For the U.S. historical territories, see Organized incorporated territories of the United States. 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
The 50 states and the District of Columbia
Incorporated, unorganized territory
Unincorporated, organized territory
Unincorporated, organized territory with Commonwealth status[note 1]
Unincorporated, unorganized territory
Languages
English
Spanish
Samoan
Chamorro
Carolinian
Demonym(s)
American
Territories
5 inhabited
American Samoa
Guam
Northern Mariana Islands
Puerto Rico
United States Virgin Islands
9 uninhabited
Baker Island
Howland Island
Jarvis Island
Johnston Atoll
Kingman Reef
Midway Atoll
Navassa Island
Palmyra Atoll
Wake Island
2 claimed
Bajo Nuevo Bank
Serranilla Bank
Leaders
• Head of state
Joe Biden
• Governors
List
Area
• Total
22,294.19 km2 (8,607.83 sq mi)
Population
• 2020 census
3,623,895[2][3]
Currency
United States dollar
Date format
mm/dd/yyyy (AD)
This article is part of a series on
Political divisions of the United States
First level
State (Commonwealth)
Federal district
Territory (Commonwealth)
Indian reservation (list) / Hawaiian home land / Alaska Native tribal entity / Pueblo / Off-reservation trust land / Tribal Jurisdictional Area
Second level
County / Parish / Borough
Unorganized Borough / Census area / Villages / District (USVI) / District (AS)
Consolidated city-county
Independent city
Municipality
Unorganized atoll
State-recognized tribes
Third level
Township
Cities, towns, and villages
Coterminous municipality
Census-designated place
Barrio
Chapter
Fourth level
Ward
Other areas
Protected areas (Conservation district, National monument, National park)
Congressional district
Special district (school district)
Homeowner association
Associated state
Military base
Federal enclave
Unincorporated area
Ghost town
United States portal
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Territories of the United States are sub-national administrative divisions overseen by the federal government of the United States. The various 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."[4] Territories are classified by incorporation and whether they have an "organized" government through an organic act passed by the Congress.[5] American territories are under American sovereignty and, consequently, may be treated as part of the United States proper in some ways and not others (i.e., territories belong to, but are not considered to be a part of, the United States).[6] Unincorporated territories in particular are not considered to be integral parts of the United States,[7] and the Constitution of the United States applies only partially in those territories.[8][9][5][10][11]
The United States currently administers three[8][12] 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 United States but administered by Colombia.[9][14][15] Historically, territories were created to administer newly acquired land, and most eventually attained statehood.[16][17] The most recent territories to become U.S. states were Alaska on January 3, 1959, and Hawaii on August 21, 1959.[18]
Politically and economically, the territories are underdeveloped. Residents of United States territories cannot vote in United States presidential elections, and they have only non-voting representation in the United States Congress.[9] According to 2012 data, territorial telecommunications and other infrastructure are generally inferior to that of the continental United States and Hawaii.[19] Poverty rates are higher in the territories than in the states.[20][21]
^"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.
^Cite error: The named reference census2020uspr was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference census2020vigumpas was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ abWolf, 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.
^ ab"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.
^Cite error: The named reference Ponsa was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"Chapter 2: Introduction." (PDF). Renewable Resource Management for U.S. Insular Areas—Integrated. Princeton.edu (Report). p. 40. Retrieved July 4, 2019.
^ ab"What Are The US Territories?". worldatlas.com. Archived from the original on July 24, 2020. Retrieved July 4, 2019.
^ abcCite error: The named reference GAO1997 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"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.
^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.
^Cite error: The named reference DOI OIA was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^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.
^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.
^"Bajo Nuevo Bank (Petrel Islands) and Serranilla Bank". Wondermondo.com. October 2012. Archived from the original on January 31, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
^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.
^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.
^"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.
^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.
^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.
^"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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