Description: Detailed large map of Maine State, USA showing cities, towns, county formations, roads highway, US highways and State routes.
Map of Maine (USA). Maine map with cities, counties, and towns. Use this detailed map to understand Maine's full county grid, every administrative capital (county seat), the major cities and towns, bordering states and waters, and a few highway cues for orientation only. It is the best map style for residents, travelers, and geography students who want clarity without road clutter. All 16 counties are shown here, each shaded separately so the grid reads at a glance, and the Penobscot, Kennebec, and Androscoggin rivers act as the main orientation lines running through the interior, alongside the St. John and Saco. Light corridor cues for I-95, I-295, US-1, US-2, and US-201 help place the state's population centers clearly: Portland in Cumberland County, Lewiston in Androscoggin County, Bangor in Penobscot County, and the state capital Augusta in Kennebec County.
Borders and waters at a glance: Maine's western edge meets New Hampshire across York, Oxford, and Franklin counties, and the entire north and east border Canada: Aroostook and Washington counties touch New Brunswick, while Aroostook, Somerset, Franklin, and Oxford touch Quebec further northwest. The rest of the state faces water. The Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine define the entire southern and eastern coastline, from the beaches of southern York County up through Downeast Washington County.
Road-light orientation: A handful of corridors do the orienting here. I-95 is the spine, running from the Kittery gateway through Portland, Augusta, and Bangor up to Houlton at the Canadian line. US-1 traces the coast the whole way, from York through the Midcoast and on into Downeast Maine and Calais. US-2 cuts east–west across the interior toward New Hampshire, US-201 follows the Kennebec north to Jackman and Quebec, and I-295 loops around Portland. None of these are meant for turn-by-turn navigation, just for placing one town relative to the next.
Aroostook County alone covers the entire northern third of the map, the largest county in Maine by land area and one of the largest counties east of the Mississippi, big enough that Mainers just call it “The County.” Houlton is the county seat, sitting on I-95 at the New Brunswick border crossing. Presque Isle and Caribou anchor the potato-farming heart of the county, while Fort Kent, Madawaska, and Van Buren line the St. John River valley along the Canadian line, an area with deep Acadian French roots. The county borders both New Brunswick and Quebec.
South of Aroostook along the coast, Washington County holds the seat Machias, with Calais and Eastport labeled near Passamaquoddy Bay and the St. Croix River marking the New Brunswick border. West of Washington, Hancock County's seat is Ellsworth, the gateway to Mount Desert Island, Bar Harbor, and Acadia National Park across Frenchman Bay.
Inland, Penobscot County centers on Bangor, its seat and Maine's third-largest city, with Brewer, Orono, and Old Town labeled along the Penobscot River and I-95 running straight through. West of Bangor, Piscataquis County, seat Dover-Foxcroft, opens into the state's largest lake country around Moosehead Lake and Greenville, the gateway to Maine's North Woods.
Along the Western Mountains and high country, Somerset County's seat is Skowhegan, with US-201 tracing the Kennebec River valley north to Jackman and the Quebec line. Franklin County centers on Farmington with the Rangeley Lakes near the Canadian border. Oxford County's seat is Paris (South Paris), with Norway, Rumford, and Fryeburg labeled along the Androscoggin and Saco systems, and the New Hampshire line running the length of the county's western edge.
At Maine's center, Kennebec County's seat is Augusta, the state capital, on the Kennebec River, with Waterville, Gardiner, and Hallowell nearby. East of Augusta, Waldo County's seat is Belfast on Penobscot Bay, and just south, Knox County's seat is Rockland, with Camden and Thomaston on the harbor. The peninsulas southwest of Knox make up Lincoln County, seat Wiscasset, with Damariscotta and Boothbay Harbor. Sagadahoc County, Maine's smallest county by land area, has its seat at Bath, the shipbuilding city where the Kennebec meets the sea.
The Androscoggin valley holds Androscoggin County, seat Auburn, paired across the river with Lewiston, Maine's second-largest city. South of there, Cumberland County, seat Portland, is the state's most populous county, with South Portland, Westbrook, Brunswick, Scarborough, and Sebago Lake all inside its borders. Finally York County anchors Southern Maine at the New Hampshire line, seat Alfred, with the coastal cities of Kittery, Sanford, Biddeford, and Saco, and the Piscataqua River marking the state line at Maine's southern gateway.
Four rivers do most of the orientation work on this page. The Penobscot River traces the center-north past Bangor to Penobscot Bay. The Kennebec River runs from the Moosehead Lake area through Augusta and Bath to the sea. The Androscoggin River threads Rumford, Lewiston-Auburn, and Brunswick before joining the Kennebec near Merrymeeting Bay. The St. John River marks the far-north border with New Brunswick and Quebec. Keep these four in mind and any county on the map is easy to place.
