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Lieutenant Governor = Joseph B. Scarnati III (R) |

Senators = Arlen Specter (D)Bob Casey, Jr. (D) |

Representative=12 Democrats, 7 Republicans|

Date of statehood: December 12, 1787 |

PostalAbbreviation = PA |

TradAbbreviation = Penn. or Penna. |

State Motto = Virtue, Liberty, and Independence |

State Song = ''Pennsylvania'' |

PopRank = 6th |

2000Pop (old) = 12,281,054 |

2000Pop = 12,448,279 (2008 est.) |

DensityRank = 10th |

2000DensityUS = 274.02 |

2000Density = 105.80 |

MedianHouseholdIncome = US$48,576 |

IncomeRank = 26th |

AreaRank = 33rd |

TotalAreaUS = 46,055 |

TotalArea = 119,283 |

LandAreaUS = 44,816|

LandArea = 116,074 |

WaterAreaUS = 1,239 |

WaterArea = 3,208 |

PCWater = 2.7 |

AdmittanceOrder = 2nd |

AdmittanceDate = December 12, 1787 |

TimeZone = Eastern: UTC-5/-4 |

Longitude = 74°41′ W to 80°31′ W |

Latitude = 39°43′ N to 42°16′ N |

WidthUS = 280 |

Width = 455 |

LengthUS = 160 |

Length = 255 |

HighestPoint = Mount Davis |

HighestElevUS = 3,213 |

HighestElev = 979 |

MeanElevUS = 1,099 |

MeanElev = 335 |

LowestPoint = Delaware River based in part upon its central location among the original Thirteen Colonies forming the United States. Pennsylvania is also nicknamed the ''Keystone State'' because of the number of important American documents signed in the state (such as the Declaration of Independence). It was also a keystone state economically, having both the industry common to the North (making such wares as Conestoga wagons and rifles) and the agriculture common to the South (producing feed, fiber, food, and tobacco).

Another one of Pennsylvania's nicknames is the ''Quaker'' ''State''; in colonial times, it was known officially as the ''Quaker Province'', in recognition of Quaker William Penn's ''First Frame of Government'' constitution for Pennsylvania that guaranteed liberty of conscience. He knew of the hostility Quakers faced when they opposed religious ritual, taking oaths, violence, war and military service, and what they viewed as ostentatious frippery.

Pennsylvania has 51 mi km 0 of coastline along Lake Erie and 57 mi km 0 of shoreline along the Delaware Estuary.

Geography

Pennsylvania is 170 mi km 0 north to south and 283 mi km 0 east to west. Of a total 46055 sqmi km2 0, 44817 sqmi km2 0 are land, 490 sqmi km2 0 are inland waters and 749 sqmi km2 0 are waters in Lake Erie. It is the 33rd largest state in the United States.

The bounds of the state are the Mason-Dixon Line (39° 43' N) to the south, the Delaware River to the east, 80° 31' W to the west, and the 42° N parallel to the north, with the exception of a short segment on the western end, where a triangle extends north to Lake Erie. Pennsylvania borders six other states: New York to the north; New Jersey to the east; Delaware and Maryland to the southeast; West Virginia to the southwest, and Ohio to the west. Pennsylvania also shares a water border with Canada.

It has the cities of Philadelphia and Reading in the southeast, Pittsburgh in the southwest, the tri-cities of Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton in the central east, Scranton and Wilkes-Barre in the northeast, and Erie in the northwest, with state capital Harrisburg on the Susquehanna River in the central region of the commonwealth.

Climate

Pennsylvania's diverse topography also produces a variety of climates. Straddling two major zones, the southeastern corner of the state has the warmest climate. Greater Philadelphia lies at the southernmost tip of the humid continental climate zone, with some characteristics of the humid subtropical climate that lies in Delaware and Maryland to the south. Moving toward the mountainous interior of the state, the climate becomes markedly colder, the number of cloudy days increases, and winter snowfall amounts are greater. Western areas of the state, particularly cities near Lake Erie, can receive over 100 inches (254 cm) of snowfall annually, and the entire state receives plentiful rainfall throughout the year.

History

Before the Commonwealth was settled by Europeans, the area was home to the Delaware (also known as Lenni Lenape), Susquehannock, Iroquois, Eriez, Shawnee, and other Native American tribes.

