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#REDIRECT [[List of states and territories of the United States]] {{R from merge}}
{{Short description|States, the District of Columbia, territories; and their subdivisions}}
{{Use American English|date = March 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date = March 2019}}
[[File:United States map, individual states.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|United States, political divisions]]
{{Administrative divisions of the United States}}
'''Political divisions of the United States''' are the various recognized governing entities that together form the United States – [[U.S. state|states]], the [[Washington, D.C.|District of Columbia]], [[Territories of the United States|territories]] and [[Indian reservation|Indian reservations]].
The primary first-level political division of the United States is the [[U.S. state|state]]. There are 50 states, which are bound together in a [[political union|union]]. Each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a defined geographic territory, and shares its [[sovereignty]] with the [[Federal government of the United States|United States federal government]]. According to numerous decisions of the [[United States Supreme Court]], the 50 individual states and the United States as a whole are each sovereign jurisdictions.<ref name="Radan, 2007, p. 12">[[#Radan|Radan, 2007]], p. 12</ref>
The states are ''not'' administrative divisions of the country, in that their powers and responsibilities are in no way assigned to them from above by federal legislation or the Constitution; rather they exercise all powers of government not delegated to the federal government by the Constitution.
All state governments are modeled after the federal government and consist of three branches (although the three-branch structure is not Constitutionally required): [[Governor (United States)|executive]], [[State legislature (United States)|legislative]], and [[State court (United States)|judicial]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/state-local-government/|title=State & Local Government|website=whitehouse.gov|publisher=[[The White House]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.leg.state.mn.us/leg/faq/faqtoc?|title=Frequently Asked Questions About the Minnesota Legislature|publisher=[[Minnesota State Legislature]]}}</ref> They retain plenary power to make laws covering anything not preempted by the [[United States Constitution|U.S. Constitution]], [[United States Code|federal statutes]], or [[List of United States treaties|treaties]] ratified by the [[United States Senate|U.S. Senate]], and are organized as [[presidential system]]s where the governor is both [[head of government]] and [[head of state]] (even though this too is not required). The various states are then typically subdivided into [[county (United States)|counties]]. [[Louisiana]] uses the term [[List of parishes in Louisiana|parish]] and [[Alaska]] uses the term [[List of boroughs and census areas in Alaska|borough]] for what the [[United States Census Bureau|U.S. Census Bureau]] terms [[county equivalent]]s in those states.
Counties and county equivalents may be further subdivided into [[township (United States)|townships]]. [[New England town|Town]]s in [[New York (state)|New York]], [[Wisconsin]] and [[New England]] are treated as equivalents to townships by the Census Bureau. Townships or towns are used as subdivisions of a county in 20 states, mostly in the Northeast and Midwest.<ref name=census>[https://www.census.gov/prod/2005pubs/gc021x2.pdf 2002 Census of Governments, Individual State Descriptions] ([[PDF]])</ref>
Population centers may be organized into [[municipal corporation|incorporated]] [[city|cities]], [[town]]s, [[Village (United States)|village]]s, and other types of [[municipalities]]. Municipalities are typically subordinate to a county government, with some exceptions. Certain cities, for example, have consolidated with their county government as [[consolidated city-county|consolidated city-counties]]. In [[Virginia]], cities are completely [[Independent city (United States)|independent]] from the county in which they would otherwise be a part. In some states, particularly in [[New England]], [[New England town|towns]] form the primary unit of local government below the state level, in some cases eliminating the need for county government entirely.
