Maine is known especially for its coastline and pine, and both have helped make the state what it is today. Evergreen forests reach right down to the Atlantic shore, along the rocky ocean edge of the Pine Tree State.

Logging, shipping, and shipbuilding in Maine grew form the 1600s onward. The tallest, straightest white pines were perfect for the masts of sailing ships. When two centuries of cutting took most of these giants, loggers turned to woods such as oak and maple to make other products. Maine’s rives were harnessed for hydroelectric power, especially for paper and pulp mills. Shipbuilding cities like Bath and Portland, using first wood and then steel, launched thousands of vessels for military and merchant use and for fishing and lobstering, too.

The cool, moist climate and shallow soils make much of the state’s lands unsuitable for crops. Areas in the Aroostook River Valley have some of the best soils, and they make Maine a big potato producer. Food processing has grown in importance, as has tourism.