Both the Dutch and the English claimed the both sides of the Delaware River as part of their colonial lands in America. The Dutch were the first to take possession, and this has impact on the history of Pennsylvania. By 1631-06-03, the Dutch had started up the DelMarVa Penninsula by establishing the Zwaanendael Colony on the site of present day Lewes, Delaware. In 1638, Sweden heated up the issue by establishing the New Sweden Colony, centered on Fort Christina, on the site of present day Wilmington, Delaware. New Sweden claimed and, for the most part, controlled the lower Delaware River region (Parts of present Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania), but settled few colonists there. On 1664-03-12, King Charles II of England gave James, Duke of York a Grant that included all of the lands included in the original Virginia Company of Plymouth Grant as well as other lands. This grant was – again – in conflict with the Dutch claim for New Netherland, which included parts of today’s Pennsylvania. On 1664-06-24, The Duke of York sold the portion of his large grant that included present day New Jersey to John Berkeley and George Carteret for a proprietary colony. As of yet, the land was not in English possession, but the sale boxed in the portion of New Netherland on the West side of the Delaware River. The English conquest of New Netherland was commenced on 1664-08-29, when New Amsterdam was coerced to surrender facing the cannons on English ships in New York Harbor. This conquest continued, and was completed in October of 1664, when the English captured Fort Casimir in what today is New Castle, Delaware.

The Peace of Breda between England, France and the Netherlands confirmed the English conquest on 1667-07-21, although there were temporary reversions.

On 1673-09-12, as part of the Third Anglo—Dutch War, the Dutch re-conquered New York Colony/New Amsterdam, the Dutch established three County Courts which went on to become original Counties in present day Delaware and Pennsylvania. The one that later transferred to Pennsylvania was Upland. This was partially reversed on 1674-02-09, when the Treaty of Westminster ended the Third Anglo-Dutch War, and reverted all political situations to the ''Status Quo Ante Bellum''. The English retained the Dutch Counties with their Dutch names. By 1674-11-06, New York reasserted control over the outlying colonies, including Upland, but the names started to be changed to English names by 1674-11-11 . Upland was partitioned on 1678-11-12, producing the general outline of the current border between Pennsylvania and Delaware.

On 1681-02-28, Charles II granted a land charter to William Penn to repay a debt of £20,000 (around $30,000,000 in 2007) owed to William's father, Admiral Penn. This was one of the largest land grants to an individual in history. It was called Pennsylvania, meaning ''Penn's Woods'', in honor of Admiral Penn. William Penn, who had wanted his province to be named ''Sylvania'', was embarrassed at the change, fearing that people would think he had named it after himself, but King Charles would not rename the grant. Penn established a government with two innovations that were much copied in the New World: the county commission and freedom of religious conviction. But it needed a more central location, as for example the Paxton Boys massacres of 1763 had made the legislature aware. So, in 1799 the legislature moved to the Lancaster Courthouse, and the only one to be born in Pennsylvania. The Battle of Gettysburg—-the major turning point of the Civil War—took place near Gettysburg. An estimated 350,000 Pennsylvanians served in the Union Army forces along with 8,600 African American military volunteers. The Hispanic population is greatest in Allentown and Reading and around Philadelphia, with over 20% being Hispanic. It is not clear how much of this change reflects a changing population and how much reflects increased willingness to self-identify minority status.

{{USCensusPop

Pennsylvania's population was reported as 5.9% under 5 and 23.8% under 18, with 15.6% aged 65 or older. Females made up 51.7% of the population.

The five largest ancestry groups self-reported in Pennsylvania are: German (27.66%), Irish (17.66%), Italian (12.82%), English (8.89%) and Polish (7.23%).

A rapid growth in population is occurring in the Lower Susquehanna Valley of Pennsylvania (Particularly Lancaster, York, Gettysburg, and Harrisburg). Most residents are natives of Baltimore, Pittsburgh, or Philadelphia or have jobs in those cities. The population in this region alread exceeds two million.

Religion

Of all the colonies, only in Rhode Island was religious freedom as secure as in Pennsylvania, and one result was an incredible religious diversity, one which continues to this day.

Pennsylvania's population in 2000 was 12,281,054. Of these, 8,448,193 were estimated to belong to some sort of organized religion. According to the Association of religion data archives at Pennsylvania State University, reliable data exists for 7,116,348 religious adherents in Pennsylvania in 2000 following 115 different faiths. Their affiliations, including percentage of all adherents, were:

Pennsylvania is also noted for having the highest concentration of Amish in the United States.

