What is the difference between a state and a territory?
The United States of America comprises states and territories. U.S. citizens in states and territories are afforded protections from the federal government, but states offer greater degrees of rights and representation.
How many US territories have already become States?
Thirty-two U.S. territories have already become states. How did they do it? What is the process for a territory to become a state? The U.S. Constitution has the simple answer:
How long did it take for a territory to become a state?
As the United States grew, the most populous parts of the organized territory would achieve statehood. Some territories existed only a short time before becoming states, while others remained territories for decades.
What is the difference between an unorganized territory and incorporated territory?
For a territory to be incorporated it is officially part of the United States. And for a territory to be organized it must have an organized government created by an act of the US Congress. The Palmyra Atoll is the only incorporated unorganized territory of the United States.
What is a territory of a state?
Territory is a geographical area subject to the sovereignty, control, or jurisdiction of a state or other entity.
Is the word state tied to a territory?
Simply put: A state is a territory with its own institutions and populations. A sovereign state is a state with its own institutions and populations that has a permanent population, territory, and government. It must also have the right and capacity to make treaties and other agreements with other states.
Can there be a state without a territory?
There are, allegedly, historical precedents of States lacking territory. In some instances, entities that did not possess territory were recognized as States. In other instances, entities which lost their territory, on a temporary or permanent basis, continued to be treated as States.
What are the 3 types of territory?
The three categories are the primary, secondary and public territory.
Is territory important to a state?
Territory is also important because in International law, jurisdiction which is an attribute of state sovereignty is exercised primarily on a territorial basis. The 'territorial principle' is also important because of a state's jurisdictional competence.
How do states acquire territory?
A state acquires territory by accretion when new land is formed within its existing territorial limits; the sea recedes, a river dires up an island appears within the territorial sea. These acquisitions seldom result in either significant additions of territory or in controversy.
What is the concept of territory?
1 : a geographical area belonging to or under the rule of a government. 2 : a part of the United States not included within any state but organized with a separate governing body. 3 : region sense 1, district. 4 : an area that is occupied and defended by an animal or group of animals.
How do I claim a territory?
In order to claim a Territory that has already come under control of a company, the Territory's Fort must be claimed through battle by declaring War. A Company cannot Declare War on a Territory unless the controlling Faction has been sufficiently Undermined or has neglected to Reinforce its Influence on the Territory.
What is an example of territory?
An example of territory is all the land controlled by a king. An example of territory is a subject on which you have a lot of knowledge. An example of territory is the area where you have been granted an exclusive license to sell a product.
Why are they called territories?
In its broad sense a territory is "an area of land; a region", but in its narrower sense it is "a geographic region, such as a colonial possession, that is dependent on an external government." The origins of the word "territory" begin with the Proto-Indo-European root ters ('to dry').
What's the difference between a country and a territory?
Summary: 1. A territory is an area which is under the control of another state or government and does not have sovereignty while a state is also known as a country or an organized political organization which enjoys sovereignty. 2.
How are territories divided?
Dividing territories (also market division) is an agreement by two companies to stay out of each other's way and reduce competition in the agreed-upon territories. The process known as geographic market allocation is one of several anti-competitive practices outlawed under United States antitrust laws.
What is the difference in a state and a territory?
Summary: 1. A territory is an area which is under the control of another state or government and does not have sovereignty while a state is also known as a country or an organized political organization which enjoys sovereignty.
Why is a territory not a state?
Unlike a state, territories do not have legislations to create laws for themselves, so they rely on the federal government to create and approve the laws.
Why are US territories not states?
The US territories are part of the sovereign territory of the United States. Unlike the 50 states, they have no voting representation in the federal government, or Electoral College. With the exception of American Samoa, people born in US territories are natural born US citizens.
What type of word is state?
As detailed above, 'state' can be a verb or a noun. Verb usage: He stated that he was willing to help. Verb usage: State your intentions.
What about territories?
Congress can make a territory into a State at any time, without getting permission from anyone.
How many territories have become states?
Thirty-two U.S. territories have already become states. How did they do it? What is the process for a territory to become a state?
What did the Northwest Ordinances set the pattern for?
The Northwest Ordinances also set the pattern for state constitutions. Congress would give permission to a territory to draft a constitution. If the state constitution did not harmonize with the U.S. Constitution, the territory would be sent back to work on it some more before being admitted to statehood.
What happens when Congress gets the statehood request?
Typically, once Congress gets the request for statehood, they make some conditions for the new state.
