Maine Overview

Maine Overview

According to Abbreviationfinder, Maine is a state in the United States, most of the northeast called continental states. Its capital is Augusta. The state has a population of 1,329,328 inhabitants ( 2015 ).

Geography

To the south and east, the state of Maine borders the Atlantic Ocean, to the north and west – respectively, with the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec.

Maine is both the northernmost and largest state in the New England region, occupying about half of its total area. It is also the only state in North America that borders only one other state ( New Hampshire in the west) of the United States.

It is the least populated state in the United States east of the Mississippi River. It is also called the Pine State, as 90% of its territory is covered with forests.

The state of Maine has about 400 km of coastline. West Quody Head is the easternmost place in the United States. Along the picturesque coast of the state you can see beautiful lighthouses, beaches, fishing villages and hundreds of small islands.

Geologists describe the natural landscape of the state of Maine as a “flooded coast”, where rising sea ​​levels make bays from the hills and islands from the mountain tops.

Most of Maine’s geomorphological features are due to strong glacial activity from the last ice age.

Politics

Politically, the state of Maine is primarily characterized by the differentiated voting behavior of its citizens. Although Maine always elected Democratic candidates in presidential elections from 1992 to 2012 , it had two female senators from 1995, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins , who, however, are by far the most liberal members of the Republican Party . After Snowe did not run again in 2012, the former governor Angus became King elected as an independent candidate to succeed her. This makes Maine, along with New Hampshire, the only one of the “New England States” that has no clear ties to the Democratic Party. The governorship has been a Democrat, Janet T. Mills , since January 2019 .

The allocation of electoral votes in Maine differs from that of other states in the USA in that it has special electoral law. Maine gives two of its four electoral votes to the nationwide winner. The two remaining electors are determined by the “Popular Vote” in the two congressional electoral districts of Maine. This makes it possible for a candidate to win the entire state and only one of the two electoral districts, but his opponent is ahead in the second district. In this case, for Maine at Electoral College, three of the electors cast their votes for the first candidate and one his vote for the second candidate. This “splitting the vote” is the first time since this election mode was reintroduced (1972) in Maine in the 2016 election. Hillary Clinton received three votes and Donald Trump received one vote. The only other state that also votes according to this procedure is Nebraska .

History

The settlement of Maine by the Europeans began in 1607 under the leadership of the Plymouth Company. In 1622, the province of Maine was created. The name probably comes from the name of the French province of Maine.

During the War of Independence and the War of 1812, Maine was controlled by the British.

Economics

According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Maine’s GDP for 2010 was $ 52 billion ($ 33,991 per capita), ranking it 34th in the United States. As of October 2010, the unemployment index was 7.4%.

In agriculture, Maine is characterized by the production and breeding of poultry, eggs, dairy products, cattle, blueberries, apples, maple syrup and maple sugar. The county Arustuk is known for its potato plantations.

Industrial fishing, which was once a major endeavor for locals, is now reduced to catching lobsters and demersal fish.

As far as industrial production is concerned, it consists mainly in the production of paper, wood and wood products, fur products, electrical products, food and textile products and biotechnology. Naval shipbuilding is also well developed.

Tourism plays an important role in Maine’s economic development. The state is a popular destination for hunting (mainly elk, deer and bears ), sport fishing, snowmobiling, skiing and water sports, camping, hiking and more.

The ports of Maine play an important role in national transport. In 2001, the Port of Portland surpassed that of Boston in tonnage, becoming the busiest port in New England, thanks to its ability to handle large tankers.

The structure of income taxation in Maine has 4 categories – from 2% to 8.5% for personal income. The sales tax rate is 5%. The state also imposes a 7% tax on hotels and restaurants, and 10% on car rental. Blueberry traders are required to keep records of their transactions and pay $ 0.15 per pound of fruit sold for the season.

Population

According to data from the US National Census Agency as of July 1, 2012, the population of Maine is 1,329,192, an increase of 0.1% compared to 2010. The population density is estimated at 14.6 d / km², making it the least populous state in New England.

The majority of the state’s population is concentrated in the county of Kennebeck, and in the area of ​​the largest city in the state – Portland, live about 20% of the total population.

Religion

A 2010 study said Maine was the least religious state. The religious affiliation of the population (a total of 1,328,361 people) of the state is as follows:

did not answer – 961 318
answered – 367 043
Christians – 345,072 (or 94.0% of respondents)
Catholics – 190,106 (or 51.8% of respondents)
Protestants – 153,218 (or 41.7% of respondents)
Orthodox – 1748 (or 0.5% of respondents)
other religions – 21,971 (or 6.0% of respondents)

Cities

According to CountryAAH.com, Maine has the following major cities:

  • Bath
  • Belfast
  • Ellsworth
  • Bengor
  • Brunswick
  • Eastport
  • Lewiston
  • It is thick
  • Old Town
  • Portland
  • Schohegan
  • Westbrook
  • Fort Kent
  • South Portland
  • Ognkuit

Maine Overview

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