The government of each of the five permanently inhabited [[Territories of the United States|U.S. territories]] is also modeled and organized after the federal government. Each is further subdivided into smaller entities. Puerto Rico has [[Municipalities of Puerto Rico|78 municipalities]], and the [[Northern Mariana Islands]] has 4 municipalities.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geo/reference/codes/cou.html|title=US Census Bureau Geography 2010 FIPS Code Files for Counties and County Equivalent Entities|website=www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|language=en-US|access-date=July 7, 2018}}</ref> [[Guam]] has [[List of populated places in Guam#List of villages|villages]], the [[United States Virgin Islands|U.S. Virgin Islands]] has [[Districts and sub-districts of the United States Virgin Islands|districts]], and [[American Samoa]] has [[Administrative divisions of American Samoa|districts and unorganized atolls]].<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.visitguam.com/about-guam/villages/|title=Chamorro Villages in Guam {{!}} Chamorro Culture|website=www.visitguam.com|access-date=July 7, 2018}}</ref><ref>[https://legvi.org Legislature of the Virgin Islands] Legvi.org. Retrieved July 7, 2018.</ref>
Other U.S. sub-national divisions include the [[District of Columbia]], several [[United States Minor Outlying Islands|minor outlying islands]], and [[Indian reservation]]s, all of which are administered by the Federal government. Each [[Indian Reservation]] is subdivided in various ways. For example, the [[Navajo Nation]] is subdivided into agencies and [[Chapter house (Navajo Nation)|Chapter houses]], while the [[Blackfeet Indian Reservation|Blackfeet Nation]] is subdivided into [[Blackfeet Indian Reservation|Communities]]. The Federal government also maintains exclusive jurisdiction over [[military bases|military installations]] and American [[embassy|embassies]] and [[consulate]]s located in foreign countries. Other special purpose divisions exist separately from those for general governance, examples of which include [[conservation district]]s and [[Congressional district]]s.
According to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service,
{{Quote|Federal and state governments are established and recognized by the U.S. Constitution and [[State constitution (United States)|state constitutions]]. Federally recognized Indian tribal governments are recognized by the U.S. Constitution, treaties, statutes and court decisions. Other entities may be recognized as governments by state law, court decision, or an examination of facts and circumstances that indicate it has the characteristics of a government, such as powers of taxation, law enforcement and civil authority.<ref>{{cite web| title=What are Government Entities and Their Federal Tax Obligations?| publisher=Internal Revenue Service | location=Washington, D.C.| url=https://www.irs.gov/government-entities/federal-state-local-governments/government-entities-and-their-federal-tax-obligations| access-date=May 15, 2017}}</ref>}}
==States and their subdivisions==
===States===
{{Main|U.S. state|Comparison of U.S. state governments|Local government in the United States}}
The primary [[Polity|political entity]] of the United States is the state. Four states—[[Kentucky]], [[Massachusetts]], [[Pennsylvania]], and [[Virginia]]—call themselves "[[Commonwealth (U.S. state)|commonwealths]]." The word ''commonwealth'' in this context refers to the common "wealth", or welfare, of the public.<ref>''The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language'', Fourth Edition, 2000.</ref> The term has no legal impact.<ref>''See'' "Commonwealth", ''The Columbia Encyclopedia'', Sixth Edition, 2001–07.</ref>
In 1777 the [[Thirteen Colonies|13 colonies]] that had [[United States Declaration of Independence|declared independence]] from [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]] one year earlier (July 1776) agreed to the formation of a [[confederation]] of states under the [[Articles of Confederation]], with an extremely limited [[Continental Congress|central government]]. A new national frame of government [[Coming into force|came into force]] in 1789, when the current U.S. Constitution replaced the Articles. This constitution [[Entrenched clause#United States|incorporates]] the doctrine of the [[separation of powers]], whereby the federal government is divided into three branches, as well as concepts of federalism, describing the rights and responsibilities of state governments and of the states in relationship to the federal government.
