Historians are dubious of Maine's roots, but many assume it stems from a seafaring allusion to the “mainland”. ¹⁾

New Hampshire is the only state in the United States that borders Maine.²⁾

Machias Seal Island is located off the northwest coast of Maine. Because the island is claimed by both the United States and Canada, everyone born on the island is eligible for dual citizenship.³⁾

Maine has its own state dirt, known as the “Chesuncook soil series”.⁴⁾

The Penobscots (“place where the rock opens out”), Passamaquoddys (“pollock-spearing place”), Mi'kmaqs (“my kin-friends”), and Maliseets (“talks imperfectly”) are the four primary Native American groups in Maine. They are known collectively as Wabanakis.⁵⁾

The Mi'Kmaqs, who resided in northeastern Maine, are thought to have invented hockey using a ball and a stick.⁶⁾

Maine lawmakers designated all of the state's mountains the Longfellow Mountains in 1959, after the famed Maine-born poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.⁷⁾

Some historians think Leif Eriksson was the first European to enter Maine, maybe about 1100 AD.⁸⁾

The earliest European known visit was Italian adventurer Giovanni da Verrazzano, who claimed the region for France in 1524.⁹⁾

Maine's population increased from 12,000 to 56,000 between 1740 and 1784.¹⁰⁾

Maine is the biggest of the six New England states, with 35,380 square miles. (91,634 sq km). It is, nevertheless, the least populous state east of the Mississippi.¹¹⁾

Maine is the contiguous United States' easternmost state.¹²⁾

The average July temperature in Maine is only 67 degrees Fahrenheit.¹³⁾

Over 3,000 offshore islands dot Maine's coast, ranging from modest granite ledges to Mount Desert Island, which is home to Acadia National Park.¹⁴⁾

Maine is one of the nation's top maple syrup producers, tapping approximately 545,000 gallons (2 million liters) of syrup each year. This would fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool.¹⁵⁾