Major Cities: Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie, Reading, Scranton, Bethlehem
Borders: Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York
Gross Domestic Product (GDP): $600,897 million (2012 U.S. Department of Commerce)
Key Industries: Agriculture including apples, mushrooms, Christmas trees, chickens, and grapes
Electronics equipment, banking, insurance, pharmaceuticals, steel, and food processing
How Pennsylvania got its name: The name Pennsylvania comes from the founder of the English Colony, William Penn. The word sylvania means forest land in Latin.
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Pennsylvania State Symbols
State Nickname: Keystone State
State Slogan: State of Independence; (formerly) Memories Last a Lifetime, You've Got a Friend in Pennsylvania
State Motto: Virtue, liberty, and independence
State flower: Mountain Laurel
State bird: Ruffed Grouse
State fish: Brook trout
State tree: Hemlock
State mammal: White-tailed deer, Great Dane
State foods: Chocolate Chip Cookie
Becoming a State
Date admitted: December 12, 1787
Number admitted: 2
Prior Name: Province of Pennsylvania, then sovereign state in Confederation
Postal Abbreviation: PA
The Geography of Pennsylvania
Total Size: 44,817 sq. miles (source: 2003 Census)
Geographical Low Point: Delaware River at Sea Level (source: U.S. Geological Survey)
Geographical High Point: Mt. Davis at 3,213 feet, located in the county/subdivision of Somerset (source: U.S. Geological Survey)
Central Point: Located in Centre County approx. 2 1/2 miles southwest of Bellefonte (source: U.S. Geological Survey)
Counties: 67 (source: National Association of Counties)
Bodies of Water: Lake Erie, Allegheny Reservoir, Raystown Lake, Delaware River, Susquehanna River, Allegheny River, Monongahela River
Famous People
Guion S. Bluford - First African-American in space
Pennsylvania is called the Keystone State because of its central location of the original 13 colonies.
The Constitution of the United States, the Declaration of Independence, and the Gettysburg Address were all written in Pennsylvania.
The first zoo in America was the Philadelphia Zoo.
The first public school in the American colonies was in Philadelphia.
William Penn founded the colony of Pennsylvania. He was granted the land by King Charles II of England.
The first commercial radio station was KDKA in Pittsburgh. It was founded in 1920.
Hershey is the home of the world's largest chocolate factory and is called the Chocolate Capital of the World. The whole city smells like chocolate. Yummy!
The Philadelphia Zoo, which opened in 1874, is the oldest zoo in the country.
The Liberty Bell, located in Philadelphia, is known as a symbol of American Independence.
