Territories of the United States are one type of political division Altogether, there are an estimated 85,000 extant political entities in the United States. Political units and divisions of the United States are a subset of the total United States territory of the United States ^ b. English is the de facto language of American government and the sole language spoken at home by 80% of Americans age five and older. Spanish is the second most commonly spoken language, administered directly by the federal government of the United States and not any part of a U.S. state A U.S. state is any one of 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of commonwealth rather than state. State citizenship is. These territories were created to govern newly acquired land while the borders of the United States were still evolving This is a list of the evolution of the borders of the United States. This lists each change to the internal and external borders of the country, as well as status and name changes. It also shows the surrounding areas that eventually became part of the United States. Each situation has a map, to show what the specific makeup of the country was at. Territories can be classified by whether they are incorporated (part of the United States proper) and whether they have an organized government (through an Organic Act Organic Act may refer to any Act of the United States Congress that establishes a territory of the United States or an agency to manage certain federal lands or constitution A constitution is a set of laws that a set of people have made and agreed upon for government—often codified as a written document—that enumerates and limits the powers and functions of a political entity. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is. In the case of countries and autonomous regions of federal countries the passed by the U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C). The organized incorporated territories of the United States Organized incorporated territories are those territories of the United States that are both incorporated and organized (having an organized government authorized by an Organic Act passed by the U.S. Congress). Through most of U.S. history, regions that were admitted as U.S. states were, prior to admission, territories of this kind existed from 1789 to 1959, through which 31 territories applied for and achieved statehood A U.S. state is any one of 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of commonwealth rather than state. State citizenship is. The U.S. had no unincorporated territories Unincorporated territories are areas controlled by the government of the United States which are not part of the United States proper. The history of these territories is as follows: (also called "overseas possessions" or "insular areas An insular area is a United States territory, that is neither a part of one of the fifty U.S. states nor the District of Columbia, the federal district of the United States. The term insular possession is also sometimes used, but has fallen out of favor") until 1856 but continues to control several of them today.

Incorporated and unincorporated territories

An incorporated territory of the United States ^ b. English is the de facto language of American government and the sole language spoken at home by 80% of Americans age five and older. Spanish is the second most commonly spoken language is a specific area under the jurisdiction of the United States, over which the United States Congress The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C has determined that the United States Constitution The Constitution of the United States of America is the supreme law of the United States. It is the foundation and source of the legal authority underlying the existence of the United States of America and the federal government of the United States. It provides the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the is to be applied to the territory's local government and inhabitants in its entirety (e.g., citizenship The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was adopted after the Civil War as one of the Reconstruction Amendments on July 9, 1868, trial by jury The Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution is the part of the United States Bill of Rights which sets forth rights related to criminal prosecutions in federal courts. The Supreme Court has applied the protections of this amendment to the states through the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment), in the same manner as it applies to the local governments and residents of the U.S. states A U.S. state is any one of 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of commonwealth rather than state. State citizenship is. Incorporated territories are considered an integral part of the United States, as opposed to being merely possessions.^[1]

All territory under the control of the federal government is considered part of the "United States" for purposes of law.^[2] From 1901 - 1905, the U.S. Supreme Court Clerks · Reporter of Decisions in a series of opinions known as the Insular Cases The Insular Cases are several U.S. Supreme Court cases decided early in the 20th century. The cases were in essence the court's response to a major issue of the United States presidential election, 1900 and the American Anti-Imperialist League, summarized by the phrase "Does the Constitution follow the flag?" Essentially, the Supreme held that the Constitution extended ex proprio vigore to the territories. However, the Court in these cases also established the doctrine of territorial incorporation. Under the same, the Constitution only applied fully in incorporated territories such as Alaska and Hawaii The Territory of Hawaii was a United States territory that existed from July 7, 1898, until August 21, 1959, when it was admitted to the Union as its fiftieth state, the State of Hawaii, whereas it only applied partially in the new unincorporated territories of Puerto Rico Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (Spanish: "Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico" — literally Associated Free State of Puerto Rico), is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean Sea, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands, Guam Guam ( /ˈɡwɑːm/ ; Chamorro: Guåhan) is an island in the western Pacific Ocean and is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. The island's capital is Hagåtña (formerly Agana). Guam is the largest and southernmost of the Mariana Islands and the Philippines The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (Filipino: Republika ng Pilipinas), is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam. The Sulu Sea to the southwest lies between the country and the island of Borneo, and.^[3][4]

In the contemporary sense, the term "unincorporated territory" refers primarily to insular areas An insular area is a United States territory, that is neither a part of one of the fifty U.S. states nor the District of Columbia, the federal district of the United States. The term insular possession is also sometimes used, but has fallen out of favor. There is currently only one incorporated territory, Palmyra Atoll Palmyra Atoll is an incorporated atoll administered by the United States federal government. The atoll is 4.6 sq mi (12 km2), and it is located in the Northern Pacific Ocean. Geographically, Palmyra is one of the Northern Line Islands (southeast of Kingman Reef and north of Kiribati Line Islands), located almost due south of the Hawaiian Islands,, which is not an organized territory. Conversely, a territory can be organized without being an incorporated territory, a contemporary example being Puerto Rico Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (Spanish: "Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico" — literally Associated Free State of Puerto Rico), is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean Sea, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands.

