Forests, lakes, beaches and mountains – Maine is rich in beautiful scenery. You won’t find any large cities or industries here in the northeastern United States.
- Maine is the northernmost state of New England and borders Canada to the north.
- Over 90% of the population are white.
- Maine is neither a Democratic nor a Republican stronghold.
Augusta – The US state of Maine is neither a swing state nor a stronghold of the two big parties. However, there is one special feature in the north-east of the USA: The only state besides Nebraska is that the principle of “ splitting the votes ” applies here.
- ABBREVIATIONFINDER.ORG: Overview of state Maine, including major cities and most commonly used abbreviations of Maine.
Maine Formation and History
The first Europeans came to the east coast of North America at the end of the 15th century. Up until that point, Maine and the other states of New England were inhabited by the Indians. From the 16th to the middle of the 18th century, the French and English fought over what is now Maine.
After the United States declared independence in 1776, Maine was initially part of the state of Massachusetts. On March 15, 1820, however, it was incorporated into the union as a separate state. The capital was initially Portland, then Augusta from 1832.
During this time there were repeated border disputes with Canada. In the American Civil War, Maine sided with the northern states.
Maine – geography and largest cities
The 91, 646 km² large Maine is bordered by Canada in the northeast and northwest, New Hampshire in the southwest and the Atlantic Ocean in the southeast. 90% of the country is covered with thick pine forests. The state is also known as the Pine Tree State.
The highest peak at 1, 606 m is Mount Katahdin, the only national park in the Acadia National Park, which attracts visitors especially in the Indian summer. Maine has a population of 1, 328, 361.
According to COUNTRYAAH.COM, the largest cities in the state are:
- Portland (66, 194)
- Lewiston (36, 592)
- Bangor (33, 039)
- South Portland (25, 002)
- Auburn (23, 055)
- Biddeford (21, 277)
- Sanford (20, 798)
- Augusta (19, 136)
Composition of the population in Maine
In Maine live 95. 2% White. The remainder of the population is made up as follows:
- 2% African American
- 0% Asians
- 6% Indians
- 3% Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders
- 3% of other ethnicity
- 6% of two or more ethnicities
Maine is the only state in the United States that officially speaks two languages. In addition to English, French is also the official language. French is spoken mainly in the north on the border with Canada.
Maine’s economy
Maine is the poorest state in New England and lives mainly from agriculture. The textile and shipping industry, which was once strongly represented here, no longer plays an important economic role today. Fruits such as apples and blueberries and potatoes are grown in Maine. In addition to raising cattle and poultry, Maine is also famous for lobster fishing. Due to the large occurrence of forests, wood processing companies are also among the major employers.
Last but not least, tourism is an important pillar of the economy : those seeking relaxation from the metropolises of the east coast are attracted by the idyllic landscape with forests, mountains, lakes and beautiful beaches.
Behavior at the polls in Maine
Maine is characterized by a very differentiated voting behavior and cannot be clearly assigned to any party. Whereas in the presidential elections between 1972 and 1988 Republicans always won, from 1992 onwards Democratic candidates always won. The electoral system of the Pine Tree State, however, has a peculiarity: At the Electoral College (main election of the president) the procedure “splitting the votes” is used: Two of the four electoral votes of the state go to the candidate with the most votes. The other two votes, however, are given to the winner of the two electoral districts. Except in Maine, this principle is only used in Nebraska.
