Coordinates: 43°51′33″N 70°09′21″W / 43.859289°N 70.155722°W / 43.859289; -70.155722
The Desert of Maine is a 40-acre (160,000 m2) tract of exposed glacial silt (a sand-like substance, but finer-grained than sand) surrounded by a pine forest near the town of Freeport, Maine, in the United States. The Desert of Maine is not a true desert, as it receives an abundance of precipitation, and the surrounding vegetation is being allowed to encroach on the barren dunes.
The Desert of Maine originated when the Tuttle family purchased and began farming the site beginning in 1797. Failure to rotate their potato crops, combined with land clearance and followed by overgrazing by sheep, led to soil erosion, exposing a dune of sand-like glacial silt. The initial exposed small patch of sand gradually spread and overtook the entire farm. The Tuttles abandoned the land in 1919 when it was purchased for $300 by Henry Goldrup, who converted it to a tourist attraction in 1925.
The site is preserved as a natural curiosity, hosting a gift shop, a sand museum, and a farm museum.
Maine (i/ˈmeɪn/; French: État du Maine) is a state in New England, in the United States. Maine is the 39th most extensive and the 42nd most populous of the 50 U.S. states. It is bordered by New Hampshire to the west, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the east and north, respectively. Maine is the northernmost state in the contiguous United States east of the Great Lakes. It is known for its jagged, rocky coastline; low, rolling mountains; heavily forested interior, and picturesque waterways; and also its seafood cuisine, especially lobster and clams. In spite of its maritime position, it has a continental climate even in coastal areas such as its largest city, Portland. The state capital is Augusta with a population of 19,136 (2010), making it the third least-populous state capital (after Montpelier, Vermont and Pierre, South Dakota) in the nation.
For thousands of years, indigenous peoples were the only inhabitants of the territory that is now Maine. At the time of European encounter, several Algonquian-speaking peoples inhabited the area. The first European settlement in Maine was by the French in 1604 on Saint Croix Island, by Pierre Dugua, Sieur de Mons. The first English settlement in Maine, the short-lived Popham Colony, was established by the Plymouth Company in 1607. A number of English settlements were established along the coast of Maine in the 1620s, although the rugged climate, deprivations, and conflict with the local peoples caused many to fail over the years.
Maine is a given name. Notable people with the name include:
Maine is a state in the United States.
Maine may also refer to: