Outline of Pennsylvania explained

See also: Index of Pennsylvania-related articles. 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. 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

Names
- Common name: Pennsylvania
  - Pronunciation:
- 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

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

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

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

Government and politics of Pennsylvania

Politics of Pennsylvania

Branches of the government of Pennsylvania

Government of Pennsylvania

Executive branch of the government of Pennsylvania

Legislative branch of the government of Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania General Assembly (bicameral)
- Upper house: Pennsylvania Senate
- Lower house: Pennsylvania House of Representatives

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

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
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
  - Battle of Germantown, October 4, 1777
  - Siege of Fort Mifflin, September 26 to November 16, 1777
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
    - 47th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment
    - Gettysburg Campaign, June 9 – July 14, 1863
      - Battle of Gettysburg, July 1–3, 1863
      - Gettysburg Address, November 19, 1863

History of Pennsylvania, by region

By county

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

By municipality

History of Pennsylvania, by subject

List of Pennsylvania state legislatures
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

Cuisine of Pennsylvania
Museums in Pennsylvania
Religion in Pennsylvania
- Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania
Scouting in Pennsylvania
State symbols of Pennsylvania

The Arts in Pennsylvania

Music of Pennsylvania

Sports in Pennsylvania

Sports in Pennsylvania

Economy and infrastructure of Pennsylvania

Economy of Pennsylvania

Communications in Pennsylvania
Allentown economy
Energy in Pennsylvania
Health care in Pennsylvania
- Hospitals in Pennsylvania
Transportation in Pennsylvania
- Airports in Pennsylvania
- Roads in Pennsylvania
  - Interstate Highways in Pennsylvania

Education in Pennsylvania

Schools in Pennsylvania
- School districts in Pennsylvania
  - High schools in Pennsylvania
- Colleges and universities in Pennsylvania
  - Cedar Crest College (1867)
  - DeSales University (1964)
  - Lafayette College (1826)
  - Lehigh University (1865)
  - Moravian College (1742)
  - Muhlenberg College (1848)
  - University of Pennsylvania (1740)
  - University of Pittsburgh (1787)
  - Lincoln University (Pennsylvania) (1854)
  - Pennsylvania State University (1855)
  - Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (1857)
  - Temple University (1884)

Notes and References

Barry Popik, Smoky City, barrypopik.com website, March 27, 2005
Web site: U.S. Census Bureau State & County QuickFacts Pennsylvania. 2011-11-18. https://web.archive.org/web/20141006065329/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/42000.html. 2014-10-06. dead.