Why did Congress send states back to the drawing board?
Congress sent states back to the drawing board for racial discrimination in laws, especially laws about voting, and for laws that would not protect federal lands . Polygamy was the biggest factor delaying Utah’s admission.
What would happen if Congress wanted to make a new state of Jefferson out of Southern Oregon and Northern California?
If Congress wanted to make a new state of Jefferson out of Southern Oregon and Northern California, and both Oregon and California agreed, Congress could create that state. The residents of the new State wouldn’t have to agree, though historically votes are usually taken before anything like this takes place.
Why did Arkansas admit fewer people than the requirement?
Arkansas, for example, was admitted with fewer people than the requirement, possibly because they lied about their population. Colorado took a census of their residents in high summer, when all the miners present brought their population up past 60,000… instead of the 28,000 year-round residents.
What territories were created to administer newly acquired land?
Others, such as the Philippines, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and Palau, later became independent.
Who decides if a territory is incorporated or unincorporated?
Congress decides whether a territory is incorporated or unincorporated. The U.S. Constitution applies to each incorporated territory (including its local government and inhabitants) as it applies to the local governments and residents of a state. Incorporated territories are considered to be integral parts of the U.S., rather than possessions.
What is the ruling in Tuaua v. United States?
United States to deny birthright citizenship to American Samoans, ruling that the guarantee of such citizenship to citizens in the Fourteenth Amendment does not apply to unincorporated U.S. territories.
What states are part of Missouri?
When a portion of the Missouri Territory became the state of Missouri, the remainder of the territory (the present-day states of Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota and North Dakota, most of Kansas, Wyoming, and Montana, and parts of Colorado and Minnesota) became an unorganized territory.
Why did the Supreme Court not allow the United States to apply to unincorporated territories?
Bidwell, the Court said that the U.S. Constitution did not fully apply in unincorporated territories because they were inhabited by "alien races".
Which territories are disputed by the Marshall Islands?
The status of several territories is disputed. Navassa Island is disputed by Haiti, Wake Island is disputed by the Marshall Islands, Swains Island (a part of American Samoa) is disputed by Tokelau, and Bajo Nuevo Bank and Serranilla Bank (both administered by Colombia) are disputed by Colombia, Jamaica, Honduras, and Nicaragua. They are uninhabited except for Midway Atoll, whose approximately 40 inhabitants are employees of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and their services provider; Palmyra Atoll, whose population varies from four to 20 Nature Conservancy and Fish and Wildlife staff and researchers; and Wake Island, which has a population of about 100 military personnel and civilian employees.
Which case ruled that the Constitution extended ex proprio vigore to the continental territories?
The U.S. Supreme Court , in its 1901–1905 Insular Cases, ruled that the Constitution extended extended ex proprio vigore (i.e., of its own force) to the continental territories. The Court also established the doctrine of territorial incorporation, in which the Constitution applies fully to incorporated territories (such as the then-territories of Alaska and Hawaii) and partially in the unincorporated territories of Puerto Rico, Guam and, at the time, the Philippines (which is no longer a U.S. territory).
What is a territory?
A territory is an area that is overseen directly by a government, but doesn't have any sovereignty of its own. So a territory of the United States is one that is overseen by the US federal government, with no official sovereignty. This is in contrast to states, which share sovereignty with the federal government.
How many territories are there in the United States?
This is in contrast to states, which share sovereignty with the federal government. The United States currently has sixteen territories. This includes 4 unincorporated organized territories, 11 unincorporated unorganized territories, and 1 incorporated unorganized territory. For a territory to be incorporated, it is officially part of the united states. And for a territory to be organized it must have an organized government created by an act of the US congress.
How many unincorporated territories are there in the world?
The 11 unincorporated unorganized territories are American Samoa, Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Wake Island, Midway Islands, Navassa Island, Seranilla Bank, and Bajo Nuevo Bank. Most of them have no permanent population, the exceptions being Wake Island with 150 people living there and American Samoa with around 55,000 people.
What are the 4 unincorporated territories?
The 4 unincorporated organized territories are Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands in the Pacific, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands in the Caribbean.
Why are the Northern Mariana Islands considered a territory?
The Northern Mariana Islands have been a territory since 1975, partly due to the aftermath of World War II, and a desire of the people of the islands for greater ties with the United States. People born there are also US citizens in the same, limited way.
Is the Virgin Islands a US territory?
