Acadia National Park, 48,419 acres (19,603 hectares), SE Maine, on the Atlantic coast; est. as Sieur de Monts National Monument 1916, designated Lafayette National Park 1919, renamed 1929. The first national park in the E United States, it occupies a major portion of Mount Desert Island, Isle au Haut and several smaller islands, and the southern tip of Schoodic Peninsula. Almost completely surrounded by the sea, the park is characterized by a rugged, glacier-scoured interior with numerous valleys, lakes, and peaks, and a wave-eroded coastline. A variety of land and sea life, both plant and animal, as well as several museums and nature centers are found in Acadia. See National Parks and Monuments (table)national parks and monuments (table).
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