Flag of Maine

What the flag looks like

A blue field with the state coat of arms: a moose resting under a pine tree on a shield held by a farmer and a sailor, a North Star and the word DIRIGO above, and MAINE on a banner below.

What it means

The farmer and sailor stand for agriculture and the sea, the pine and moose for the forests, and the North Star for the motto "Dirigo", "I lead".

How to remember it

Maine's seal-on-blue has a moose lying under a pine tree, a farmer and a sailor at the sides, and a single star marked DIRIGO on top.

Fun facts

• In a 2024 referendum, about 55 percent of voters rejected bringing back a version of the 1901 pine tree flag.
• Maine's first state flag, used from 1901 to 1909, was a green pine and blue star on a buff field.

Maine at a glance

Nickname

The Pine Tree State

Statehood

1820

Capital

Augusta

Region

New England

Population

1.4 million

Area

91,633 km²

Flag adopted

1909

Flags often confused with Maine

• Michigan: Maine and Michigan both have a moose in their arms on blue. In Maine the moose lies under a pine tree, with a farmer and sailor beside the shield; in Michigan an elk and a moose hold the shield, with a bald eagle on top.
• Vermont: Maine and Vermont both have arms with a pine tree on blue. Maine's shield has a moose under the pine, held by a farmer and a sailor; Vermont's has a cow and wheat sheaves, with a deer's head on top.
• New Hampshire: Maine and New Hampshire are both a central emblem on blue. New Hampshire's is a round seal of a ship on the stocks in a yellow wreath; Maine's is a shield held by a farmer and a seaman, with "MAINE" below.