Editing Maine (section)

==Geography==
{{Anchor|Coast of Maine}}
{{Redirect|Maine Coast|the painting|Maine Coast (painting)}}
{{Redirect|Coast of Maine|the skin spot noted for its jagged edges|Coast of Maine café-au-lait macule}}
{{Further|List of counties in Maine|List of Maine rivers|List of lakes in Maine|Geology of Maine|Geology of New England}}
[[File:National-atlas-maine.png|thumb|upright=2.05|A map of Maine showing its famed jagged coast]]

To the south and east is the [[Gulf of Maine]], and to the west is the state of [[New Hampshire]]. The Canadian province of [[New Brunswick]] is to the north and northeast, and the province of [[Quebec]] is to the northwest. Maine is the northernmost and largest state in New England, accounting for almost half of the region's entire land area. Maine is the only state to border exactly one other American state. Approximately half the area of Maine lies on each side of the [[45th parallel north]] in [[latitude]].

Maine is the easternmost state in the [[Contiguous United States]] both in its extreme points and its geographic center. The town of [[Lubec, Maine|Lubec]] is the easternmost organized settlement in the United States. Its Quoddy Head Lighthouse is also the closest place in the United States to Africa and Europe. [[Estcourt Station, Maine|Estcourt Station]] is Maine's northernmost point, as well as the northernmost point in New England. (For more information see [[extreme points of the United States]])

Maine's [[Moosehead Lake]] is the largest lake wholly in New England, since [[Lake Champlain]] is located between [[Vermont]], [[New York (state)|New York]], and [[Quebec]]. A number of other Maine lakes, such as [[South Twin Lake (Maine)|South Twin Lake]], are described by [[Thoreau]] in ''The Maine Woods'' (1864). [[Mount Katahdin]] is the northern terminus of the [[Appalachian Trail]], which extends southerly to [[Springer Mountain]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], and the southern terminus of the new [[International Appalachian Trail]] which, when complete, will run to [[Belle Isle (Newfoundland and Labrador)|Belle Isle]], [[Newfoundland and Labrador]].

[[Machias Seal Island]] and [[North Rock]], off the state's Downeast coast, are claimed by both [[Canada]] and the Maine town of [[Cutler, Maine|Cutler]], and are within one of [[List of areas disputed by Canada and the United States|four areas between the two countries whose sovereignty is still in dispute]], but it is the only one of the disputed areas containing land. Also in this easternmost area in the [[Bay of Fundy]] is the [[Old Sow]], the largest [[Tide|tidal]] [[whirlpool]] in the [[Western Hemisphere]].

Maine is the least densely populated state east of the [[Mississippi River]]. It is called the [[List of U.S. state and territory nicknames|Pine Tree State]] due to its largest distribution and presence of [[pine]], including [[Pinus strobus]] and [[Pinus resinosa]]. Over 80% of its total area is forested or unclaimed,<ref name="forest">{{cite journal|last1=Nowak|first1=David J.|last2=Greenfield|first2=Eric J.|title=Tree and impervious cover in the United States|journal=Landscape and Urban Planning|date=July 2012|volume=107|issue=1|pages=21–30|doi=10.1016/j.landurbplan.2012.04.005|bibcode=2012LUrbP.107...21N|s2cid=9352755|url=http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/jrnl/2012/nrs_2012_nowak_002.pdf|access-date=March 12, 2014|archive-date=March 12, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140312212331/http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/jrnl/2012/nrs_2012_nowak_002.pdf|url-status=dead|issn=0169-2046}}</ref> [[Forest cover by state and territory in the United States|the most forest cover of any U.S. state]]. In the wooded areas of the interior lies much uninhabited land, some of which does not have formal political organization into local units (a rarity in New England). The [[Northwest Aroostook, Maine|Northwest Aroostook]] [[unincorporated area#U.S. Census Bureau|unorganized territory]] in the northern part of the state, for example, has an area of {{convert|2668|sqmi|km2}} and a population of 10, or one person for every {{convert|267|sqmi|km2}}.

