• Maine’s coast is dotted by more than 1,100 islands, according to the U.S. Geological Survey and charts of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey.

• The total only includes “real islands, which means they have dry land, are surrounded by water and support some life,” says “The Coast of Maine” by Louise Dickinson Rich.

• They include groups such as the islands of Casco Bay and Penobscot Bay, the Isles of Shoals (split between Maine and New Hampshire), larger islands like Mount Desert and Vinalhaven, and the far-flung Monhegan and Matinicus. Maine’s outermost lighthouse is perched on an island known locally as “The Rock” five miles south of Matinicus.

• The islands, some of which were settled more than two centuries ago, have colorful names that often reflect their past. Some examples: Pound of Tea, Junk of Pork, Eastern Ear, East and West Brown Cow, the Hypocrites, the Cockolds, Ministerial Island, Despair, the Shivers, Bombazeen and Bum Key. There are 13 Sheep Islands, 15 Bar Islands and six Thrumcaps.

By The Associated Press