craig Brook which is the oldest fish hatchery in the country. Other
fish hatcheries are located throughout the state.
The State
FLAG is blue with the State Seal in the middle. The official
Maritime flag is white with a green pine tree in the center with an anchor below it. Many cities and towns in Maine have their own
flag. Some Native American tribes in Maine have their own flag including The
Micmac, the
Passamoquoddy, and the
Penobscot.
Maine has
FOOD Festivals and Events. The state is world-famous for several foods including potatoes, lobster, blueberries, apples, and
beanhole beans. The Maine
Department of Agriculture deals with all aspects of the food system. The
The Emergency Food assistance Program provides donated federal food to feeding programs in the state.
There are several
FORTS in Maine.
Old Fort Western is the oldest surviving wooden fort in the country and is a National Historic Landmark. The fort offers demonstrations of frontier arts practiced at the fort during colonial times.
Fort Knox is one of the best preserved fortifications on the New England coast.
Maine has many
GHOST TOWNS. Some are readily accessible and others are difficulty to find or access. Some towns are still inhabited.
Wallagrass operates under a selectmen/town meeting/manager type government. Fort Kent Mills and Foprest City have a few residents.
Katahdin Iron Works is a historic site and a state park.
The
GLOBAL POSITION of Maine ranges from 66-71 degrees west longitude, and 43-47 north latitude. It is located in the part of the U.S. known as New England and lies farther northeast than any other state. The state has over 33,000 square miles. NOAA provides information about the
topography of Maine. The state is bordered on the north by
Canada and on the south and west by
New Hampshire. West Quoddy Head is the easternmost land area of the United States. The geographic center of the state is in
Piscataquis County. Yarmouth is home to
Eartha the largest rotating Globe in the world.
Geocaching is an adventure game using a Global Positioning System, and
geocaches are located throughout Maine.
Many
ISLANDS dot the coast of Maine.
Mt. Desert is the largest of these islands and is the base for Cadillac Mountain which is the tallest peak on the eastern seaboard.
Saint Croix Island is an International Historic Site.
Isle au Haut is a working island and 60% of it is part of the Acadia National Park.
Maine has several INDUSTRIES including fishing, farming, forestry, tourism,
technology, and manufacturing.
Logging is a leading industry. The
Maine Forest and Logging Museum in Leonard Mills offers educational tours. Lumbering and wood-processing industries are the mainstay of the state?s economy.
Aquaculture and raising fish & shellfish is a fast growing industry in Lubec. Trade Shows are held throughout the year. Most of the regions in Maine have
Industrial Museums.
Maine has
KARST caves, and sinkholes. There is an area of
karst in the northwestern part of Maine
New Brunswick. The
Karst Waters Institute provides information about karst water systems. There are several types of
Caves.
including sea caves, fissure caves, and limestone caves. The
The National Speleological Society has a chapter in Cambridge.
Many aspects of life in Massachusetts focus on KIDS. The Maine Secretary of State has a
Kids Page, and the
Maine Kids Count program provides information about the well-being of children in the state.
NOAA has a kids paget about weather. Portland has a
Kids and Transportation Program.
L IS FOR LAKES, LIBRARIES, & LIGHTHOUSE
Maine has thousands of scenic
LAKES.
Many of them are
monitered by a volunteer program. Major lakes include Moosehead Lake, Chesuncook, Chamberlain, Grand Spednic, and Richardson Lake. Moosehead and Sebago are the biggest lakes. The Rangele Lakes are popular vacation areas. Some of the lakes
"bloom" due to the algae.
Maine has over 60
LIGHTHOUSES. The
Bass Harbor Light shines its unique redlight on the traffic entering Blue Hill Bay.
President George Washington authorized the
Portland Head Light, and it is the oldest lighhouse in the state.
Owl's Head Light station has witnessed many shipwrecks. The most powerful beacon is
Cape Elizabeth Light.
The
Portland Breakwater Light is believed to be the only lighthouse in the world shaped like a fourth-century Greek monument.
West Quoddy Lighthouse was authorized by Thomas Jefferson and is the easternmost lighthouse in the country. It marks the point where the sun first rises each day in the country. From the
Maine Maritime Museum visitors can take a boat ride past 7 lighthouses and tour them. The most important aspect of a
lighthouse is the light that comes from the tower.
Maine has several
MOUNTAINS. Part of the White Mountains covers northwestern Maine.