The road layer is intentionally minimal. I-95 runs Kittery-Portland-Augusta-Bangor-Houlton, Maine's main north-south spine. I-295 loops around Portland as a short urban bypass. US-1 traces the entire coast from Kittery to Calais. US-2 crosses the interior east-west from Bangor to Bethel and New Hampshire. US-201 follows the Kennebec north from Augusta through Skowhegan to Jackman and the Quebec line. None of these are meant for turn-by-turn navigation, only as county-placement cues.
Every one of Maine's 16 counties and its seat, in alphabetical order: Androscoggin County (Auburn), Aroostook County (Houlton), Cumberland County (Portland), Franklin County (Farmington), Hancock County (Ellsworth), Kennebec County (Augusta), Knox County (Rockland), Lincoln County (Wiscasset), Oxford County (Paris), Penobscot County (Bangor), Piscataquis County (Dover-Foxcroft), Sagadahoc County (Bath), Somerset County (Skowhegan), Waldo County (Belfast), Washington County (Machias), and York County (Alfred).
Maine borders New Hampshire to the west, across York, Oxford, and Franklin counties, and Canada to the north and east: Aroostook and Washington counties border New Brunswick, while Aroostook, Somerset, Franklin, and Oxford border Quebec. The state holds 16 counties, the smallest number of any New England state. Aroostook County is the largest by land area at about 6,671 square miles, nearly the size of Connecticut and Rhode Island combined, while Sagadahoc County is the smallest at about 254 square miles. Cumberland County is the most populous with roughly 314,000 residents, and Piscataquis County is the least populous with roughly 17,400 residents despite being Maine's second-largest county by area. York County is the oldest, established in 1652 as Yorkshire under the Massachusetts Bay Colony, making it one of the oldest counties in the United States. Maine covers about 35,380 square miles in total, with roughly 30,845 square miles of land. The capital, Augusta, sits in Kennebec County on the Kennebec River, and the state's major population centers run from Portland and the Greater Portland suburbs through Lewiston-Auburn to Bangor, with Aroostook's Presque Isle and Caribou anchoring the far north. Landscape-wise, the state moves from the sandy beaches and rocky headlands of the southern coast through the Midcoast's drowned river valleys and island bays, inland to lake-studded highlands around Moosehead and Katahdin, and north into the broad farm country of the St. John Valley.
Maine's ten largest cities and towns by current population are Portland (roughly 69,600, Cumberland County), Lewiston (roughly 38,300, Androscoggin County), Bangor (roughly 31,900, Penobscot County), South Portland (roughly 26,900, Cumberland County), Auburn (roughly 24,600, Androscoggin County), Scarborough (roughly 23,200, Cumberland County), Brunswick (roughly 22,300, Cumberland County), Sanford (roughly 22,300, York County), Biddeford (roughly 22,400, York County), and Westbrook (roughly 20,600, Cumberland County). Fishing and lobstering anchor the coastal economy, with Maine landing the large majority of the nation's lobster catch through ports like Rockland, Stonington, and Portland. Forestry and paper still run deep through the interior, particularly around the North Woods and Piscataquis and Somerset counties, even though the industry has shrunk from its twentieth-century peak. Bath Iron Works in Sagadahoc County has built Navy destroyers on the Kennebec since the 1890s, one of the state's largest employers. Tourism drives the coast and the western mountains alike, from Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park in Hancock County to the ski resorts around Sunday River in Oxford County and Sugarloaf in Franklin County. Aroostook County's potato fields remain a major agricultural export, and the Portland area in Cumberland County has grown into a hub for healthcare, biotech, and craft brewing.
Maine's cultural identity runs from the sea inland. Lighthouses and maritime heritage define the coast, from Portland Head Light in Cumberland County to the working harbors of Stonington and Vinalhaven. In the far north, the St. John Valley towns of Madawaska, Fort Kent, and Van Buren in Aroostook County carry a distinct Acadian French heritage, with French still commonly spoken and the annual Acadian Festival held in Madawaska. Literary Maine runs from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's birthplace in Portland to Stephen King's home base in Bangor, and E.B. White's farm further down the coast in Hancock County. Higher education is spread across the counties too, with the University of Maine's flagship campus in Orono (Penobscot County), Bowdoin College in Brunswick (Cumberland County), Bates College in Lewiston (Androscoggin County), and Colby College in Waterville (Kennebec County). Windjammer festivals along the Midcoast, the Common Ground Country Fair in Unity, and the state's boatbuilding schools all keep Maine's working-waterfront traditions visible well beyond the summer tourist season.