See organized incorporated territories of the United States Organized incorporated territories are those territories of the United States that are both incorporated and organized (having an organized government authorized by an Organic Act passed by the U.S. Congress). Through most of U.S. history, regions that were admitted as U.S. states were, prior to admission, territories of this kind and unincorporated territories of the United States Unincorporated territories are areas controlled by the government of the United States which are not part of the United States proper. The history of these territories is as follows: for timelines.

Classification of current U.S. territories

Incorporated organized territories

None since 1959

Incorporated unorganized territories

• Palmyra Atoll Palmyra Atoll is an incorporated atoll administered by the United States federal government. The atoll is 4.6 sq mi (12 km2), and it is located in the Northern Pacific Ocean. Geographically, Palmyra is one of the Northern Line Islands (southeast of Kingman Reef and north of Kiribati Line Islands), located almost due south of the Hawaiian Islands, is privately owned by the Nature Conservancy The Nature Conservancy is a US charitable environmental organization that works to preserve the plants, animals, and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. The organization also promotes commercial development of its holdings; some of these developments have and administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior is the United States federal executive department of the U.S. government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land and the administration of programs relating to Native Americans, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians, and to insular areas of the United States. It is an archipelago Archipelagos can be found isolated in bodies of water; or with a large land mass may neighbour them. For example, Scotland has more than 700 islands surrounding its mainland. Archipelagos are often volcanic, forming along island arcs generated by subduction zones or hotspots, but there are many other processes involved in their construction, of about 50 small islands about 1.56 square miles (4 km²) in area that lies about 1,000 miles (1,600 km) south of Honolulu Honolulu is the capital of and the most populous census-designated place (CDP) in the U.S. state of Hawaii. Although Honolulu refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and the county are consolidated, known as the City and County of Honolulu, and the city and county is designated as the entire island. The. The atoll was acquired by the United States in the 1898 annexation of the Republic of Hawaii The Republic of Hawaiʻi was the formal name of the government that controlled Hawaiʻi from 1894 to 1898 when it was run as a republic. The republic period occurred between the administration of the Provisional Government of Hawaiʻi which ended on July 4, 1894 and the adoption of the Newlands Resolution in the United States Congress in which the. When the Territory of Hawaii The Territory of Hawaii was a United States territory that existed from July 7, 1898, until August 21, 1959, when it was admitted to the Union as its fiftieth state, the State of Hawaii was incorporated on April 30, 1900, Palmyra Atoll was incorporated as part of that territory. However, when Hawaii Hawaii ( /həˈwaɪ.iː/ or /həˈwaɪʔiː/ in English; Hawaiian: Mokuʻāina o Hawaiʻi) is the newest of the 50 U.S. states, and is the only state made up entirely of islands. It is located on an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of Australia. The state was became a state in 1959, Palmyra Atoll was explicitly separated from the state, remaining an incorporated territory but receiving no new organized government.

There are in addition also "territories" that have the status of being incorporated but that are not organized:

• U.S. coastal waters Territorial waters, or a territorial sea, as defined by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, is a belt of coastal waters extending at most twelve nautical miles from the baseline of a coastal state. The territorial sea is regarded as the sovereign territory of the state, although foreign ships (both military and civilian) are out to 12 nautical miles
• U.S. flag vessels at sea.

Unincorporated organized territories

• Guam Guam ( /ˈɡwɑːm/ ; Chamorro: Guåhan) is an island in the western Pacific Ocean and is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. The island's capital is Hagåtña (formerly Agana). Guam is the largest and southernmost of the Mariana Islands 1950-
• Northern Mariana Islands The Northern Mariana Islands has a population of 80,362 . The official 2000 census count was 69,221. More than 90% of the Commonwealth's population lives on the island of Saipan. Of the fourteen other islands, only two, Tinian and Rota, have a significant population. The islands of Agrihan and Alamagan have fewer than ten residents, and the (commonwealth) 1978-
• Puerto Rico Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (Spanish: "Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico" — literally Associated Free State of Puerto Rico), is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean Sea, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands (commonwealth) 1952-
• United States Virgin Islands The United States Virgin Islands, also called Virgin Islands of the United States is a group of islands in the Caribbean that are an insular area of the United States. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles 1927-

