| Commonwealth of Pennsylvania | |
| Coordinates | 41°0’NB, 77°30’WL |
| General | |
| Surface | 119.283 km² (2,7% water) |
| Residents | 12.742.886 (110 inhabitants/km²) |
| Capital city | Harrisburg |
| Politics | |
| Governor | Tom Wolf |
| Side | Democratic Party |
| senators | Bob Casey Jr. (D) and Pat Toomey (R) |
| Other | |
| Time zone | Eastern Standard Time (UTC−5) |
| Joined | 12 december 1787 |
| Nickname | Keystone State |
| Lied | Pennsylvania |
| ISO 3166-2 | US-PA |
| Website | pa.gov |
Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, [a] is one of the states of the United States.
Its nickname is “The Keystone State”.
The capital is Harrisburg, the largest city is Philadelphia.
History
The first Europeans to settle in the area were the Dutch and Swedes who, along with the later state of Delaware and western New Jersey, established the colony of New Sweden here in 1638. In 1655, the Dutch conquered the area east of the Delaware that later became the state of New Jersey. On March 4, 1681, British King Charles II donated the area of the former Swedish colony west of the Delaware to William Penn, who founded a Quaker colony there. The state’s name means “land of the forests of Penn” (silva isLatin for “forest”). Founder William Penn, known for his liberalism, made two visits to Germany in the 1970s to recruit pioneers to populate his colony. At the end of the 18th century, the German speakers made up a third of the population, so that the state had to be run bilingually.
William Penn, according to some sources , made a treaty with the natives, the Lenni-Lenape, in 1682. At the beginning of the 18th century, three southern counties split off under the anti-slavery law, forming the Delaware Colony. The Twelve-Mile Circle was the border between the two states. In 1780, a law was signed prescribing the gradual abolition of slavery.
Pennsylvania was one of the thirteen colonies that fought together against English rule (see: American Revolution). On December 12, 1787, five days after Delaware, Pennsylvania became the second state of the United States. The city of Philadelphia served as the federal capital between 1790 and 1800.
In 1859, the world’s first exploitable oil field was found in Titusville. Still, the state became more famous for the coal mining and steel fabrication by Bethlehem Steel. That steel was initially used for the construction of railways, but later for the construction of warships at the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation.
Pennsylvania became a refuge for runaway slaves from the South in the 19th century. During the American Civil War, Pennsylvania sided with the Union. The Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania was a defining moment in that conflict.
Geography
The state of Pennsylvania covers 119,283 km², of which 116,074 km² is land. The state is in the Eastern time zone.
According to JIBIN123.COM, Pennsylvania borders New York State to the north and Lake Erie (Erie Triangle) across the street from which Canada is located. To the west it borders the state of Ohio. It borders West Virginia to the southwest , Maryland to the south, and Delaware and New Jersey to the southeast.
Central Pennsylvania is dominated by the Appalachians; the west and east are flatter. The highest point in Pennsylvania is the peak of Mount Davis (979 m).
The major rivers are the Delaware, which defines the entire eastern border, the Ohio, the Susquehanna, the Allegheny, and the Monongahela.
Demographics
Pennsylvania had 12,281,054 inhabitants (106 per km²).
Major cities are Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Scranton and Allentown. The capital is Harrisburg, which is located between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
Pennsylvania is also known for the Amish who live there. In 2020, their number was estimated at 81,500.
Economy
The gross product of the state amounted to $ 430 billion in 2005.
Administrative division
According to COUNTRYAAH, Pennsylvania is divided into 67 counties.
