United States--part: Pennsylvania and New Jersey

How is the land laid out?

Three of the continent's main zones are included in these two states. A tiny stripe of northwest Pennsylvania is in the Eastern Lake Section of the Central Lowland of the Interior Plains. Most of the area lies in the Appalachian Highlands. And southern New Jersey in on the Embayed Section of the Atlantic Coastal Plain.

Of the highlands, western and northern Pennsylvania are in the Appalachian Plateaus. A band from southwest to northeast across central Pennsylvania is within the Middle Section of the Ridge and Valley Province. A small bit of Pennsylvania plus a stripe across northern New Jersey is part of the New England Province. Southeastern Pennsylvania and the rest of northern New Jersey is part of the Piedmont.

Who lives there?

These states are in the part of North America in which English-speakers and Christians are the majority.

There are two¹ cities of world standing: Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

There are numerous tourist attractions within the three cities, including Independence Hall, the region's UNESCO World Heritage Site. Beyond the area, the Morey's Piers Amusement Park in the Cape May, New Jersey area, is popular.

The western part of the area includes part of the Marcellus Shale, a source of natural gas.

Map

Who was there before?

New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania were inhabited by speakers of Algonquian languages like Delaware before the arrival of Europeans. Further west were speakers of Iroquoian languages.

Pontiac's multi-ethnic religion and war against the European invaders spread to parts of Pennsylvania.

The French were the first Europeans in western Pennsylvania, traveling by waterways. The English-speakers seized western Pennsylvania when the United Kingdom defeated France, and subsequently violently displaced the indiginous inhabitants. The English settled the eastern parts of this area earlier, eliminating the natives through disease and war.

rural scene near Strasburg, Pennsylvania, United States

Around the area

north of Pennsylvania's lakeshore
north
east
south of Pennsylvania
west

Footnotes

1. Central and northern New Jersey and one county of Pennyslvania are parts of the New York city metropolitan area, one of the world's largest.