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Pennsylvania (the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania) is one of four states of the United States of America that is called a commonwealth. It has given its name to the Pennsylvanian time period in geology. Pennsylvania is called the Keystone State.
Although Swedes and Dutch were the first European settlers, the Quaker William Penn named Pennsylvania for the Latin phrase meaning "Penn's woodlands", in honor of his father. Today, two major cities dominate the state -- Philadelphia, home of the Liberty Bell, Constitution Hall, and a thriving metropolitan area, and Pittsburgh, a busy inland river port.
Pennsylvania is one of the nation's most historic states. Philadelphia is often called the cradle of the American Nation. It was here that the Declaration of Independence and the ConstitutionLaw for the United States of America The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America and is the oldest written national constitution still in force. It was completed on September 17, 1787, with its adoption by the were drawn up by the Founding FathersThe Founding Fathers of the United States also known to some Americans as the Fathers of Our Country the Forefathers Framers or the Founders are the men who signed the Declaration of Independence, United States Constitution or otherwise participated in th. The Pocono Mountains and the Delaware Water GapThe Delaware Water Gap is a geologic formation on the border of New Jersey and Pennsylvania, where the Delaware River traverses a large ridge of the Appalachian Mountains. The Worthington State Forest is to the immediate northeast on the New Jersey side o provide popular recreational activities.
The so-called "Pennsylvania Dutch" region in south-central Pennsylvania is another favorite of sightseers. Pennsylvania Germans, including the AmishThe Amish are a denomination of Anabaptists related to the Mennonites, most of whom are noted for their avoidance of modern devices such as automobiles and electricity. History Holmes County, Ohio, the site of the one of the largest concentration of Amish and the Mennonites, dominate the area around the cities of Lancaster, York, and Harrisburg, with smaller numbers extending northeast to the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton area and up the Susquehanna River valley. Most of the Old Order AmishThe Amish are a denomination of Anabaptists related to the Mennonites, most of whom are noted for their avoidance of modern devices such as automobiles and electricity. History Holmes County, Ohio, the site of the one of the largest concentration of Amish have left the area, but many Mennonites remain, particularly in Lancaster County. Some adherents eschew modern conveniences and use horse-drawn farming equipment and carriages, while others are virtually indistinguishable from non-Amish or Mennonites.
(The term "Dutch" is a misnomer, as none of these groups are of Dutch origin; the German adjective for "German", "Deutsch", was misheard as "Dutch" and the name stuck.)
The battleship USS PennsylvaniaThe second USS Pennsylvania (BB-38 was the lead ship of her class of US Navy "super-dreadnought" battleships. She was laid down October 27 1913, by the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, Newport News, Virginia. She was launched on March 16 19, damaged at Pearl Harbor, was named in honor of this state, as were several other naval vessels.