Mount Katahdin is the highest point in the state. The
Longfellow Mountains run through the center of the New England Uplands.
Big Squaw Mountain had the first fire tower in the country.
Mt. Kineo is on a peninsula in the center of Moosehead Lake.
Borestone Mountain has a bare summit and 2 peaks.
Maine has hundreds of
MUSEUMS. The
State Museum in Augusta has educational programs and guided tours. The
Portland Museum of Art is the most renowned art museum in Maine.
Norlands Museum shows what life was like in the 1700s. The Sailor's Memorial Museum in Isleboro features displays of life at sea.
N IS FOR NAME & NATIVE AMERICANS
There are two theories about how Maine got its NAME. One is that it came from the term mainland used by early explorers the other that it was named after a province in France. It is the only state whoe names is only one syllable.
Mooselookmegunic is one of the longest place names in the country. The State has several nicknames including
Pine Tree State, Border, State, Old Dirigo State, Lumber State, and Vacationland.
The
Atlantic Ocean borders the east coast of Maine. The lowest point in Maine is sea Level. The
Passamaquoddy Bay has the highest tides off the U.S. mainland. The coastline has many deep harbors. There is a
Boats and Harbors Show in Rockland. The
Maine Geology service conducts research on the coast of Maine. The USGS provides information on why the ocean is
Salty.
P IS FOR PARKS & POPULATION
Maine has a variety of
PARKSincluding
State Parks, a National Park and many county & city parks.
Acadia is the only National Park where the mountains meet the sea and was the first National Park made up of land given to the government and gets larger as new gifts are added.
Roosevelt Campobello International Park is a joint memorial between Canada and the U.S. Amusement and Theme Parks include
Funtown/Splahtown in Saco and
Palace Playland in Old Orchard Beach.
A QUARTER was issued by the
U.S. Mint for each state according to its admission date. Maine was admitted to the Union on March 14, 1820, and a
quarter was issued for it in 2003.The U.S. Mint has a special
Kids Page
QUILTING is popular in Maine and
Quilt Guilds are located throughout the state. Weaving is also popular and Maine hasseveral
Weaving Guilds
The state is divided into 9
regions. The
Maine Natural Areas Program identifies new locations of rare plants and animals in several regions of the state.
Maine has thousands of
RIVERS and streams. Major rivers include the Androscoggin River, Kennebec River, Penobscot River, and St. John River. Most rivers frun north to south. The St. John River and the St. Croix river form the international boundary with Canada. The
Allagash Wilderness Waterway is part of the Wild and Scenic Rivers System. The rivers are home to thousands of
species ranging from the tiniest micro-organism to large mammals. The
American Rivers Foundation protects and restores river systems.
S IS FOR STATE SEAL, SEA LIFE & SPORTS
The
State Seal has a shield in the center with a moose and pinetree. A farmer stands on the left side and a sailor stands on the right side. The North State is above.
Many species of
SEA LIFE live off the coast of Maine including fish,sea urchins, mussels, and starfish.
Marine Mammals include whales, porpoises, dolphins, and seals. The Oceanarium Lobster Hatchery in Bar Harbor offers the opoortunity to see lobsters being hatched and raises. Maine harvests more than 57 million pounds of lobster each year. Saco Marine Aquarium features marine animals including sharks. Maine has excellent opportunities to esperience
saltwater fishing.
Nearly all
SPORTS are played in Maine including High School, College, University, and Professional sports teams. Many famous
sports people came from Maine. The Maine Sports Hall of Fame is in Portland.
Skiing is a popular winter sport.
Maine has all forms of
TRANSPORTATION. The
Maine Department of Transportation is responbible for all designing, building, and maintaining many of roads, highways, and bridges in the state. The Federal Highway Administration provides information about
traffic and road closures in the state. Maine is one of only 4 states that have banned billboard advertising along highways. The state has an
Adopt-a-Highway Program.
Traffic Cameras and
transportation museums are located throughout the state. The Bureau of Motor Vehicles was established in 1905 and the first
license plates were issued at that time. Specialty plates and
Vanity License Plates are available. Three Native American tribes have a license plate -
Passamaquoddy Tribe,
Penobscot Nation, &
Wabanaki. The Schooner Bowdoin is the State Vessel. To celebrate its 50th birthday in 2002, Matchbox cars issued a vehicle for each state in the order in which it was admitted into the Union. The vehicle for Maine was the 1956 Ford Pickup. The first successful
Transatlantic balloon flight started from Presque Isle in 1978
Almost 90% of Maine is covered with TREES and some trees are being considered for the
National Registry of Big Trees. Valuable trees include white pine, balsam, firs, basswood, maple, oak, and spruce. The State Tree is the
White Pine. Maine trees provide much of the maple syrup in the country.
