Maine Highlands
Encyclopedia
The Maine Highlands is now a term used in the Maine tourism industry for a centrally located region that constitutes a large portion of the state of Maine
. The Highlands are made up of Piscataquis
and Penobscot
counties. Formerly known as the Penquis region, the Maine Highlands name was adopted in the late 1990s to better describe the area as a tourism region
.
From the late 19th century through the early 20th century the term was used to refer to the portion of the Appalachian Mountain range
located within Maine. In the late 18th century and early 19th century, this was one of the areas of disputed boundary between the United States and Canada. This lack of a clear boundary in this area and further east in Maine, led to the Aroostook War
, the only war ever declared by a U.S. state on a foreign country. "Maine Highlands" continued to be used to describe that that portion of the border region running through the mountains at least until 1916.
The Highlands lie within the New England-Acadian forests ecoregion
.
See also:
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
. The Highlands are made up of Piscataquis
Piscataquis County, Maine
Piscataquis County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. In 2010, its population was 17,535, making it Maine's least-populous county. Its county seat is Dover-Foxcroft....
and Penobscot
Penobscot County, Maine
Penobscot County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. For U.S. Census statistical purposes, it is part of the Bangor, Maine, New England County Metropolitan Area . As of 2010, the population was 153,923...
counties. Formerly known as the Penquis region, the Maine Highlands name was adopted in the late 1990s to better describe the area as a tourism region
Tourism region
A tourism region is a geographical region that has been designated by a governmental organization or tourism bureau as having common cultural or environmental characteristics. These regions are often named after historical or current administrative and geographical regions. Others have names...
.
From the late 19th century through the early 20th century the term was used to refer to the portion of the Appalachian Mountain range
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...
located within Maine. In the late 18th century and early 19th century, this was one of the areas of disputed boundary between the United States and Canada. This lack of a clear boundary in this area and further east in Maine, led to the Aroostook War
Aroostook War
The Aroostook War was an undeclared nonviolent confrontation in 1838/1839 between the United States and Great Britain over the international boundary between British North America and Maine. The compromise resolution win a mutually accepted border between the state of Maine and the provinces of...
, the only war ever declared by a U.S. state on a foreign country. "Maine Highlands" continued to be used to describe that that portion of the border region running through the mountains at least until 1916.
The Highlands lie within the New England-Acadian forests ecoregion
Ecoregion
An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...
.
See also:
- Geology of the AppalachiansGeology of the AppalachiansThe geology of the Appalachians dates back to more than 480 million years ago. A look at rocks exposed in today's Appalachian Mountains reveals elongate belts of folded and thrust faulted marine sedimentary rocks, volcanic rocks and slivers of ancient ocean floor - strong evidence that these rocks...