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Fast Facts
Pennsylvania
state, United States
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Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
- Capital:
- Harrisburg
- Population:
- (2020) 13,002,700; (2022 est.) 12,972,008
- Governor:
- Tom Wolf (Democrat)
- Date Of Admission:
- Dec. 12, 17872
- U.S. Senators:
- Robert P. Casey (Democrat) John Fetterman (Democrat)
Recent News
Jun. 5, 2023, 8:04 PM ET (AP)
Demolition company vows repairs after a blast of air during an implosion damaged nearby homes
May 26, 2023, 1:33 PM ET (AP)
Pennsylvania baseball player fatally struck in the face while dismantling unapproved dugout
May 25, 2023, 10:09 PM ET (AP)
GOP field in Pennsylvania Senate race still wide open as hard-right state lawmaker says he won't run
May 25, 2023, 5:32 PM ET (AP)
Pennsylvania doctor sentenced in West Virginia to 6 months in pain pill scheme
May 24, 2023, 7:21 PM ET (AP)
Shell agrees to pay $10 million for air pollution at massive new Pennsylvania petrochemical plant
Pennsylvania, officially Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, constituent state of the United States of America, one of the original 13 American colonies. The state is approximately rectangular in shape and stretches about 300 miles (480 km) from east to west and 150 miles (240 km) from north to south. It is bounded to the north by Lake Erie and New York state; to the east by New York and New Jersey; to the south by Delaware, Maryland, and West Virginia; and to the west by the panhandle of West Virginia and by Ohio. Harrisburg, nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, ...(100 of 6082 words)