Maine is in the [[temperate broadleaf and mixed forests]] [[biome]]. The land near the southern and central Atlantic coast is covered by the mixed [[Quercus|oaks]] of the [[Northeastern coastal forests]]. The remainder of the state, including the [[North Maine Woods|North Woods]], is covered by the [[New England–Acadian forests]].<ref name="ecoregions">{{cite journal|author=Olson|title=Terrestrial Ecoregions of the World: A New Map of Life on Earth|journal=[[BioScience]]|year=2001|volume=51|issue=11|pages=933–938|doi=10.1641/0006-3568(2001)051[0933:TEOTWA]2.0.CO;2|author2=D. M|author3=E. Dinerstein|display-authors=3|issn=0006-3568|last4=Burgess|first4=Neil D.|last5=Powell|first5=George V. N.|last6=Underwood|first6=Emma C.|last7=d'Amico|first7=Jennifer A.|last8=Itoua|first8=Illanga|last9=Strand|first9=Holly E.|doi-access=free}}</ref>

Maine has almost {{convert|230|mi|km|-2}} of ocean coastline (and {{convert|3500|mi|km|-2}} of tidal coastline).<ref name="mainegovfacts">{{cite web|title=Maine.gov: Facts About Maine|url=http://www.maine.gov/portal/facts_history/facts.html|publisher=State of Maine|access-date=September 17, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101114184346/http://www.maine.gov/portal/facts_history/facts.html|archive-date=November 14, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.teachervision.fen.com/maps/bodies-of-water/725.html|title=Length of the U.S. Coastline by State|website=fen.com|access-date=September 11, 2015}}</ref> [[West Quoddy Head]] in Lubec is the easternmost point of land in the 48 contiguous states. Along the famous rock-bound coast of Maine are lighthouses, beaches, fishing villages, and thousands of offshore islands, including the [[Isles of Shoals]] which straddle the New Hampshire border. There are jagged rocks and cliffs and many bays and inlets. Inland are lakes, rivers, forests, and mountains. This visual contrast of forested slopes sweeping down to the sea has been summed up by American poet [[Edna St. Vincent Millay]] of [[Rockland, Maine|Rockland]] and [[Camden, Maine|Camden]], in "Renascence":<ref>{{Cite web|last=St. Vincent Millay|first=Edna|date=|others=Edna St. Vincent Millay|title=Renascence by Edna St. Vincent Millay {{!}} Poetry Foundation|url=https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/55993/renascence%257Ctitle=Renascence%257Cwebsite=Poetry|access-date=October 26, 2022|website=Poetry Foundation|language=en-US}}</ref>
[[File:Portland-Head-Lighthouse.jpg|thumb|The Maine coast and [[Portland Head Light]]]]
[[File:Shoreline_between_Gorham_Mountain_trailhead_and_Sand_Beach_(6598fb47-208e-4940-a5fa-8f8b000b14ee).jpg|thumb|Rocky shoreline in [[Acadia National Park]]]]

{{poemquote|All I could see from where I stood
Was three long mountains and a wood;
I turned and looked the other way,
And saw three islands in a bay.|sign=Edna St. Vincent Millay|title=Renascence}}

Geologists describe this type of landscape as a "drowned coast", where a rising sea level has invaded former land features, creating bays out of valleys and islands out of mountain tops.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.answers.com/topic/drowned-coast?cat=technology|title=Answers—The Most Trusted Place for Answering Life's Questions|website=Answers.com|access-date=September 11, 2015}}</ref> A rise in land elevation due to the melting of heavy glacier ice caused a slight rebounding effect of underlying rock; this land rise, however, was not enough to eliminate all the effect of the rising sea level and its invasion of former land features.

Much of Maine's geomorphology was created by extended glacial activity at the end of the [[Quaternary glaciation|last ice age]]. Prominent glacial features include [[Somes Sound]] and Bubble Rock, both part of Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island. Carved by glaciers, Somes Sound reaches depths of {{convert|175|ft|m|-1}}. The extreme depth and steep drop-off allow large ships to navigate almost the entire length of the sound. These features also have made it attractive for boat builders, such as the prestigious [[Hinckley Yachts]].

Bubble Rock, a [[glacial erratic]], is a large boulder perched on the edge of Bubble Mountain in [[Acadia National Park]]. By analyzing the type of granite, geologists discovered that glaciers carried Bubble Rock to its present location from near [[Lucerne, Maine|Lucerne]], {{convert|30|mi|km}} away. The [[Iapetus Suture]] runs through the north and west of the state, being underlain by the ancient [[Laurentia|Laurentian terrane]], and the south and east underlain by the [[Avalonia|Avalonian terrane]].

