Pennsylvania (State)

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

Flag of Pennsylvania