Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It 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 via Lake Erie. Pennsylvania's most populous city is Philadelphia.
Pennsylvania | |
|---|---|
| Commonwealth of Pennsylvania | |
| Nickname: The Keystone State | |
| Motto(s): Virtue, Liberty and Independence | |
| Anthem: "Pennsylvania" | |
 Location of Pennsylvania within the United States | |
| Country | United States |
| Before statehood | Province of Pennsylvania |
| Admitted to the Union | December 12, 1787 (2nd) |
| Capital | Harrisburg |
| Largest city | Philadelphia |
| Largest county or equivalent | Philadelphia |
| Largest metro and urban areas | Delaware Valley |
| Government | |
| • Governor | Josh Shapiro (D) |
| • Lieutenant Governor | Austin Davis (D) |
| Legislature | General Assembly |
| • Upper house | State Senate |
| • Lower house | House of Representatives |
| Judiciary | Supreme Court of Pennsylvania |
| U.S. senators | John Fetterman (D) Dave McCormick (R) |
| U.S. House delegation | 10 Republicans 7 Democrats (list) |
| Area | |
• Total | 46,055 sq mi (119,283 km2) |
| • Land | 44,816.61 sq mi (116,074 km2) |
| • Water | 1,239 sq mi (3,208 km2) 2.7% |
| • Rank | 33rd |
| Dimensions | |
| • Length | 170 mi (273 km) |
| • Width | 283 mi (455 km) |
| Elevation | 1,100 ft (340 m) |
| Highest elevation | 3,213 ft (979 m) |
| Lowest elevation (Delaware River at Delaware border) | 0 ft (0 m) |
| Population (2024) | |
• Total |  13,078,751 |
| • Rank | 5th |
| • Density | 291.8/sq mi (112.7/km2) |
| • Rank | 9th |
| • Median household income |  $73,800 (2023) |
| • Income rank | 28th |
| Demonyms | Pennsylvanian Pennamite Pennsylvanier (Pennsylvania Dutch) |
| Language | |
| • Official language | English |
| • Spoken language | |
| Time zone | UTC– 05:00 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC– 04:00 (EDT) |
| USPS abbreviation | PA |
| ISO 3166 code | US-PA |
| Traditional abbreviation | Pa., Penn., Penna. |
| Latitude | 39°43′ to 42°16′ N |
| Longitude | 74°41′ to 80°31′ W |
| Website | pa |
| List of state symbols | |
|---|---|
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.svg) | |
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| Living insignia | |
| Amphibian | Eastern Hellbender |
| Bird | Ruffed grouse |
| Dog breed | Great Dane |
| Fish | Brook trout |
| Flower | Mountain laurel |
| Insect | Firefly (Colloquially "Lightning Bug") (Photuris pensylvanica) |
| Mammal | White-tailed deer |
| Tree | Eastern hemlock |
| Inanimate insignia | |
| Beverage | Milk |
| Dance | None |
| Food | None |
| Fossil | Trilobite |
| Soil | Hazleton |
| State route marker | |
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| State quarter | |
 Released in 1999 | |
| Lists of United States state symbols | |
Pennsylvania was founded in 1681 through a royal land grant to William Penn, the son of the state's namesake. Before that, between 1638 and 1655, a southeast portion of the state was part of New Sweden, a Swedish 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 later 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 in Philadelphia, which formed the Continental Army and elected George Washington as its commander in 1775 during the American Revolutionary War, and unanimously adopted the Declaration of Independence the following year. In 1787, following the establishment of the nation's independence, the Constitution of the United States, now the world's oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution, was written at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, and was ratified in Philadelphia the following year. On December 12, 1787, Pennsylvania was the second state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.
In July 1863, during the American Civil War, the Battle of Gettysburg, fought over three days in and around Gettysburg, was the deadliest battle of both the Civil War and of any battle in American military history, with over 50,000 Union and Confederate fatalities. But the success of the Union army at Gettysburg in repelling Confederate general Robert E. Lee's attempt to invade the North also proved the Civil War's turning point, leading to the Union's preservation. Recognizing the Union army's extraordinary sacrifice at Gettysburg, U.S. president Abraham Lincoln visited the Gettysburg Battlefield later that year, where he delivered his historic 271-word Gettysburg Address, widely considered one the most famous speeches in American history.
In the late 19th and 20th centuries, Pennsylvania's manufacturing-based economy blossomed, contributing to the development of much of the nation's early infrastructure, including key bridges, skyscrapers, and much of the military hardware that allowed the U.S. to prevail in World War I, World War II, and the Cold War. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, however, the nation's heavy manufacturing base struggled. The nation's two largest steel manufacturers, U.S. Steel in Pittsburgh and Bethlehem Steel in Bethlehem, confronted unprecedented competitive practices from foreign manufacturers and other threats to their historic industry leadership. In 1982, Bethlehem Steel reported an unexpected loss of US$1.5 billion, and abruptly announced that it was suspending most of its operations. The company, which subsequently declared bankruptcy and was dissolved, is often cited as one of the most prominent examples of the impact of deindustrialization in the nation's Rust Belt during the late 20th century.
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, and close to 60% of the state is forested. Although it has no ocean shoreline, it has 140 miles (225 km) of waterfront along Lake Erie and the tidal Delaware River.
Pennsylvania is the fifth-most populous state in the United States, with over 13 million residents as of the 2020 United States census, its highest decennial census count ever. The state is the 33rd-largest by area and has the ninth-highest population density among all states. The largest metropolitan statistical area is the southeastern Delaware Valley, including and surrounding 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.
