Pennsylvania SVG is a state in the northeast of the United States. Its area is 117.4 thousand square kilometers, and it is home to 12.6 million people (the 6th largest population in the United States). It was founded on December 12, 1787, becoming the second state of the USA.
The name of the state comes from the Latin Penn Sylvania, which means “Land and forests of Penn”. This name was given to the state for a reason: in 1681, King Charles II of England gave the lands that are now part of modern Pennsylvania SVG to the young Quaker William Penn. This gift was a thank-you to William’s father, Admiral Penn (and the repayment of the king’s debt to him), after whom the colony was named. At first it was a refuge for Quakers and others persecuted for their faith. The name of the state of Philadelphia is also linked to the name of William Penn. In Greek, the word means “City of Brotherly Love,” which he built specifically for Protestants.
The capital of Pennsylvania SVG is Harrisberg, located in the south-east of the state. Philadelphia, the largest city in the state and the fifth largest in the USA, is located 170 km west of the city. Pennsylvania’s second largest city is located in the east of the state, Pittsburgh. Maybe Pittsburgh wouldn’t have become such a big city if there hadn’t been any mineral deposits found in the vicinity of the city. Today it is not only a major mining centre, but also a developing industrial city. Thanks to its coal deposits, Pennsylvania is also known as the coal state.
Pennsylvania SVG is in many ways the first state in the United States. And although historically it was the second state, it was here that the first newspaper was issued, the first sugar factory was built, the first bank, the first university, the first social hospital were opened, and the first steamer was launched. Pennsylvania was the first among North American states to pass a law on the liberation of slaves – in 1790. Since then, the motto of the state is Virtue, Liberty and Independence, and its unofficial name is “State of Independence.