The United States Virgin Islands are a group of Caribbean Islands that have been a US territory since 1916 when the Danish sold the area to the United States. The 106,000 strong population is mostly Afro-Caribbean, and people who are born there are citizens in the same way as in Guam and Puerto Rico.
Is Puerto Rico a US territory?
Puerto Rico has been a territory since 1898, when it was acquired from Spain after the Spanish-American War. Ethnically, the vast majority of the population are white, Hispanic, or Latino. Like Guam, people born there are US citizens by an act of Congress.
Changing State Borders
What About Territories?
- Congress can make a territory into a State at any time, without getting permission from anyone. Congress usually waits for a territory to request statehood. Some territories have requested statehood many times without getting any response from Congress. Utah, for example, formally asked for statehood eight times over a period of 50 years before bei...
Conditions
- The Northwest Ordinances decided to make territories wait until they had 60,000 residents before making them states. There were exceptions. Arkansas, for example, was admitted with fewer people than the requirement, possibly because they lied about their population. Colorado took a census of their residents in high summer, when all the miners present brought their population u…
Congress Votes
- Once the territory meets the requirements of Congress, Congress votes. A simple majority in the House and the Senate is all that is required to make a new state. The President of the United States then signs the bill. Some presidents in the past have refused, including Andrew Johnson and Grover Cleveland. Sometimes they have signed the next time the bill reached their desk, an…
Puerto Rico
- Puerto Rico certainly has a large enough population, and Congress has already approved Puerto Rico’s constitution. If there are any other conditions, Puerto Rico would have to meet those requirements and then Congress would approve admission for Puerto Rico. Some people believe that the other States must ratify Puerto Rico’s admission, or that there would have to be a two th…
Overview
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 Native American tribes in that they are not sovereign entities. 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". Territorie…
Organized vs. unorganized territories
Organized territories are lands under federal sovereignty (but not part of any state) which were given a measure of self-governance by Congress through an organic act subject to the Congress's plenary powers under the territorial clause of the Constitution's Article Four, section 3.
The term unorganized was historically applied either to a newly acquired region not yet constituted as an organized incorporated territory (e.g. the Louisiana Purchase prior to the establi…
Federal administration
The Office of Insular Affairs coordinates federal administration of the U.S. territories and freely associated states, except for Puerto Rico.
On March 3, 1849, the last day of the 30th Congress, a bill was passed to create the U.S. Department of the Interior to take charge of the internal affairs of United States territory. The Interior Department has a wide range of responsibilities (which include the regulation of territori…
Permanently inhabited territories
The U.S. has five permanently inhabited territories: Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands in the Caribbean Sea, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands in the North Pacific Ocean, and American Samoa in the South Pacific Ocean. American Samoa is in the Southern Hemisphere, while the other four are in the Northern Hemisphere. In 2020, their combined population was about 3.62 million, over 90% of which is accounted for by Puerto Rico alone.
Minor Outlying Islands
The United States Minor Outlying Islands are small uninhabited islands, atolls, and reefs. Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Atoll, Palmyra Atoll, and Wake Island are in the Pacific Ocean while Navassa Island is in the Caribbean Sea. The additional disputed territories of Bajo Nuevo Bank and Serranilla Bank are also located in the Caribbean Sea. Palmyra Atoll (formally known as the United States Territory of Palmyra Island) is the only incorp…
Incorporated vs. unincorporated territories
Pursuant to a series of Supreme Court rulings, Congress decides whether a territory is incorporated or unincorporated. The U.S. Constitution applies to each incorporated territory (including its local government and inhabitants) as it applies to the local governments and residents of a state. Incorporated territories are considered to be integral parts of the U.S., rather than possessions.
Former territories and administered areas
At various times during the 19th century, large parts of the Great Plains were unorganized territory. After the Louisiana Purchase from France in 1803, the entire region was part of the Louisiana Territory until 1812 and the Missouri Territory until 1821. In 1821 the Missouri Compromise created the State of Missouri from the territory, and the rest of the region was left unorganized. The Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854 created the Kansas and Nebraska Territories, bringing organized g…
Flora and fauna
The territories of the United States have many plant and animal species found nowhere else in the United States. All U.S. territories have tropical climates and ecosystems.
The USDA says the following about the U.S. territories (plus Hawaii):
[The U.S. territories, plus Hawaii] include virtually all the Nation's tropical forests as well as other forest types including subtropical, coastal, subalpine, dry limestone, and coastal mangrove fores…