On this map, Mount Katahdin (the North Woods, Piscataquis County) and the Penobscot, Kennebec, and Androscoggin rivers double as landmarks for finding counties quickly. For elevation, terrain, watersheds, and land-cover detail, see our Physical Map of Maine.
Maine has a humid continental climate, with cold, snowy winters and warm summers inland, moderated to milder, foggier conditions along the immediate coast. For a full seasonal and biome breakdown, see our Physical Map of Maine.
North-south travel runs mainly on I-95, Maine's spine from Kittery through Portland, Augusta, and Bangor to Houlton at the Canadian border, with I-295 serving as a short bypass around Portland. East-west travel is thinner: US-2 crosses the interior from Bangor to Bethel and New Hampshire, and US-1 handles the entire coastal run from Kittery to Calais. Keep in mind that ZIP codes do not follow county lines in Maine, so a single ZIP code can span two counties. Always confirm the county name directly from the map or index rather than assuming it from a ZIP prefix.
Use this as a quick index. Every line lists the county with its county seat (and a familiar city when the map labels one). Short cues mention river, border, or gentle corridor context only.
Aroostook – Houlton (Presque Isle and Caribou also shown); I-95 border crossing to New Brunswick; largest county by land area.
Washington – Machias; Calais and Eastport on Passamaquoddy Bay; St. Croix River border.
Hancock – Ellsworth; gateway to Bar Harbor and Mount Desert Island.
Penobscot – Bangor; Brewer and Orono on the Penobscot River; I-95 corridor.
Piscataquis – Dover-Foxcroft; Moosehead Lake and Greenville; second-largest county by area.
Somerset – Skowhegan; US-201 up the Kennebec to Jackman and Quebec.
Franklin – Farmington; Rangeley Lakes near the Canadian line.
Oxford – Paris (South Paris); Norway, Rumford, and Fryeburg; New Hampshire border.
Kennebec – Augusta; the state capital on the Kennebec River.
Waldo – Belfast; upper Penobscot Bay.
Knox – Rockland; Camden and Thomaston harbor towns.
Lincoln – Wiscasset; Damariscotta and Boothbay Harbor peninsulas.
Sagadahoc – Bath; shipbuilding city at the Kennebec mouth; smallest county by land area.
Androscoggin – Auburn (Lewiston across the river); twin-city mill corridor.
Cumberland – Portland; South Portland, Westbrook, Brunswick, Scarborough, and Sebago Lake; most populous county.
York – Alfred; Kittery, Sanford, Biddeford, and Saco; New Hampshire gateway; oldest county.
This directory aligns with what you see on the page: every county, its seat, and a one-line locator that keeps the focus on counties rather than driving steps.
Maine has 16 counties, and the map labels all sixteen with their county seats.
County boundaries and county seats, with only light highway cues for orientation.
Augusta, in Kennebec County, on the Kennebec River.
Cumberland County.
Androscoggin County, across the river from Auburn.
Penobscot County.
York, Oxford, and Franklin counties, along Maine's entire western edge.
Aroostook and Washington border New Brunswick; Aroostook, Somerset, Franklin, and Oxford border Quebec.
York, Cumberland, Sagadahoc, Lincoln, Knox, Waldo, Hancock, and Washington.
Hancock County, seat Ellsworth.
York County.
Houlton is the county seat of Aroostook County, at the I-95 border crossing into New Brunswick.
A thin US-1 cue runs the length of the shoreline for bearings without clutter.
Lincoln County, seat Wiscasset.
Knox County.
Waldo County.
Piscataquis County, near Greenville.
Skowhegan is the seat of Somerset County.
Franklin County.
In Cumberland County, northwest of Portland.
Sagadahoc County, seat Bath.
Lincoln County.
Washington County.
Aroostook County.
From York through Cumberland, Androscoggin, Kennebec, and Penobscot to Aroostook at Houlton.
It is a light cue up the Kennebec River through Kennebec and Somerset counties to Jackman and the Quebec line.
Oxford County.
Franklin County.
Ellsworth, in Hancock County.
York County.
Aroostook County.
No. Printing or copying maps from this site is not permitted.
Aroostook County, at about 6,671 square miles of land, the largest county in Maine.
Sagadahoc County, at about 254 square miles.
Cumberland County, home to Portland, with roughly 314,000 residents.
Piscataquis County, with roughly 17,400 residents.
Portland, in Cumberland County, with roughly 69,600 residents.
York County, established in 1652 as Yorkshire under the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
No. ZIP codes cross county lines, so use the county boundaries and seats shown here instead.
Physical Map of Maine
Physical map and map image of Maine.
Regional Directory of Canada
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Regional Directory of United States of America
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Regional Directory of Europe
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Regional Directory of Australia
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