International Conference on Parasitology August 24-26, 2015 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the fifth-most-populous city in

the United States. It is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers, and

it is the only consolidated city-county in Pennsylvania. Popular nicknames for Philadelphia are Philly and The

City of Brotherly Love. Philadelphia is the economic and cultural center of the Delaware Valley, home to 6

million people and the country’s fifth-largest metropolitan area. In 1682, William Penn founded the city to serve

as capital of Pennsylvania Colony. Philadelphia has shifted to an information and service-based economy.

Financial activities account for the largest sector of the metro economy, and it is one of the largest health

education and research centers in the United States. The city is also the nation’s fourth-largest consumer media

market, as ranked by the Nielsen Media Research. Philadelphia is known for its arts and culture. The cheese steak and soft pretzel are emblematic of Philadelphia cuisine, which is shaped by the city’s ethnic mix. The city has more outdoor sculptures and murals than any other American city. Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park is the largest landscaped urban park in the world. Summers are typically hot and muggy, fall and spring are generally mild, and winter is cold.