Here are the highest tides (28 feet in Passamaquoddy Bay), the tastiest potatoes, and the tartest conversation in the country. Flat Yankee twang and the patois of French Canadians make Maine's speech as salty as its sea. Hunters, anglers, canoeists, and campers appreciate its 6,000 lakes and ponds, and summer vacationers enjoy its 3,500 miles of seacoast even though the water is a bit chilly.

Downeasters brag about the state's temperature range from -46° F to 105° F, as well as its famous lobsters. Paper and allied products are the chief manufactured products; machine tools, electronic components, and other metal products are important. Food canning and freezing are major industries. Potatoes, blueberries, poultry, eggs, dairy products, and apples are leading farm crops.

Maine's first settlement (1604) was on St. Croix Island; it lasted one winter. Another early settlement was established near Pemaquid Point. The short-lived Popham Colony, at the mouth of the Kennebec River, built America's first transatlantic trader, the Virginia, in 1607. Until 1819 Maine was a part of Massachusetts. It was admitted to the Union in 1820.

Most of Maine's 17.6 million acres of forest land is open to public recreational use including more than 580,000 acres owned by the state. For more information about recreational use of public and private forestland, contact the Maine Bureau of Public Lands, phone 207/287-3061, or the Maine Forest Service at 207/287-2791.