Introduction:
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (IPA: /ˌpɛn.səlˈveɪ.njə]]/) is a state located in the Middle Atlantic region of the United States of America.

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. Penn knew of the hostility Quakers faced when they opposed rituals, oaths, violence, and ostentatious frippery.

Pennsylvania has also been known as the Keystone State since 1802, 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.

Pennsylvania has of coastline along Lake Erie and of shoreline along the Delaware Estuary. Philadelphia is Pennsylvania's largest city and is home to a major seaport and shipyards on the Delaware River.



Capital: Harrisburg

Geography: Pennsylvania is north to south and east to west. The highest point of above sea level is at Mount Davis, which was named for its owner, John Davis, a schoolteacher who fought for the Union Army at the Battle of Gettysburg. The lowest point is at sea level on the Delaware River, and the approximate mean elevation is. Pennsylvania is in the Eastern time zone.

The original southern boundary of Pennsylvania was supposed to be at 40° North latitude, but as a result of a bad faith compromise by Lord Baltimore during Cresap's War, the king's courts moved the boundary south The city of Philadelphia, at 40°0'N 75°8'W,



Economy - overview:
Pennsylvania's 2005 total gross state product (GSP) of $430.31 billion

Philadelphia in the southeast corner and Pittsburgh in the southwest corner are urban manufacturing centers, with the "t-shaped" remainder of the state being much more rural; this dichotomy affects state politics as well as the state economy. In all, Pennsylvania is home to 49 Fortune 500 companies.

The largest private employer in the state is Wal-Mart, followed by the University of Pennsylvania, United Parcel Service and Giant Food. The largest manufacturing employer is Merck.

The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development offers resources for business, community, site development, and concerned citizens at http://newpa.com/.

Manufacturing

States cannot thrive by "taking in each other's laundry", Although Pennsylvania is known as a coal state, mining only amounts to 0.6% of the state's economy, compared to 1.3% for the country as a whole.

Agriculture

Pennsylvania ranks 19^th overall in agricultural production, but 1^st in Mushrooms, 3^rd in Christmas trees and layer chickens, 4^th in nursery and sod, milk, corn for silage, and horse production. Only about 9,600 of the state's 58,000 farmers have sales of $100,000 or more, and with production expenses equaling 84.9% of sales, most not only have a net farming income below the $19,806 that marks poverty for a family of four, but are liable for a 12.4% self-employment tax as well. The average farmer is 53 and getting older, as young Pennsylvanians find low farming income a tough row to hoe.Many farms in the southeastern part of the state have been sold to housing developers in the past years. This is largely due to rising taxes and land prices, reflecting high demand for land in the nations fifth largest metropolitan area. Bucks and Montgomery counties were the first to suburbanize, but this trend is now extending to Chester, Lancaster, Berks, and Lehigh counties.

Tourism

Pennsylvania draws 2.1% of the Gross State Product from Accommodation and Food Services. Only Connecticut, Delaware and Iowa have lower numbers, and Nevada gets a whopping 14.2% of their GSP that way. Philadelphia draws tourists to see the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, the Franklin Institute and the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, while The Poconos attract honeymooners, golfers and fishermen, and the Delaware Water Gap and Allegheny National Forest appeal to boaters, hikers, and nature lovers. Fourteen slots casinos, the majority of which are either in the process of being awarded licenses from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board or are under construction, are expected to make up a good portion of tourism in the Commonwealth.

The state government launched an extensive tourism campaign in 2003 under the direction of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. An extensive website has been established to promote visits to the state.

The Pennsylvania Dutch region in south-central Pennsylvania is a favorite for sightseers. The Pennsylvania Dutch, including the Old Order Amish, the Old Order Mennonites and at least 35 other sects, are common in the rural areas around the cities of Lancaster, York, and Harrisburg, with smaller numbers extending northeast to the Lehigh Valley and up the Susquehanna River valley.

The term "Dutch", when referring to the Pennsylvana Dutch, means "German" or "Teutonic" rather than "Netherlander". Germans, in their own language, call themselves "Deutsch", which in English became, misleadingly, "Dutch". The language "Pennsylvania Dutch" is a dialect of German.