While Pennsylvania owes its existence to Quakers and many of the older trappings of the Commonwealth are rooted in the teachings of the Religious Society of Friends (as they are officially known), practicing Quakers are a small minority today.

Pennsylvania Dutch

The term ''Dutch,'' when referring to the Pennsylvania Dutch, means ''German'' or ''Teutonic'' rather than ''Netherlander.'' Germans, in their own language, call themselves ''Deutsch,'' which in English became, misleadingly, ''Dutch.'' The Pennsylvania Dutch language is a descendant of German, in the West Central German dialect family. The language is only very rarely used as a first language among Pennsylvanians; however, in eastern and south central areas of the state it is a common second language and greatly influences dialect and accent.

Economy

Pennsylvania's 2007 total gross state product (GSP) of $531.31 billion ranks the state 6th in the nation. If Pennsylvania were an independent country, its economy would rank as the 18th largest in the world. On a per-capita basis, Pennsylvania's per-capita GSP of $34,619 ranks 26th among the 50 states. with more located in suburbs like King of Prussia; it's a leader in the financial and insurance industry. Pittsburgh is home to seven Fortune 500 companies, including U.S. Steel, PPG Industries, H.J. Heinz, and Alcoa. but 1st in mushrooms, 3rd in Christmas trees and layer chickens, 4th in nursery and sod, milk, corn for silage, grapes grown (including juice grapes),

Politics

Government of the Commonwealth

Pennsylvania has had five constitutions during its statehood: 1776, 1790, 1838, 1874, and . Prior to that, the province of Pennsylvania was governed for a century by a Frame of Government, of which there were four versions: 1682, 1683, 1696, and 1701. most of which (except Philadelphia) have magisterial district judges (formerly called district justices and justices of the peace), who preside mainly over preliminary hearings in felony and misdemeanor offenses, all minor (summary) criminal offenses, and small civil claims.

Taxation

Sales tax provides 39% of Commonwealth's revenue; personal income tax 34%; motor vehicle taxes about 12%, and taxes on cigarettes and alcohol beverage 5%.

Counties, municipalities, and school districts levy taxes on real estate. In addition, some local bodies assess a wage tax on personal income. Generally, the total wage tax rate is capped at 1% of income but some municipalities with home rule charters may charge more than 1%. Thirty-two of the Commonwealth's sixty-seven counties levy a personal property tax on stocks, bonds, and similar holdings.

Representation in the 111th Congress

Pennsylvania's two U.S. Senators in the 111th Congress are Arlen Specter and Bob Casey, Jr.

Pennsylvania's U.S. Representatives for the term beginning January 2009 are Robert Brady (1st), Chaka Fattah (2nd), Kathy Dahlkemper (3rd), Jason Altmire (4th), Glenn ''G.T.'' Thompson (5th), Jim Gerlach (6th), Joe Sestak (7th), Patrick Murphy (8th), Bill Shuster (9th), Chris Carney (10th), Paul E. Kanjorski (11th), John Murtha (12th), Allyson Schwartz (13th), Michael F. Doyle (14th), Charlie Dent (15th), Joe Pitts (16th), Tim Holden (17th), Tim Murphy (18th), and Todd Russell Platts (19th).

Regional strength

In the past decade, no political party has been clearly dominant in Pennsylvania. This, combined with Pennsylvania's rank of 6th in the country in population, has made it one of the most important swing states. Democrats are strong in urban Philadelphia and the areas of Pittsburgh, Reading, Allentown, Erie, Johnstown, State College and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Republicans are generally dominant in the areas of Altoona, York, Lancaster, Williamsport, Harrisburg, and the vast rural areas that make up the balance of the Commonwealth. Traditionally, Republicans have also fared well in the densely populated and wealthy suburbs of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, but in the 1990s and 2000s many of these suburbs began to associate more with the Democratic Party.

Since 1992, Pennsylvania has been trending Democratic in Presidential elections, voting for Bill Clinton twice by large margins, and slightly closer in 2000 for Al Gore. In the 2004 Presidential Election, Senator John F. Kerry beat President George W. Bush in Pennsylvania 2,938,095 (50.92%) to 2,793,847 (48.42%). Most recently, in the 2008 Presidential Election, Democrat Barack Obama defeated Republican John McCain in Pennsylvania, 3,184,778 (55%) to 2,584,088 (44%).