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General Information Nickname: Pine Tree State State bird: Chickadee State flower: White Pine Cone and Tassel Capital: Augusta Date of admission to the Union: 15th Mar 1820 Population: 1,274,923 (2000) Population density: 13.9/sq km 2000 total overseas arrivals/US ranking: 104,000/31 Time: Eastern (GMT - 5). Daylight Saving Time is observed. The State: The passing of a millennium has not altered much in the State of Maine. Forests and lakes still cover 90 per cent of the land, just as they did when Leif Ericson and his band of Viking explorers first set foot on the coast. The length of the Maine coast from Kittery to Lubec still testifies to two vigorous traditions: fishing and shipbuilding. Lobsters are plentiful here and lobster pounds dot the coastline. Visitors should bear in mind that lobster-poaching is a serious offence here. Portland, Maine’s largest city, features a Victorian reconstruction in what is now called the Old Port Exchange. Ferries run to the nearby Casco Bay Islands. Sebago Lake provides opportunities for water-skiing, while Freeport offers scope for budget shopping. A few miles south of Portland is the town of Kennebunk, a popular haunt for authors and artists filled with bookshops and art galleries. To the east is the town’s coastal counterpart, Kennebunkport, the summer home of former US President George Bush and family. In the summer, crowds flock to Camden, 161km (100 miles) northeast of Portland. The Camden Hills State Park offers more than 40km (25 miles) of trails and a harbour view. In Belfast, north of Camden, travellers can enjoy antique sales and flea markets. Further along the coast, boating excursions depart from forested Deer Isle to Isle au Haut, part of Acadia National Park. The pretty village of Bar Harbor makes a good base to visit the carriage roads and hiking trails of the park’s main sector on Mount Desert Island. From www.columbusguides.com, Copyright © 2004 Highbury Columbus Travel Publishing Terms and Conditions apply.