ME · Pine Tree State · Northeast · admitted 1820 (#23)
Maine map
Maine highlighted on the US map, with its capital Augusta and largest city Portland. It is the largest New England state — nearly half the region's area — and the only state that borders just one other.
- Capital
- Augusta
- Largest city
- Portland
- Population (2020)
- 1,362,359
- Area
- 35,380 sq mi
- Counties
- 16
- Time zone
- Eastern
- Region
- Northeast · New England
- Statehood
- March 15, 1820
Where Maine is
Maine is the northeastern corner of the US, jutting into Canada. It measures about 320 miles north to south and 210 miles east to west. New Hampshire is its only neighbouring state, to the west; Quebec lies to the northwest, New Brunswick to the northeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast. Portland, on Casco Bay in the south, is the largest city; Augusta is 55 miles up the Kennebec River. West Quoddy Head near Lubec is the easternmost point of the contiguous US. The north and west are almost empty forest — about nine-tenths of the state is woodland.
Major cities
| City | Region of state | Population (2020) |
|---|---|---|
| Portland | Southern Maine (Casco Bay) | 68,408 |
| Lewiston | Androscoggin Valley (southwest) | 37,121 |
| Bangor | Penobscot Valley (central) | 31,753 |
| South Portland | Southern Maine | 26,498 |
| Auburn | Androscoggin Valley (southwest) | 24,061 |
| Biddeford | Southern Maine | 22,552 |
| Augusta (capital) | Kennebec Valley (central) | 18,899 |
Geography
- Mount Katahdin — Baxter Peak, 5,269 feet, the highest point and the northern end of the Appalachian Trail, in Baxter State Park. See Appalachian Mountains.
- Penobscot, Kennebec and Androscoggin rivers — the three big rivers of the interior, all flowing south to the Atlantic through Bangor, Augusta and Lewiston respectively.
- Saint John and St. Croix rivers — border rivers with New Brunswick in the north and east; the Saint John is the longest river in the state.
- Moosehead Lake — about 117 square miles, the largest lake in New England that lies entirely in one state. See US lakes.
- Coast — about 228 miles of general coastline but roughly 3,500 miles counting every bay and island, with Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park. See US coastlines and national parks.
- Western mountains — Sugarloaf, Saddleback and the Bigelow range, all over 4,000 feet, near the New Hampshire line.
Borders
Maine's international border was the last major boundary dispute between the US and Britain, settled by the Webster–Ashburton Treaty of 1842. It follows the St. Croix River from Passamaquoddy Bay north, then surveyed lines, the Saint John River and the Saint Francis River in the north, and the height of land between the Atlantic and St. Lawrence watersheds along Quebec. The New Hampshire border is short and mostly surveyed, running from the Piscataqua and Salmon Falls rivers at the coast north to the Quebec corner. Maine was part of Massachusetts until 1820.
Regions of Maine
Southern Maine (Portland, York County beaches), the Midcoast (Brunswick, Rockland, Camden), Down East (Bar Harbor, Machias, the Washington County coast), the Kennebec Valley (Augusta, Waterville), the Western Mountains and Lakes (Bethel, Rangeley), the Highlands (Katahdin, Moosehead Lake), the Penobscot Valley (Bangor) and Aroostook County, "The County", in the far north.
Related maps
- Maine county map — all 16 counties with seats.
- Blank Maine map — outline for printing.
- Printable Maine map.
- Augusta — the capital on the Kennebec since 1827.
- Neighbor: New Hampshire. Other New England states: Vermont, Massachusetts.
- Region: Northeast · New England.
- Time zone: Eastern.
- Geography: Appalachian Mountains, Coastlines, National parks.