The Province of Pennsylvania also known as the Pennsylvania Colony, is founded in English North America by William Penn on March 4, 1681 as dictated in a royal charter granted by King Charles II.

The name Pennsylvania, which translates roughly as "Penn's Woods", is created by combining the Penn surname (in honor of William's father, Admiral Sir William Penn) with the Latin word sylvania, meaning "forest land."

The Province of Pennsylvania is one of the two major Restoration colonies, the other being the Province of Carolina.

The proprietary colony's charter remains in the hands of the Penn family until the American Revolution, when the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is created and becomes one of the original thirteen states.