Article Outline
The coastline of Maine extends for 367 km (228 mi). However, it is deeply indented with bays, inlets, and river estuaries, and when all these are taken into account, the shoreline is 5,597 km (3,478 mi) long. Many of the larger inlets were formed when the ocean flooded the river valleys after the glaciers melted. The largest harbor is at Portland, on the southwestern coast. Other important harbors include Boothbay, Rockland, Bar Harbor, and Eastsport.
The coast is generally rocky, but there are many miles of beaches on the southwestern coast. More than 1,300 rocky islands lie just off the coast. The largest is Mount Desert Island, much of which forms part of Acadia National Park. Other large islands are Vinalhaven Island, Islesboro, Swans Island, Deer Island, and Isle au Haut. Monhegan Island is also well known.
Maine has a humid continental climate with a moderate summer and a long winter. The climate is generally milder along the coast, particularly in the winter. Average January temperatures in Maine range from about -12°C (about 10°F) in the northern part of the state to about -4°C (about 24°F) along the coast. Average July temperatures range from 17° to 21°C (62° to 70°F) with the southern interior being the warmest and the east coast and north the coolest. However, daytime summer temperatures may reach the lower 30°s C (lower 90°s F), and temperatures in winter have fallen as low as -44°C (-48°F) in the interior.
Precipitation (rainfall and snowfall) in Maine is evenly distributed throughout the year. Most areas receive from 860 to 1,020 mm (34 to 40 in) yearly, although parts of the coast are somewhat wetter. Heavy winter snowfalls are common in central and northern Maine.
The growing season, or period from the last major frost in spring to the first major frost in fall, ranges from about 110 days in the north to 180 days along the southern coast. The first killing frost occurs in late September in most parts of the state, and the last killing frost usually occurs in May.
Most of central and northern Maine has spodosolic soils, which are generally gray, highly acidic, and poor for farming. Southern Maine has mostly gray-brown spodosolic soils, which can be made productive with the proper use of fertilizers. Sandy soils occur in the extreme northeastern part of Maine, which is an important potato-farming region.
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