Acadia National Park is the only national park in New England. Areas under the protection and management of the [[National Park Service]] include:<ref>{{cite web|title=Maine|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=July 16, 2008|url=http://www.nps.gov/state/me|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080703061048/http://www.nps.gov/state/me/|archive-date=July 3, 2008}}</ref>
* [[Acadia National Park]] near [[Bar Harbor, Maine|Bar Harbor]]
* [[Appalachian Trail|Appalachian National Scenic Trail]]
* Maine Acadian Culture in [[Saint John River (Bay of Fundy)|St. John Valley]]
* [[Roosevelt Campobello International Park]] on [[Campobello Island]] in [[New Brunswick]], Canada, operated by both the U.S. and Canada, just across the [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt Bridge]] from Lubec
* [[Saint Croix Island International Historic Site]] at [[Calais, Maine|Calais]]
* [[Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument]]

Lands under the control of the state of Maine include:
* [[List of Maine state parks|Maine State Parks]]
* [[Maine Wildlife Management Areas (WMA)]]

===Climate===
{{See also|Climate change in Maine}}[[File:Fall_Foliage_Buttermilk_Falls_Gulf_Hagas.jpg|left|thumb|Autumn in the [[Hundred-Mile Wilderness]]]]
[[File:Köppen Climate Types Maine.png|thumb|[[Köppen climate classification|Köppen climate types]] of Maine, using 1991–2020 [[Climatological normal|climate normals]]]]
[[File:Bangor Maine.JPG|thumb|left|Winter in [[Bangor, Maine|Bangor]]]]

Maine has a humid continental climate ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''Dfb''), with warm and sometimes humid summers, and long, cold and very snowy winters. Winters are especially severe in the northern and western parts of Maine, while coastal areas are moderated slightly by the [[Atlantic Ocean]], resulting in marginally milder winters and cooler summers than inland regions. Daytime highs are generally in the {{convert|75|–|85|F|C}} range throughout the state in July, with overnight lows in the high 50s{{spaces}}°F (around 15{{spaces}}°C). January temperatures range from highs near {{convert|30|F|C|abbr=on}} on the southern coast to overnight lows averaging below {{convert|0|F|C|abbr=on}} in the far north.<ref name="usgs_a">{{cite news|url=http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=2135|access-date=November 6, 2011|title=New All Time Low Temperature Recorded in Maine|date=February 10, 2009|last=Lent|first=Robert|agency=U.S. Geological Survey}}</ref>

The state's record high temperature is {{convert|105|°F|°C|abbr=on}}, set in July 1911, at North Bridgton.<ref name="usatoday">{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/weather/wheat7.htm|access-date=February 11, 2009|title=Each state's high temperature record|date=August 2006|newspaper=[[USA Today]]}}</ref>
Precipitation in Maine is evenly distributed year-round, but with a slight summer maximum in northern/northwestern Maine and a slight late-fall or early-winter maximum along the coast due to "[[nor'easter]]s" or intense cold-season rain and snowstorms. In coastal Maine, the late spring and summer months are usually driest—a rarity across the Eastern United States. Maine has fewer days of thunderstorms than any other state east of the [[Rocky Mountains|Rockies]], with most of the state averaging fewer than twenty days of [[thunderstorm]]s a year. [[Tornado]]es are rare in Maine, with the state averaging two per year, although this number is increasing. Most severe thunderstorms and tornadoes occur in the southwestern interior portion of the state,<ref name="Annual average number of tornadoes">[http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/img/climate/research/tornado/small/avgt5304.gif] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111016174155/http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/img/climate/research/tornado/small/avgt5304.gif|date=October 16, 2011}} NOAA National Climatic Data Center. Retrieved on October 24, 2006.</ref> where summer temperatures are often the warmest and the atmosphere is thus more unstable compared to northern and coastal areas.<ref>{{cite web|title=Summary of July 1st Tornadoes in Maine|url=https://www.weather.gov/media/gyx/tornado_forweb.pdf}}</ref> Maine rarely sees the direct landfall of [[tropical cyclone]]s, as they tend to recurve out to sea or are rapidly weakening by the time they reach the cooler waters of Maine.

