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The state of Maine is the northernmost state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. Maine is the 39th most extensive and the 41st most populous of the U.S. states and territories. It is bordered by New Hampshire to the west, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the north. Maine is the easternmost state in the contiguous United States, and the northernmost east of the Great Lakes. It is known for its jagged, rocky coastline; low, rolling mountains; heavily forested interior, and picturesque waterways; and also its seafood cuisine, especially clams and lobster. There is a continental climate throughout the state, even in coastal areas such as its most populous city of Portland. The capital is Augusta.
For thousands of years, indigenous peoples were the only inhabitants of the territory that is now Maine. At the time of European arrival in what is now Maine, several Algonquian-speaking peoples inhabited the area. The first European settlement in the area was by the French in 1604 on Saint Croix Island, by Pierre Dugua, Sieur de Mons. The first English settlement was the short-lived Popham Colony, established by the Plymouth Company in 1607. A number of English settlements were established along the coast of Maine in the 1620s, although the rugged climate, deprivations, and conflict with the local peoples caused many to fail over the years.
As Maine entered the 18th century, only a half dozen European settlements had survived. Loyalist and Patriot forces contended for Maine's territory during the American Revolution and the War of 1812. At the close of the War of 1812, it was occupied by British forces, but the territory of Maine was returned to the United States as part of a peace treaty that was to include dedicated land on the Michigan peninsula for Native American peoples. Maine was part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts until 1820, when it voted to secede from Massachusetts to become an independent state. On March 15, 1820, it was admitted to the Union as the 23rd state under the Missouri Compromise.
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Projects
Please add your projects both to this index and the Related Projects list at right.
Cemeteries
- Maine Veterans' Memorial Cemetery - Augusta, Civic Center Drive
- Maine Veterans' Memorial Cemetery - Augusta, Mount Vernon Road
- Northern Maine Veterans Cemetery
- Southern Maine Veterans Cemetery
- Togus National Cemetery
Cities and Towns
- Biddeford, Maine - Founders
- Gorham, Maine - Land Grantees of Narragansett No. 7
- Kittery, Maine - Early Settlers
- Saco, Maine - Founders
- Wells, Maine - Early Settlers
Counties
- Androscoggin County, Maine
- Aroostook County, Maine
- Cumberland County, Maine
- Franklin County, Maine
- Hancock County, Maine
- Kennebec County, Maine
- Knox County, Maine
- Lincoln County, Maine
- Oxford County, Maine
- Penobscot County, Maine
- Piscataquis County, Maine
- Sagadahoc County, Maine
- Somerset County, Maine
- Waldo County, Maine
- Washington County, Maine
- York County, Maine
Education
Ethnic Groups
Government
- Maine Governors
- Maine Legislature
- United States House of Representatives from Maine
- United States Senators from Maine
History
People
- Hamilton Family of Waterborough, Maine
- Littlefield Family of Wells, Maine
- Plaisted Family of Maine & New Hampshire
Other
- Great Migration: Passengers of the Angel Gabriel, 1635
- Great Migration: Passengers of the Swift, 1630
- Maine Women's Hall of Fame
- Oldest Homes in Maine