Jump to content

Pennsylvania

Edit links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Ram-Man (talk | contribs) at 18:24, 17 September 2002. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.


http://meta.wikipedia.com/upload/us-pa.gif

Pennsylvania is a commonwealth and one of the states of the United States of America. It has given its name to the Pennsylvanian time period in geology. It was founded as a colony by William Penn, and the name is from "Penn's Woods" which in Latin is 'pennsylvania'. It was originally founded as a place of religious freedom for Quakers. Pennsylvania is called the Keystone State.

Pennsylvania is bordered on the north and northeast by New York, on the east, across the Delaware River by New Jersey, on the south by Delaware, Maryland, and West Virginia, on the west by Ohio, and on the northwest by Lake Erie. The Delaware, Susquehanna, Monongahela, Allegheny, and Ohio Rivers are the major rivers of the state. The capital is Harrisburg. As of 2000, the population was 12,281,054. When Pennsylvania became a state, it had a population of about 300,000.

Pennsylvania's government is unique as it was based on consensus rather than voting.

Pennsylvania was the second of the thirteen colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution and became the second state on December 12, 1787. At that time its "lower three" counties (New Castle, Kent, and Sussex) were split off as the state of Delaware. Although he was born in Boston, Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin was one of the most important figures in Pennsylvania's history.

Pennsylvania is 180 miles north to south and 310 miles east to west. The total land area is 45,888 square miles, 739,200 acres of which are bodies of water. It is the 33rd largest state in the United States. The highest point of 2,213 feet above sea level is at Mt. Davis. The lowest point is 0 feet above sea level on the Delaware River. Pennsylvania is in the Eastern time zone.

State Information

Counties

For the 67 Pennsylvania counties see List of Pennsylvania counties

Major Cities:

Pennsylvania is also the site of Gettysburg, the site of the Battle of Gettysburg, the major battle of the American Civil War, and of the Gettysburg National Cemetery.

Colleges and Universities

Professional Sports Teams

Wondering how to edit this State Entry?
The WikiProject U.S. States standards might help.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pennsylvania&oldid=225797"