In January 2009, a new record low temperature for the state was set at [[Big Black River (Saint John River)|Big Black River]] of {{convert|-50|°F|°C|abbr=on}}, tying the New England record.<ref name="usgs_a" />

Annual precipitation varies from {{convert|909|mm|in|abbr=on|order=flip}} in [[Presque Isle, Maine|Presque Isle]] to {{convert|1,441|mm|in|abbr=on|order=flip}} in Acadia National Park.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=National Climatic Data Center|title=NOAA's 1981–2010 Climate Normals|url=http://www.currentresults.com/Weather/Maine/average-yearly-precipitation.php}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin:auto;"
|+Average daily maximum and minimum temperatures for selected cities in Maine<ref name="Maine climate averages">{{cite web|url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/city.php3?c=US&s=ME&statename=Maine-United-States-of-America|title=Maine climate averages|publisher=Weatherbase|access-date=November 9, 2015}}</ref>
|-
!Location
!July (°F)
!July (°C)
!January (°F)
!January (°C)
|-
|[[Portland, Maine|Portland]] || 78/59 || 26/15 || 31/13 || −0/−10
|-
|[[Lewiston, Maine|Lewiston]] || 81/61 || 27/16 || 29/11 || −2/−12
|-
|[[Bangor, Maine|Bangor]] || 79/57 || 26/14 || 27/6 || −2/−14
|-
|[[Augusta, Maine|Augusta]] || 79/60 || 26/15 || 27/11 || −2/−11
|-
|[[Presque Isle, Maine|Presque Isle]] || 77/55 || 25/13 || 20/1 || −6/−17
|}

===Flora and fauna===
{{Main|Fauna of Maine}}Maine exhibits a diverse range of flora and fauna across its varied landscapes, including forests, coastline, and wetlands. Forested areas consist primarily of coniferous and deciduous trees, such as [[Abies balsamea|balsam fir]], [[Acer saccharum|sugar maple]], and its state tree, the [[Pinus strobus|Eastern white pine]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Index of Species: Forest Trees of Maine: Handbooks & Guides: Publications: Division of Forestry: Maine ACF|url=https://www.maine.gov/dacf/mfs/publications/handbooks_guides/forest_trees/individual_spp_index.html|access-date=February 15, 2024|website=www.maine.gov}}</ref> Coastal regions are characterized by hardy [[Lysimachia maritima|sea milkwort]], [[Suaeda|sea-blight]], [[Myrica|bayberry]], and the invasive [[Rosa rugosa|rugosa rose]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Coastal Beach|url=https://www.maine.gov/dacf/mnap/features/communities/coastal_beach.pdf|access-date=February 15, 2024|website=Maine.gov}}</ref>

Maine's terrestrial fauna comprises mammals such as [[moose]], [[American black bear|black bears]], and [[white-tailed deer]], along with smaller species like [[red squirrel]]s, [[snowshoe hare]]s, and [[raccoon]]s. Maine has the largest populations of moose and black bears in the contiguous United States.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Mammals: Species Information: Wildlife: Fish & Wildlife: Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife|url=https://www.maine.gov/ifw/fish-wildlife/wildlife/species-information/mammals/index.html|access-date=February 15, 2024|website=www.maine.gov}}</ref> Avian diversity is evident with migratory birds like [[piping plover]]s, [[American oystercatcher]], and [[northern harrier]], as well as resident species like [[black-capped chickadee]]s, [[Jay|blue jays]], and [[barred owl]]s. Wetlands provide habitat for amphibians such as [[spotted salamander]]s, [[wood frog]]s, and toads. Freshwater habitats support fish species like [[brook trout]], [[landlocked salmon]], and multiple [[Game fish|gamefish]], while marine life in offshore waters includes [[Atlantic puffin]]s, [[harbor seal]]s, [[minke whale]]s, and [[American lobster|lobster]]. Maine's abundance of lobster makes the state the largest producer of lobster in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Species Information {{!}} Department of Marine Resources|url=https://www.maine.gov/dmr/science/species-information|access-date=February 15, 2024|website=www.maine.gov}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Lobster {{!}} Maine Secretary of State Kids' Page|url=https://www.maine.gov/sos/kids/about/wildlife/lobster#:~:text=At%20present,%20Maine%20is%20the,producing%20state%20in%20the%20nation.|access-date=February 15, 2024|website=www.maine.gov}}</ref>