Unincorporated unorganized territories

Islands in South Pacific

• American Samoa American Samoa /əˈmɛrɪkən səˈmoʊə/ (Samoan: Amerika Sāmoa or Sāmoa Amelika) is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the sovereign state of Samoa (formerly known as Western Samoa). The main (largest and most populous) island is Tutuila, with the Manuʻa Islands, Rose Atoll, and, self-governing under a constitution last revised in 1967
• Wake Island Wake Island is a coral atoll having a coastline of 12 miles (19 kilometers) in the North Pacific Ocean, located about two-thirds of the way from Honolulu (2,300 statute miles or 3,700 km west) to Guam (1,510 miles or 2,430 km east). It is an unorganized, unincorporated territory of the United States, administered by the Office of Insular Affairs,, inhabited by civilian contractors only
• Midway Islands Midway Atoll is a 2.4 mi² (6.2 km²) atoll located in the North Pacific Ocean (near the northwestern end of the Hawaiian archipelago), about one-third of the way between Honolulu and Tokyo. Midway Atoll is an unorganized, unincorporated territory of the United States. It is less than 140 nmi (259 km; 161 mi) east of the International Date Line,, inhabited by caretakers
• Johnston Atoll Johnston Atoll is a 50-square-mile atoll in the North Pacific Ocean about 1,400 km (750 nmi) west of Hawaii. There are four islands located on the coral reef platform, two natural islands, Johnston Island and Sand Island, which have been expanded by coral dredging, as well as North Island (Akau) and East Island (Hikina), an additional two, uninhabited
• Baker Island Baker Island is an uninhabited atoll located just north of the equator in the central Pacific Ocean about 3,100 kilometers (1,700 nmi) southwest of Honolulu. The island lies almost halfway between Hawaii and Australia, and is a possession of the United States. Its nearest neighbor is Howland Island, 68 kilometers (37 nmi) to the north, uninhabited
• Howland Island Howland Island is an uninhabited coral island located just north of the equator in the central Pacific Ocean, about 1,700 nautical miles (3,100 km) southwest of Honolulu. The island lies almost halfway between Hawaii and Australia and is an unincorporated, unorganized territory of the United States. Geographically, it is part of the Phoenix, uninhabited
• Jarvis Island Jarvis Island is an uninhabited 4.5 square kilometer (1.75 sq. mile) coral island located in the South Pacific Ocean at 0°22′S 160°01′W / 0.367°S 160.017°W , uninhabited
• Kingman Reef Kingman Reef is a largely submerged, uninhabited triangular shaped reef, 9.5 nautical miles (18 km) east-west and 5 nautical miles (9 km) north-south, located in the North Pacific Ocean, roughly half way between the Hawaiian Islands and American Samoa at 6°23′N 162°25′W / 6.383°N 162.417°W. It is the northernmost of the Northern Line, uninhabited

Islands in Americas

• Bajo Nuevo Bank Bajo Nuevo Bank, also known as the Petrel Islands , is a small, uninhabited reef with some small islets, covered with grass, located in the western Caribbean Sea at 15°53′N 78°38′W / 15.883°N 78.633°W , uninhabited (claimed by Colombia and Jamaica)
• Serranilla Bank, uninhabited (claimed by Colombia)
• Navassa Island, uninhabited (claimed by Haiti)

There is also a special kind of unincorporated unorganized territory:

• Guantanamo Bay Naval Base (1903–) A 45 mi² area on Guantánamo Bay, Cuba to which the U.S. holds a perpetual lease.^[5] Disputed by Cuba.
• Certain other parcels in foreign countries held by lease, such as military bases, depending on the terms of a lease, treaty, or status of forces agreement with the host country.

Classification of former U.S. territories & administered areas

Former incorporated organized territories of the United States

See Organized incorporated territories of the United States for a complete list.

Former unincorporated territories of the United States (incomplete)

• Line Islands (?–1979): Disputed claim with United Kingdom, all U.S. claims ceded to Kiribati upon its independence.
• Panama Canal Zone (1903–1979): sovereignty returned to Panama under the Torrijos-Carter Treaties; the U.S. retained a military base and control of the Canal until December 31, 1999.
• Corn Islands (1914–1971): leased for 99 years under the Bryan-Chamorro Treaty but were returned to Nicaragua after the abrogation of the treaty in 1970.
• Roncador Bank (1856–1981): claimed under Guano Islands Act was ceded to Colombia in September 7, 1981 by treaty.
• Quita Sueño Bank (1869–1981): claimed under Guano Islands Act, claim abandoned on September 7, 1981 by treaty.
• Serrana Bank (?–1981): claimed under Guano Islands Act was ceded to Colombia in September 7, 1981 by treaty.
• Philippine Islands (1902–1935); Commonwealth of the Philippines (1935–1946): Full independence in 1946.
• Phoenix Islands (?–1979): Disputed claim with United Kingdom, all U.S. claims ceded to Kiribati upon its independence.

