Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (/ˌpɛnsɪlˈveɪniə/ ⓘ PEN-sil-VAY-nee-ə, lit. 'Penn's forest'),[7] officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania[b] (Pennsylvania Dutch: Pennsylvanie),[8] is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. Pennsylvania borders Delaware to its southeast, Maryland to its south, West Virginia to its southwest, Ohio and the Ohio River to its west, Lake Erie and New York to its north, the Delaware River and New Jersey to its east, and the Canadian province of Ontario to its northwest.
This article is about the U.S. state. For other uses, see Pennsylvania (disambiguation).
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvanie (Pennsylvania Dutch)
December 12, 1787 (2nd)
Austin Davis (D)
Bob Casey Jr. (D)
John Fetterman (D)
9 Democrats
8 Republicans (list)
46,055 sq mi (119,283 km2)
44,816.61 sq mi (116,074 km2)
1,239 sq mi (3,208 km2) 2.7%
170 mi (273 km)
283 mi (455 km)
1,100 ft (340 m)
3,213 ft (979 m)
0 ft (0 m)
13,002,700
290/sq mi (112/km2)
$68,957[3]
Pennsylvanian
Pennamite
Pennsylvanier (Pennsylvania Dutch)
None
Pa., Penn., Penna.
39°43′ to 42°16′ N
74°41′ to 80°31′ W
Firefly (Colloquially "Lightning Bug") (Photuris pensylvanica)
Hazleton
Pennsylvania is the fifth-most populous state in the United States, with over 13 million residents as of the 2020 United States census.[4] The state is the 33rd-largest by area and has the ninth-highest population density among all states. The largest metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is the southeastern Delaware Valley, which includes and surrounds Philadelphia, the state's largest and nation's sixth-most populous city. The second-largest metropolitan area, Greater Pittsburgh, is centered in and around Pittsburgh, the state's second-largest city. The state's subsequent five most populous cities are Allentown, Reading, Erie, Scranton, and Bethlehem.[9][10] The state capital is Harrisburg.
Pennsylvania's geography is highly diverse. The Appalachian Mountains run through the center of the state; the Allegheny and Pocono mountains span much of Northeastern Pennsylvania; close to 60% of the state is forested. While it has only 140 miles (225 km) of waterfront along Lake Erie and the Delaware River,[11] Pennsylvania has the most navigable rivers of any state in the nation, including the Allegheny, Delaware, Genesee, Ohio, Schuylkill, Susquehanna, and others.
Pennsylvania was founded in 1681 through a royal land grant to William Penn, son of the state's namesake. Prior to that, between 1638 and 1655, a southeast portion of the state was part of New Sweden, a Swedish Empire colony. Established as a haven for religious and political tolerance, the colonial-era Province of Pennsylvania was known for its relatively peaceful relations with native tribes, innovative government system, and religious pluralism.
Pennsylvania played a vital and historic role in the American Revolution and the ultimately successful quest for independence from the British Empire, hosting the First and Second Continental Congress leading to the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.[12] On December 12, 1787, Pennsylvania became the second state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.[13] The bloodiest battle of the American Civil War, at Gettysburg over three days in July 1863, proved the war's turning point, leading to the Union's preservation. Throughout the late 19th and 20th centuries, the state's manufacturing-based economy contributed to the development of much of the nation's early infrastructure, including key bridges, skyscrapers, and military hardware used in U.S.-led victories in World War I, World War II, and the Cold War.
Since the state's 1787 founding, a number of influential Pennsylvanians have proven national and global leaders in their respective fields. Pennsylvania also has accumulated a lengthy list of firsts among U.S. states, including founding the nation's first library (1731), the first social club (1732), the first science organization (1743), the first Lutheran church (1748), the first hospital (1751), the first medical school (1765), the first daily newspaper (1784), the first arts institution (1805), the first theatre (1809), the first business school (1881), and other firsts among the nation's 50 states.
Nicknames[edit]
Since 1802, Pennsylvania has been known as the Keystone State, which remains the state's most popular and widely-used nickname.[232] The nickname "Keystone State" originates with the agricultural and architectural term "keystone", and is based on the central role that Pennsylvania played geographically and functionally among the original Thirteen Colonies from which the nation was established, the important founding documents, including the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution, that were signed and ratified in Pennsylvania, and the early central role that Pennsylvania played in the nation's early manufacturing and agricultural economic development.[233][234][235]
Less commonly, Pennsylvania is sometimes referred to as the Coal State, the Oil State, and the Steel State, each developed in recognition of the important role these respective industries played in the state in the 19th and 20th centuries.[236] The State of Independence appears on several present road signs entering Pennsylvania from neighboring states.
Pennsylvania residents and those of surrounding states commonly refer to Pennsylvania by the state's abbreviation, PA.[237][238][239][240]
While it is no longer in common use, Pennsylvania was historically sometimes referred to by the nickname Quaker State during the colonial era[241] based on the influential role that William Penn and other Quakers played in establishing the first frame of government constitution for the Province of Pennsylvania that guaranteed liberty of conscience, which was a reflection of Penn's knowledge of the hostility Quakers confronted when they opposed religious rituals, taking oaths, violence, war, and military service, and what they viewed as ostentatious frippery.[242][243][244][245]
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