Territories of the United States

For the U.S. historical territories, see Historical regions of the United States § Former organized territories. For the forms of U.S. jurisdiction, see U.S. territorial sovereignty. For historical evolution, see Territorial evolution of the United States.

Territories of the United States
Flag of Commonwealth Incorporated/Unincorporated territory Insular area
A world map with the states and territories of the United States highlighted in different colors.
  The 50 states and the District of Columbia
  Compact of Free Association (Palau, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia)
  Incorporated, unorganized territory
  Unincorporated, organized territory
  Unincorporated, organized territory with Commonwealth status[note 1]
  Unincorporated, unorganized territory
Languages
Demonym(s)American
Territories
5 inhabited
9 uninhabited
2 claimed
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Area
• Total
22,294.19 km2 (8,607.83 sq mi)
Population
• 2020 census
3,623,895
CurrencyUnited States dollar
Date formatmm/dd/yyyy (AD)
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Territories of the United States are sub-national administrative divisions overseen by the federal government of the United States. The American territories differ from the U.S. states and Indian reservations as they are not sovereign entities.[note 2] In contrast, each state has a sovereignty separate from that of the federal government and each federally recognized Native American tribe possesses limited tribal sovereignty as a "dependent sovereign nation".[2] Territories are classified by incorporation and whether they have an "organized" government through an organic act passed by the Congress.[3] American territories are under American sovereignty and may be treated as part of the U.S. proper in some ways and not others (i.e., territories belong to, but are not considered part of the U.S.).[4] Unincorporated territories in particular are not considered to be integral parts of the U.S.,[5] and the U.S. Constitution applies only partially in those territories.[6][7][3][8][9]

The U.S. administers three[6][10] territories in the Caribbean Sea and eleven in the Pacific Ocean.[note 3][note 4] Five territories (American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands) are permanently inhabited, unincorporated territories; the other nine are small islands, atolls, and reefs with no native (or permanent) population. Of the nine, only one is classified as an incorporated territory (Palmyra Atoll). Two additional territories (Bajo Nuevo Bank and Serranilla Bank) are claimed by the U.S. but administered by Colombia.[7][12][13] Historically, territories were created to administer newly acquired land, and most eventually attained statehood.[14][15] The most recent territories to become U.S. states were Alaska on January 3, 1959, and Hawaii on August 21, 1959.[16]

Politically and economically, the territories are underdeveloped. Residents of U.S. territories cannot vote in U.S. presidential elections, and they have only non-voting representation in the U.S. Congress.[7] According to 2012 data, territorial telecommunications and other infrastructure are generally inferior to that of the continental U.S. and Hawaii.[17] Poverty rates are higher in the territories than in the states.[18][19]

  1. ^ "Definition of Terms—1120 Acquisition of U.S. Nationality in U.S. Territories and Possessions". U.S. Department of State Foreign Affairs Manual Volume 7—Consular Affairs. U.S. Department of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 22, 2015. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  2. ^ a b Wolf, Richard (June 9, 2016). "Puerto Rico not sovereign, Supreme Court says". USA Today. Archived from the original on December 17, 2019. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
  3. ^ a b "Definitions of Insular Area Political Organizations". U.S. Department of the Interior. June 12, 2015. Archived from the original on July 13, 2018. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Ponsa was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "Chapter 2: Introduction." (PDF). Renewable Resource Management for U.S. Insular Areas—Integrated. Princeton.edu (Report). p. 40. Retrieved July 4, 2019.
  6. ^ a b "What Are The US Territories?". worldatlas.com. Archived from the original on July 24, 2020. Retrieved July 4, 2019.
  7. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference GAO1997 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "Introduction – Harvard Law Review". April 10, 2017. Archived from the original on July 31, 2020. Retrieved July 5, 2019. Harvard Law Review—U.S. Territories: Introduction. April 10, 2017. Retrieved July 2019.
  9. ^ Perez, Lisa Marie (June 2008). "Citizenship Denied: The 'Insular Cases' and the Fourteenth Amendment". Virginia Law Review. 94 (4): 1029–1081. JSTOR 25470577. Archived from the original on July 21, 2019. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference DOI OIA was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ U.S. Insular Areas. Application of the U.S. Constitution (PDF) (Report). United States General Accounting Office. November 1997. p. 39. Retrieved September 19, 2018.
  12. ^ Van Dyke, Jon M.; Richardson, William S. (March 23, 2007). "Unresolved Maritime Boundary Problems in the Caribbean" (PDF). Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 31, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
  13. ^ "Bajo Nuevo Bank (Petrel Islands) and Serranilla Bank". Wondermondo.com. October 2012. Archived from the original on January 31, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
  14. ^ United States Summary, 2010: Population and housing unit counts. U.S. Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, U.S. Census Bureau. 2012. Archived from the original on June 30, 2023. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  15. ^ Smith, Gary Alden (February 28, 2011). State and National Boundaries of the United States. McFarland. p. 170. ISBN 9781476604343. Archived from the original on June 30, 2023. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  16. ^ "The last time Congress created a new state". Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: National Constitution Center. March 12, 2020. Archived from the original on February 8, 2023. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  17. ^ Murph, Darren. "The most expensive internet in America: fighting to bring affordable broadband to American Samoa". Engadget. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
  18. ^ Sagapolutele, Fili (March 2, 2017). "American Samoa Governor Says Small Economies 'Cannot Afford Any Reduction In Medicaid' | Pacific Islands Report". www.pireport.org. Archived from the original on February 24, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2018.
  19. ^ "Poverty Determination in U.S. Insular Areas" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on April 12, 2019. Retrieved January 9, 2018.


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