Former unincorporated territories of the United States under military government

• Puerto Rico (April 11, 1899–May 1, 1900): civil government operations began
• Philippines (April 11, 1899–July 4, 1901): civil government operations began
• Guam (April 11, 1899–July 1, 1950): civil government operations began

Areas formerly administered by the United States (incomplete)

• Cuba (April 11, 1899–May 20, 1902): sovereignty recognized as Republic of Cuba
• Haiti was occupied by the United States from 1915 to 1934.
• The Dominican Republic was occupied by the United States from 1916 to 1924.
• Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (1947–1986): included the Compact of Free Association nations (Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, and Palau) and the Northern Mariana Islands
• Ryukyu Islands (1952–1972): returned to Japanese control, included some other minor islands under the Agreement Between the United States of America and Japan concerning the Ryukyu Islands and the Daito Islands.^[6]
• Nanpo Islands (1945–1968): Returned to Japanese control by mutual agreement.
• Marcus Island (or Minami Torishima) (1945–1968): Returned to Japanese control by mutual agreement.

Other zones

• American Occupation Zones in Austria and Vienna (1945–1955)
• American Occupation Zone in West Berlin (1945–1990)
• American Occupation Zones in Allied Occupation Zones in Germany (1945–1949)
• Japan (1945–1952)
• Rhineland (Germany) (1918–1921)
• South Korea (1945–1948)
• Coalition Provisional Authority Iraq (2003–2004)
• Green zone Iraq (March 20, 2003–December 31, 2008^[7])

See also

• Political divisions of the United States
• Historic regions of the United States
• Organic Acts of 1845-46
• Enabling act (United States)
• Hawaiian Organic Act
• Territorial Clause
• Insular Cases

References

1. ^ Definitions of insular area political organizations, Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior, http://www.doi.gov/oia/Islandpages/political_types.htm, retrieved 2007-11-14
2. ^ See 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(36) and 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(38) Providing the term “State” and "United States" definitions on the U.S. Federal Code, Inmigration and Nationality Act. 8 U.S.C. § 1101a
3. ^ CONSEJO DE SALUD PLAYA DE PONCE v JOHNNY RULLAN, SECRETARY OF HEALTH OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF PUERTO RICO Page 6 and 7, The United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico, http://puertoricoadvancement.org/Documents/Consejo%20De%20Salud%20Playa%20De%20Ponce%20V.%20Johnny%20Rullan%20-%20Secretary%20of%20Health%20of%20the%20Commonwealth%20of%20Puerto%20Rico.pdf, retrieved 4 February 2010 .
4. ^ The Insular Cases: The Establishment of a Regime of Political Apartheid" (2007) Juan R. Torruella, http://www.law.upenn.edu/journals/jil/articles/volume29/issue2/Torruella29U.Pa.J.Int'lL.283(2007).pdf, retrieved 5 February 2010 .
5. ^ Agreement Between the United States and Cuba for the Lease of Lands for Coaling and Naval stations, The Avalon Project at Yale Law School, February 23, 1903, http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/diplomacy/cuba/cuba002.htm, retrieved 2008-04-02
6. ^ Okinawa Reversion Agreement - 1971, The Contemporary Okinawa Website. Accessed 5 June 2007.
7. ^ Campbell Robertson; Stephen Farrell (December 31, 2008), Green Zone, Heart of U.S. Occupation, Reverts to Iraqi Control, The New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/01/world/middleeast/01greenzone.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper

External links

• FindLaw: Downes v. Bidwell, 182 U.S. 244 (1901) regarding the distinction between incorporated and unincorporated territories
• FindLaw: People of Puerto Rico v. Shell Co., 302 U.S. 253 (1937) regarding application of U.S. law to organized but unincorporated territories
• FindLaw: United States v. Standard Oil Company, 404 U.S. 558 (1972) regarding application of U.S. law to unorganized unincorporated territories
• Television Stations in U.S. Territories
• Unincorporated Territory
• Office of Insular Affairs
• Application of the US Constitution in US Insular Areas
• Department of the Interior Definitions of Insular Area Political Organizations
• United States District Court decision addressing the distintion between Incorporated vs Unincorporated territories

Categories: Subdivisions of the United States | United States federal territory and statehood legislation | Insular areas of the United States

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