| County | Inhabitants 1 July, 2007 |
County Seat | Inhabitants 1 July, 2007 |
| Adams | 100.779 | Gettysburg | 8065 |
| Allegheny | 1.219.210 | Pittsburgh | 311.218 |
| Armstrong | 69.059 | Kittanning | 4376 |
| Beaver | 173.074 | Beaver | 4401 |
| Bedford | 49.650 | Bedford | 3006 |
| Berks | 401.955 | Reading | 80.769 |
| Blair | 125.527 | Hollidaysburg | 5491 |
| Bradford | 61.471 | Towanda | 2847 |
| Bucks | 621.144 | Doylestown | 8149 |
| Butler | 181.934 | Butler | 14.040 |
| Cambria | 144.995 | Ebensburg | 2949 |
| Cameron | 5349 | Emporium | 2241 |
| Carbon | 63.242 | Jim Thorpe | 4878 |
| Centre | 144.658 | Bellefonte | 6184 |
| Chester | 486.345 | West Chester | 18.223 |
| Clarion | 40.028 | Clarion | 5271 |
| Clearfield | 81.452 | Clearfield | 6205 |
| Clinton | 37.213 | Lock Haven | 8651 |
| Columbia | 64.726 | Bloomsburg | 12.627 |
| Crawford | 88.663 | Meadville | 13.253 |
| Cumberland | 228.019 | Carlisle | 18.351 |
| Dauphin | 255.710 | Harrisburg | 47.196 |
| Delaware | 554.399 | Media | 5413 |
| Elk | 32.610 | Ridgway | 4150 |
| Erie | 279.092 | Erie | 103.650 |
| Fayette | 144.556 | Uniontown | 11.730 |
| Forest | 6955 | Tionesta | 583 |
| Franklin | 141.665 | Chambersburg | 17.940 |
| Fulton | 14.939 | McConnellsburg | 1044 |
| Greene | 39.503 | Waynesburg | 4167 |
| Huntingdon | 45.556 | Huntingdon | 6810 |
| Indiana | 87.690 | Indiana | 14.827 |
| Jefferson | 45.135 | Brookville | 4004 |
| Juniata | 23.168 | Mifflintown | 827 |
| Lackawanna | 209.330 | Scranton | 72.485 |
| Lancaster | 498.465 | Lancaster | 54.672 |
| Lawrence | 90.991 | New Castle | 24.411 |
| Lebanon | 128.889 | Lebanon | 24.124 |
| Lehigh | 337.343 | Allentown | 107.117 |
| Luzerne | 312.265 | Wilkes-Barre | 41.069 |
| Lycoming | 116.811 | Williamsport | 29.537 |
| McKean | 43.633 | Smethport | 1573 |
| Mercer | 116.809 | Mercer | 2224 |
| Mifflin | 46.941 | Lewistown | 8553 |
| Monroe | 164.722 | Stroudsburg | 6272 |
| Montgomery | 776.172 | Norristown | 31.108 |
| Montour | 17.817 | Danville | 4512 |
| Northampton | 293.522 | Easton | 26.094 |
| Northumberland | 91.003 | Sunbury | 9831 |
| Perry | 45.163 | New Bloomfield | — |
| Philadelphia | 1.449.634 | Philadelphia | 1.449.634 |
| Pike | 58.633 | Milford | 1200 |
| Potter | 16.987 | Coudersport | 2416 |
| Schuylkill | 147.269 | Pottsville | 14.486 |
| Snyder | 38.113 | Middleburg | 1338 |
| Somerset | 77.861 | Somerset | 6398 |
| Sullivan | 6200 | Laporte | 268 |
| Susquehanna | 41.123 | Montrose | 1547 |
| Tioga | 40.681 | Wellsboro | 3250 |
| Union | 43.724 | Lewisburg | 5519 |
| Venango | 54.763 | Franklin | 6711 |
| Warren | 40.986 | Warren | 9440 |
| Washington | 205.553 | Washington | 14.690 |
| Wayne | 51.708 | Honesdale | 4733 |
| Westmoreland | 362.326 | Greensburg | 15.330 |
| Wyoming | 27.835 | Tunkhannock | 1785 |
| York | 421.049 | York | 40.226 |
Politics
The executive branch of the state is headed by a governor, who is directly elected by the voters in the state. In 2014, Tom Wolf of the Democratic Party was elected governor of the state of Pennsylvania. In the election, he defeated incumbent Republican Governor Tom Corbett. Wolf was inaugurated as governor of Pennsylvania on January 20, 2015.
The legislature is made up of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives (Pennsylvania House of Representatives) with 203 members and the Pennsylvania Senate (Pennsylvania State Senate) with 50 members.
Pennsylvania is a key swing state in the US presidential election. This means that it is not clear in advance who will get the majority. The state has twenty electoral votes.
Nickname
Pennsylvania’s nickname, “Keystone State,” refers to a keystone, a stone used as the top stone in an arch above a door or window. Of the 13 original colonies, six were north of Pennsylvania and six south of it; Pennsylvania held the colonies together like a keystone.
Hailing from Pennsylvania
- Robert Fulton (1765-1815), inventor
- James Buchanan (1791-1868), President of the USA
- Frederick Taylor (1856-1915), mechanical engineer
- Gertrude Stein (1874-1946), writer
- Alexander Calder (1898-1976), sculptor
- Tommy Dorsey (1905-1956), band leader
- Rachel Carson (1907-1964), biologist
- James Michener (1907–1997), writer
- Art Blakey (1919-1990), drummer
- Al Martino (1927-2007), zanger
- Keith Haring (1958-1990), painter
