Population: 12.3 million

Capital: Harrisburg

Statehood: Dec. 12, 1787

Total area: 46,058 square miles

Land area: 44,820

Water area: 1,239

Location: 40.276N, 076.884W

Governor: Edward Rendell

State animal: White-tailed deer

State beverage: Milk

State beautification and conservation plant: Penngift crown vetch

State dog: Great Dane

State fish: Brook trout

State flagship: U.S. Brig Niagara

State flower: Mountain laurel

State fossil: Phacops rana (a small, water animal)

State game bird: Ruffed grouse

State insect: Firefly

State locomotive: Pennsylvania Railroad K4s

State motto: Virtue, liberty and independence

State song: “Pennsylvania,” by Eddie Khoury and Ronnie Bonner

State tree: Eastern hemlock

Highest point: Mount Davis at 3,213 feet

Lowest point: Delaware River at sea level.

rigin of state name: Named in honor of Admiral William Penn, father of the state’s founder, William Penn

Nickname: Keystone state

Nickname origin: The keystone is the central, wedge-shaped stone in an arch that holds the other stones together. Pennsylvania has a key position in the economic, social and political development of the U.S.

Border States: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and West Virginia