Pennsylvania was founded in 1681 through a royal land grant to William Penn, the son of the commonwealth's namesake. Before that, between 1638 and 1655, a southeast portion of the state was part of New Sweden, a Swedish colony.

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Where is Pennsylvania? Pennsylvania is in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, Ohio, New Jersey, and New York. Pennsylvania covers an area of 46,055 square miles.

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.

In 2026, Pennsylvania will be at the center of it all. From Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, our Commonwealth will host major sporting events and help mark the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding where so much of America’s story began.

Pennsylvania is nicknamed “The Keystone State,” which points to its key role in the history of the United States. The term “keystone” comes from architecture and refers to the stone in an arch that holds all the other stones together.

Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state located in the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Maryland to its south, forming the Mason-Dixon Line, West Virginia to its southwest, Ohio to its west, the Canadian province of Ontario to its northwest via Lake Erie, New York to its ...