Established as a haven for religious and political tolerance, the colonial-era Province of Pennsylvania was known for its relatively peaceful relations with native tribes, innovative government system, and religious pluralism. Pennsylvania was founded in 1681 through a royal land grant to William Penn, son of the state's namesake a southeast portion of the state was once part of the colony of New Sweden. While it has only 140 miles (225 km) of waterfront along Lake Erie and the Delaware River, Pennsylvania has the most navigable rivers of any state in the nation, including the Allegheny, Delaware, Genesee, Ohio, Schuylkill, Susquehanna, and others. The Appalachian Mountains run through the center of the state the Allegheny and Pocono mountains span much of Northeastern Pennsylvania close to 60% of the state is forested. Pennsylvania's geography is highly diverse. The state's subsequent five most populous cities are Allentown, Reading, Erie, Scranton, and Bethlehem. The second-largest metropolitan area, Greater Pittsburgh, is centered in and around Pittsburgh, the state's second-largest city. The largest metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is the southeastern Delaware Valley, which includes and surrounds Philadelphia, the state's largest and nation's sixth-most populous city.

The state is the 33rd-largest by area and has the ninth-highest population density among all states.

Pennsylvania is the fifth-most populous state in the United States, with over 13 million residents as of the 2020 United States census. Pennsylvania borders Delaware to its southeast, Maryland to its south, West Virginia to its southwest, Ohio to its west, Lake Erie and the Canadian province of Ontario to its northwest, New York to its north, and the Delaware River and New Jersey to its east. Pennsylvania ( / ˌ p ɛ n s ɪ l ˈ v eɪ n i ə/ ⓘ PEN-sil- VAY-nee-ə Pennsylvania German: Pennsilfaani), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States.

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