Outline of Pennsylvania

The Flag of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

The obverse of the Great Seal of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

The location of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the United States of America

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the United States Commonwealth of Pennsylvania:

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is the fifth most populous of the 50 states of the United States of America. Pennsylvania lies west of the Delaware River in the Mid-Atlantic United States.

King Charles II of England granted William Penn a charter for a Colony of Pennsylvania in 1681. Philadelphia, the capital of the colony, soon rose to become the most populous city of British America. As Britain attempted to tighten its grip on its American colonies, many prominent Pennsylvanians called for greater independence for British America. The upper and lower counties of Pennsylvania (now known as Delaware) joined eleven other British colonies in declaring their autonomy with signing of the United States Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776.

The newly independent state chose the moniker "Commonwealth of Pennsylvania" as a token of its prominence and autonomy in the Americas. The American states prevailed in the American War of Independence which concluded with the Treaty of Paris of 1783. The Constitution of the United States was written in convention at Philadelphia in 1787. The State of Delaware and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania became the first two states to ratify the new Constitution, thus Pennsylvania is ranked as the second state to join the Union.

General reference[]

An enlargeable map of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Names
- Common name: Pennsylvania
  - Pronunciation: /ˌpɛnsəlˈveɪniə, -sɪlˈ-/ (listen)
- Official name: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (also known as the State of Pennsylvania)
- Abbreviations and name codes
  - Postal symbol: PA
  - ISO 3166-2 code: US-PA
  - Internet second-level domain: .pa.us
- Nicknames
  - Liberty Bell State
  - Independence State
  - Keystone State^[1]
  - Quaker State
Adjectival: Pennsylvania
Demonym: Pennsylvanian

Geography of Pennsylvania[]

Geography of Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania is: a U.S. state, a federal state of the United States of America
Location
- Northern hemisphere
- Western hemisphere
  - Americas
    - North America
      - Anglo America
      - Northern America
        United States of America
        Contiguous United States
        Eastern United States
        East Coast of the United States – though Pennsylvania does not include any actual coastline, it is generally considered to be part of the Eastern Seaboard region.
        Northeastern United States
        
        Mid-Atlantic states
        
        Great Lakes Region
Population of Pennsylvania: 12,702,379 (2010 U.S. Census^[2])
Area of Pennsylvania:
Atlas of Pennsylvania

Places in Pennsylvania[]

Places in Pennsylvania

Historic places in Pennsylvania
- Abandoned communities in Pennsylvania
  - Ghost towns in Pennsylvania
- National Historic Landmarks in Pennsylvania
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Pennsylvania
  - Bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania
National Natural Landmarks in Pennsylvania
State parks in Pennsylvania

Environment of Pennsylvania[]

Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future
Climate of Pennsylvania
Geology of Pennsylvania
Protected areas in Pennsylvania
- State forests of Pennsylvania
Superfund sites in Pennsylvania
Wildlife of Pennsylvania
- Fauna of Pennsylvania
  - Birds of Pennsylvania
  - Mammals of Pennsylvania

Natural geographic features of Pennsylvania[]

Lakes of Pennsylvania
Rivers of Pennsylvania

Regions of Pennsylvania[]

Northern Pennsylvania
- Northeastern Pennsylvania
- Northwestern Pennsylvania
Southern Pennsylvania
- Southeastern Pennsylvania
- Southwestern Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvania

Administrative divisions of Pennsylvania[]

An enlargeable map of the 67 counties of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

The 67 Counties of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
- Municipalities in Pennsylvania
  - Cities in Pennsylvania
    - State capital of Pennsylvania:
    - City nicknames in Pennsylvania
    - Sister cities in Pennsylvania

Demography of Pennsylvania[]

Demographics of Pennsylvania

Government and politics of Pennsylvania[]

Politics of Pennsylvania

Form of government: U. S. state government
United States congressional delegations from Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania State Capitol
Elections in Pennsylvania
- Electoral reform in Pennsylvania
Political party strength in Pennsylvania

Judicial branch of the government of Pennsylvania[]

Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania

Supreme Court of Pennsylvania

Law and order in Pennsylvania[]

Law of Pennsylvania

Cannabis in Pennsylvania
Capital punishment in Pennsylvania
- Individuals executed in Pennsylvania
Constitution of Pennsylvania
Crime in Pennsylvania
Gun laws in Pennsylvania
Law enforcement in Pennsylvania
- Law enforcement agencies in Pennsylvania
  - Pennsylvania State Police
Same-sex marriage in Pennsylvania

Military in Pennsylvania[]

Local government in Pennsylvania[]

Local government in Pennsylvania

History of Pennsylvania[]

History of Pennsylvania

History of Pennsylvania, by period[]

Indigenous peoples
Indentured servitude in Pennsylvania
Netherlands colony of Nieuw-Nederland, 1624–1652
- History of slavery in Pennsylvania, 1639–1847
Swedish colony of Nya Sverige, 1638–1655
Netherlands province of Nieuw-Nederland, 1652–1664
English Province of New-York, (1664–1681)–1688
English Province of Pennsylvania, 1681–1707
British Colony of Pennsylvania, 1707–1776
French colony of la Louisiane, 1699–(1754–1763)
French and Indian War, 1754–1763
- Treaty of Fontainebleau of 1762
- Treaty of Paris of 1763
British Indian Reserve in western Pennsylvania, 1763–1783
- Royal Proclamation of 1763
American Revolutionary War, April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783
- United States Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776
- Philadelphia campaign, 1777–1778
- Treaty of Paris, September 3, 1783
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania since 1776
- Whiskey Rebellion, 1790s
  - Eighth state to ratify the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, signed July 9, 1778
- Second State to ratify the Constitution of the United States of America on December 11, 1787
- Erie Triangle purchased 1792
- War of 1812, June 18, 1812 – March 23, 1815
  - Treaty of Ghent, December 24, 1814
- Mexican–American War, April 25, 1846 – February 2, 1848
- James Buchanan becomes 15th President of the United States on March 4, 1857
- American Civil War, April 12, 1861 – May 13, 1865
- Pennsylvania in the American Civil War, 1861–1865
  - - Gettysburg Campaign, June 9 – July 14, 1863
      - Battle of Gettysburg, July 1–3, 1863

History of Pennsylvania, by region[]

By county[]

History of Allegheny County
History of Lycoming County
History of Philadelphia County

By municipality[]

History of Erie
History of Harrisburg
History of the Townships of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania
History of Philadelphia
History of Pittsburgh
History of Williamsport

History of Pennsylvania, by subject[]

History of the Pennsylvania State University
History of rail transport in Philadelphia
History of slavery in Pennsylvania
History of veterinary medicine in Pennsylvania
Jewish history in Pennsylvania

Culture of Pennsylvania[]

Culture of Pennsylvania

Cuisine of Pennsylvania
Museums in Pennsylvania
Religion in Pennsylvania
- Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania
Scouting in Pennsylvania
State symbols of Pennsylvania
- Flag of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
- Great Seal of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania