Geography of Pennsylvania

Introduction to Geography of Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania, one of the eastern states of the United States. It is bordered by New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, and Ohio. The state is approximately rectangular in shape.

Pennsylvania is the 33rd largest state. It has an area of 46,058 square miles (119,291 km 2), of which 1,239 square miles (3,208 km 2)are inland water. The state's greatest length (east-west) is about 310 miles (500 km); its maximum width (north-south), 170 miles (270 km).

Physical Geography

Nearly all of Pennsylvania lies within the Appalachian region of the United States. The only non-Appalachian areas are narrow lowlands in the extreme southeast and northwest. In general the Appalachian region divides into three parts, each trending northeast-southwest. They are the Piedmont Plateau, the Ridge and Valley region, and the Allegheny Plateau.

The Piedmont Plateau occupies most of southeastern Pennsylvania. It consists mainly of rolling to moderately hilly terrain, averaging 30 to 50 miles (48 to 80 km) in width. It begins along the fall line, a belt of sloping land extending northeastward from the Delaware border, past Philadelphia, to New Jersey.

The Ridge and Valley region curves in a great are north and west of the Piedmont. The region consists of nearly parallel mountain ridges separated by deep valleys. Included among the ridges are Blue, Jacks, Tuscarora, and South mountains, the latter being the most northerly extension of the Blue Ridge. Chief among the valleys is the Great Valley. It is called the Cumberland Valley southwest of Harrisburg, the Lebanon Valley between Harrisburg and Reading, and the Lehigh Valley between Reading and the Delaware River. Near Stroudsburg, the Delaware River has carved the Delaware Water Gap through Kittatinny Mountain.

The Allegheny Plateau, the state's largest region, covers nearly all the north and the west. Along the plateau's steep eastern edge, called the Allegheny Front, run the Allegheny Mountains. They reach their highest point near the Maryland border at Mount Davis, 3,213 feet (979 m) above sea level, the highest elevation in the state. The rest of the region, including the Pocono Mountains in the northeast, is a rolling to rough tableland deeply cut by rivers. Chief among the deep cuts is Pine Creek Gorge, sometimes called the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania, near Wellsboro in the north-central part of the state.

The Lowlands. The lowland area in extreme southeastern Pennsylvania is part of the Atlantic Coastal Plain and consists of a narrow strip along the lower Delaware River. The northwestern lowland, which borders Lake Erie, is part of the Central Lowlands region of the United States.

Nearly all of Pennsylvania is drained by three river systems: the Ohio, the Susquehanna, and the Delaware. The Ohio River and the rivers that form it, the Allegheny and the Monongahela, drain the west. Flowing through central Pennsylvania is the Susquehanna with its chief tributaries, the West Branch Susquehanna and the Juniata. In the east is the Delaware, the lower part of which is a broad estuary leading to the Atlantic Ocean. Among the Delaware's main tributaries are the Lehigh and Schuylkill rivers.

Except for small glacial lakes in the Pocono Mountains, there are few natural lakes. The largest bodies of water are reservoirs, among which are Allegheny and Pymatuning reservoirs in the northwest, Raytown Lake in the south, and Lake Wallenpaupack in the northeast.

Pennsylvania has a continental climate that varies mainly with topography. Since the winds are predominantly from the west, the Atlantic Ocean has only slight influence on the climate.

Summers are generally warm to hot. The average July temperature in Philadelphia, for example, is 77° F. (25° C.) while the average at Pittsburgh is 72° F. (22° C.). Nearly everywhere daytime temperatures occasionally rise above 90° F. (32° C.).

Winters normally are cold. Average temperatures for January, the coldest month, are 32° F. (0° C.) at Philadelphia and 28° F. (-2° C.) at Pittsburgh.

Precipitation is fairly evenly distributed throughout the state and throughout the year. Annual amounts generally range between 35 and 45 inches (890 and 1,140 mm). Snowfall is heavy in the mountains and along the Lake Erie shore—usually exceeding 54 inches (1,372 mm) a year. The southeastern counties receive only about 20 inches (510 mm).

Economy

Service industries make up the largest portion of Pennsylvania's economy. About 80 per cent of the state's workers are employed by these industries. Pennsylvania is also an important manufacturing state.

Community, business, and personal services form Pennsylvania's leading service industry. This includes such businesses as professional sports franchises, and private health care. Philadelphia is home to some of the nation's leading law firms. Pittsburgh has many engineering firms. The Philadelphia and Pittsburgh areas are also national financial centers. Several large holding companies and banks have headquarters located in the two areas. Tourism is also important throughout Pennsylvania.

Until the 1970's, Pennsylvania's economy relied heavily on manufacturing steel and machinery. The state still ranks among the leading producers of these items, but they are now much less important to the economy. The leading types of goods produced in the state today are chemicals, especially pharmacuticals, and processed foods and beverages. Most of the manufacturing is located in the southeastern and southwestern parts of the state, centering on Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Some of the nation's largest corporations have their headquarters in these areas.

Because so much of Pennsylvania is hilly to mountainous and lacks good soil, only about 25 per cent of the land—mainly in the Piedmont Plateau and in the Great Valley—is used for farming. The Piedmont, home to the Pennsylvania Dutch (Pennsylvanians of German descent), has long been one of the most productive and prosperous farming areas in the nation.

Milk is the state's leading source of farm income. In milk production, Pennsylvania normally ranks among the top states in the nation. Hay, cattle, corn, eggs, and mushrooms are also major agricultural products.

Pennsylvania's leading fruit crops are apples, peaches, and grapes. Other important sources of agricultural income in the state are nursery and greenhouse products.

By value of output, Pennsylvania ranks among the top states in coal production. Bituminous coal is the leading product. Anthracite is mined in eastern Pennsylvania. Limestone, petroleum, and natural gas are also produced in the state. The world's first drilled well producing commercial quantities of petroleum was at Titusville in 1859.

Plant life. Forests cover about 60 per cent of Pennsylvania. Mixtures of hardwood and softwood trees are found in the north and on the higher ridges in the south. They consist mainly of beeches, birches, hemlocks, maples, and pines. Hardwoods, including hickories, oaks, and walnuts, grow chiefly in the lowlands of the southeast and southwest.

Despite its hilly to mountainous terrain, Pennsylvania has long had a highly developed transportation network. Among the numerous Interstate highways are the Pennsylvania Turnpike (I–76) and the Keystone Shortway (I–80), which cross the state from east to west and link the Atlantic Coast and the Midwest.

The state has ready access to three kinds of water transportation: ocean shipping via Philadelphia and other ports on the Delaware River; Great Lakes shipping by way of Erie's port; and barging on the Ohio River. The busiest air terminals are the international airports at Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

Population

Pennsylvania ranks sixth among the states in population. The population density is 274.0 persons per square mile (105.8 per km 2), almost 4 times that of the nation as a whole. Whites make up 85.4 per cent of the population. Of the nonwhites, blacks are the largest group, accounting for 10 per cent.

Education

The secretary of education, who heads the state department of education, has overall responsibility for public elementary and secondary education. The secretary is appointed by the governor. School attendance is compulsory from age 8 to 17.

The Frame of Government drawn up by William Penn in 1683 stipulated that education in reading, writing, and some trade be provided to all children of the colony. The William Penn Charter School was opened; Philadelphia in 1689.

In 1827 the Pennsylvania Society for Promotion of Public Schools was organized. Through its efforts and those of Governor George Wolf, the Free School Act of 1834 was passed. This act—the basis of the present public school system—created school districts, required a three-month school term, and provided tax appropriations for free schools. The Normal School Act of 1857 established teacher-training institutions.

In 1740 a charity school was opened in Philadelphia; it developed into the College and Academy of Philadelphia in 1755 and became the University of Pennsylvania in 1791. )

Pennsylvania State University is a coeducational state-supported institution of higher learning and a land-grant college. Its main campus is at University Park. There branch campuses throughout the state, including the Hershey Medical Center at Heshey shey The university was chartered in 1855 and first offered college-level instruction in 1859.

Government

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (the state's official designation) is governed under its fifth constitution, adopted in 1968.

The state's executive officials include the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, treasurer, and auditor general. All are elected for four-year terms and may not serve more than two consecutive terms. The secretary of the commonwealth is appointed by the governor.

The state legislature, called the General Assembly, is composed of two houses. The Senate consists of 50 members, elected for four-year terms. The House of Representatives has 203 members, who serve two-year terms.

The judicial branch consists of a supreme court and several classes of lower courts. The judges of all state courts are elected by the people.

Pennsylvania is divided into 67 counties. The state is represented in Congress by 2 senators and 19 representatives.