11/28/04                                                                                                  By: Ellie

Pennsylvania was one of the original 13 colonies in the United States. It became a state in 1787. Pennsylvania was named after its founder a Quaker named William Penn. Its nickname is the Keystone State. Pennsylvania's state motto is “virtue, liberty and independence. Its capital is Harrisburg. Its state flower is the Mountain laurel and its state tree is the Eastern hemlock.

Its state bird is the Ruffed grouse. Its state insect is the ladybug and the firefly and the state dog is the Great Dane. The state mammal is the white tailed deer and the state fish is the Brook trout. Its state fossil is called a Trilobite.

It takes up about 46,058 square miles with a population of about 12,281,054. Its major industries are steel, farming (corn, oats, soybeans, mushrooms), mining (iron, Portland, cement, limestone), electronics equipment, cars and pharmaceuticals.  Its major rivers are the Allegheny River, Susquehanna River, Delaware River and the Ohio River. Its major lake is called Lake Erie. Its highest point is Mt. Davis 3,213 feet above sea level. The constitution was created in Pennsylvania. You can even see the original copy in Philadelphia. Pennsylvania has lots of important history in the museums there.