White Mountain National Forest has many amenities.There are several
museums about forests and logging. The first saw mill in the country was established near
York in 1623.
U IS FOR UNIVERSITIES, & USS MAINE
Maine has many
UNIVERSITIES and colleges. The
Maine Maritime Academy offers instruction on seamanship and at-sea experience on the Training Ship State of Maine. The Schooner Bowdoin, the State Vessel, is the flagship of the Academy.
Four ships of the United States Navy have been named USS Maine.
The 1st
U.S.S. MAINE was a second-class armored battleship whose destruction by an explosion precipitated the Spanish-American War. The 2nd
USS Maine (BB-10) was the lead ship of her class of battleships and participated in the voyage of the Great White Fleet. The 3rd USS Maine was to be BB-69, a Montana-class battleship, but she was cancelled before her keel was laid down.
The 4th
USS Maine (SSBN-741) (3rd commissioned) is an Ohio-class Trident ballistic missile nuclear submarine.
Evidence of VOLCANOS is found in Maine but there have not been any active volcanos since the
mesozoic era. Volcanic rocks and fossil shells show that some of the rocks in Maine were formed on volcanic islands in an ocean that no longer exists.
Rhyolite, a light-colored volcanic rock lies beneath much of the northern part of Baxter State Park. A variety of volcanic rocks are under Lobster Mountain on the westside of
Lobster Lake and Big Island and are called Lobster Mountain volcanics. There are volcanic rocks around the western part of
Seboomook Lake.
W IS FOR WATERFALLS, WEATHER, & WILDLIFE
Maine has
WATERFALLS, cataracts, and cascades. Some of them can be seen from the highway but most require some hinking. In the spring,
Early Landing Falls has 3 2-yard drops.
Tobey Falls has 3 sets of falls.
Little Wilson Falls is one of the highest falls in the state.
Barrows Falls has a picnic area overlooking the falls and stream.
The WEATHER in Maine can be severe.
The winters are long, snow blankets western mountains, and lakes freeze over. Northern Maine may get up to 100" of snow in one season. The coldest day ever recorded was -48 degrees in 1925 at Van Buren. Summers are mild. The record high of 105 degrees was recorded in 1911 at North Bridgton. Spring brings a torrent of melted snow and ice. Fall sets the woods ablaze in color and it is a peak time for
Hurricanes . The shores of Maine are usually cool because of the Arctic air and coastal wind from the Labrador Current. Strong storms are called
Nor'easters, and heavy fog and flooding occur along the coast.
Maine Emergency Management, the
Maine State Climate Office, and
NOAA provide weather information. The Environmental Protection Agency provides information about
Global Warming in the state.
Xmas is the common abbreviation for Christmas and it is celebrated in Maine much like the rest of the
country and around the
world. Maine has several
Christmas Tree Farms and each year about a million firs are cut down for Christmas trees. The
National Christmas Tree Association has information about Christmas trees.
Y IS FOR YMCA & YOUTH HOSTELS
The
YMCA is an active organization in Maine. The
Greater Portland Branch of the Cumberland County YMCA has been serving the community for 150 years. A variety of programs are offered including summer camp.
YOUTH HOSTELS are located throughout Maine.
Hi-Bar is located on Desert Island. Maine also has
Elder Hostels
Z IS FOR ZIP CODES, ZONE, & ZOOS
ZIPCODES in Maine start with the number 39 thru 49. The use of
zipcodes began in 1963.
The postal code for Maine is ME.
Maine has several ZOOS including Yorks Wild Kingdom in York Beach, Acadia Zoological Park on Mt. Desert Island in the Acadia National Park, and Noah's Ark Animal Park which is a combination recreation area and petting zoo. The
Gulf of Main Research Institute teaches residents and visitors about the Gulf of Maine and its watershed. The main gallery of the
State Aquarium resembles the rocky coast of Maine. The
Maine Research Aquarium in West Boothbay Harbor has educational programs and a walking tour.
THANK YOU to the people who providedinformation and links used in this webpage.