World Country Guide

General Information

Nickname
Keystone State

State bird
Ruffed Grouse

State flower
Mountain Laurel

Capital
Harrisburg

Date of admission to the Union
December 12 1787 (original 13 States; date of ratification of the Constitution)

Population
12,406,292 (official estimate 2004)

Population density
104 per sq km

2003 total overseas arrivals/US ranking
613,000/11

Time
Eastern (GMT - 5). Daylight Saving Time is observed.

The State
Pennsylvania is a region steeped in colourful history. It started out as the ‘Holy Experiment’ of Quaker activist William Penn, Jr. Granted a charter by King Charles II to develop a colony in the New World, Penn selected a lush wooded portion of the countryside, where he vowed to welcome anyone who believed in God. Less than a century later, the country’s Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution at Independence Hall in Philadelphia – now one of the largest cities in the USA – and the American nation was born. A revolution of a very different nature soon followed – the Industrial Revolution. Rich in iron ore, coal and crude oil, Pennsylvania had all the necessary ingredients for a booming steel and iron industry. ‘Hell with the lid off’ was Charles Dickens’ description of Pittsburgh when he visited a city so polluted that street lamps had to be kept on during the day to improve visibility. Today, Pittsburgh is known as a ‘Renaissance city’; what remains of that area is a wealth of cultural and historical landmarks, and the visitor can breathe freely in bright urban landscapes, bustling city sophistication and a great outdoors. Pennsylvania boasts 20 State and 1 National Forest, 116 State Parks, 1 Great Lake (Lake Erie), 50 other natural lakes, 2500 man-made lakes, along with thousands of miles of rivers and streams. The state is also something of a cultural mecca, with many world-class museums, while its citizens represent a rich mix of cultural and ethnic backgrounds.