Geography Circuit

POPULATION: 12,964,056 (2021) – 5th, similar to Guinea, Rwanda

AREA: 119,280 km² or 46,054 mi² – 33rd, similar to North Korea, Malawi

CAPITAL: Harrisburg

OTHER MAJOR CITIES: Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Reading, Erie, Scranton, Bethlehem, Lancaster, Levittown

LANDMARKS:

Fallingwater: Located in the Laurel Highlands, near Flight 93 Memorial; The most famous of a UNESCO-protected group of constructions designed by Frank Lloyd Wright

Poconos Mountains: Popular recreational area in northeast Pennsylvania; overlooks the Delaware Water Gap and the anthracite-rich Wyoming Valley

John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge – Adjacent to Philadelphia’s airport; protects Tinicum Marsh, the largest freshwater marsh left in Pennsylvania

Carrie Blast Furnaces National Historical Park: One of the last remaining pre-World War II steel furnaces; at one point, helped fuel Pittsburgh’s steel industry, which produced over half of American steel

Fort Necessity: One of several important historical sites in Pennsylvania, the place where the French and Indian War first began in 1754

MAJOR BODIES OF WATER:

Ohio River: Longest river flowing through Pennsylvania: Formed by the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers at Pittsburgh

Susquehanna River: Longest river on the US East Coast; formed by two branches which eventually merge; drains over half of Pennsylvania’s area, flowing through Harrisburg

Delaware River: Forms most of Pennsylvania’s eastern border; Receives the Schuylkill River while flowing past Philadelphia

Lake Erie: One of the Great Lakes; Erie, an important port for the state, is on its shorelines along with Presque Isle State Park

Lehigh River: Major tributary of the Delaware River; flows through the Lehigh Valley, which played a major supporting role in the Revolutionary War

MAJOR EXPORTS: Coal (especially anthracite), Medicine/vaccines, Palladium, Petroleum products, Miscellaneous electronics

FUN FACTS:

• Philadelphia has a team for all four major American sports leagues. Pittsburgh has a team for three out of the four, with basketball being the odd one out.
• Despite its importance in the USA’s founding, only one president has come from Pennsylvania, James Buchanan.
• The 72 steps to the Philadelphia Museum of Art were immortalized in the film Rocky III, and have become a major tourist attraction.
• The first true zoo in the US was opened in Philadelphia in 1874.
• Punxsutawney Phil, the star of Groundhog Day, calls Pennsylvania home. Unfortunately, while Phil himself is cool, his predictions aren’t the most accurate.

Image courtesy of Nations Online Project.

Data courtesy of Wikipedia.