On numerous occasions the [[United States Supreme Court]] has affirmed that the 50 individual states and the United States as a whole are each sovereign jurisdictions under the Constitution.<ref name="Radan, 2007, p. 12"/> Due to the shared sovereignty between each state and the federal government, [[Americans]] are [[Citizenship in the United States|citizens]] of both the [[federal republic]] and of the state in which they [[Domicile (law)#United States|reside]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Erler|first1=Edward|title=Essays on Amendment XIV: Citizenship|url=http://www.heritage.org/constitution/#!/amendments/14/essays/167/citizenship|publisher=The Heritage Foundation}}</ref> States, however, are not sovereign in the Westphalian sense in [[international law]] which says that each State has sovereignty over its territory and domestic affairs, to the exclusion of all external powers, on the principle of non-interference in another State's domestic affairs, and that each State (no matter how large or small) is equal in international law.<ref name=Krasner>{{cite book|pages=6–12|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ISqwQIBQff4C&lpg=PA7&pg=PA7|title=Problematic Sovereignty: Contested Rules and Political Possibilities|isbn=9780231121798|author1=Krasner|first1=Professor Stephen D.|year=2001}}</ref> Additionally, the 50 U.S. states do not possess international legal sovereignty, meaning that they are not recognized by other sovereign States such as, for example, [[France]], [[Germany]] or the [[United Kingdom]].<ref name=Krasner/>
The 50 states of the United States of America are as follows (this list includes [[List of U.S. state abbreviations|both the postal code abbreviation and the traditional abbreviation for each state]]):
{{div col|colwidth=18em}}
*{{flag|Alabama}} (AL; Ala.)
*{{flag|Alaska}} (AK; Alaska)
*{{flag|Arizona}} (AZ; Ariz.)
*{{flag|Arkansas}} (AR; Ark.)
*{{flag|California}} (CA; Calif.)
*{{flag|Colorado}} (CO; Colo.)
*{{flag|Connecticut}} (CT; Conn.)
*{{flag|Delaware}} (DE; Del.)
*{{flag|Florida}} (FL; Fla.)
*{{flagcountry|Georgia (U.S. state)}} (GA; Ga.)
*{{flag|Hawaii}} (HI; Hawaii)
*{{flag|Idaho}} (ID; Idaho)
*{{flag|Illinois}} (IL; Ill.)
*{{flag|Indiana}} (IN; Ind.)
*{{flag|Iowa}} (IA; Iowa)
*{{flag|Kansas}} (KS; Kans.)
*{{flag|Kentucky}} (KY; Ky.)
*{{flag|Louisiana}} (LA; La.)
*{{flag|Maine}} (ME; Maine)
*{{flag|Maryland}} (MD; Md.)
*{{flag|Massachusetts}} (MA; Mass.)
*{{flag|Michigan}} (MI; Mich.)
*{{flag|Minnesota}} (MN; Minn.)
*{{flag|Mississippi}} (MS; Miss.)
*{{flag|Missouri}} (MO; Mo.)
*{{flag|Montana}} (MT; Mont.)
*{{flag|Nebraska}} (NE; Neb. or Nebr.)
*{{flag|Nevada}} (NV; Nev.)
*{{flag|New Hampshire}} (NH; N.H.)
*{{flag|New Jersey}} (NJ; N.J.)
*{{flag|New Mexico}} (NM; N.Mex.)
*{{flag|New York}} (NY; N.Y.)
*{{flag|North Carolina}} (NC; N.C.)
*{{flag|North Dakota}} (ND; N.Dak.)
*{{flag|Ohio}} (OH; Ohio)
*{{flag|Oklahoma}} (OK; Okla.)
*{{flag|Oregon}} (OR; Ore. or Oreg.)
*{{flag|Pennsylvania}} (PA; Pa. or Penn.)
*{{flag|Rhode Island}} (RI; R.I.)
*{{flag|South Carolina}} (SC; S.C.)
*{{flag|South Dakota}} (SD; S.Dak.)
*{{flag|Tennessee}} (TN; Tenn.)
*{{flag|Texas}} (TX; Tex. or Texas)
*{{flag|Utah}} (UT; Utah)
*{{Flag|Vermont}} (VT; Vt.)
*{{flag|Virginia}} (VA; Va.)
*{{flag|Washington}} (WA; Wash.)
*{{flag|West Virginia}} (WV; W.Va)
*{{flag|Wisconsin}} (WI; Wis. or Wisc.)
*{{flag|Wyoming}} (WY; Wyo.)
{{div col end}}
<br>
[[File:Map of USA with state names 2.svg|thumb|upright=2.25|center|Map of United States with state border lines. Note that Alaska and Hawaii are shown at different scales and that the [[Aleutian Islands]] and the [[uninhabited island|uninhabited]] [[northwestern Hawaiian Islands]] are omitted from this map.]]
The 50 states can be [[List of regions of the United States|divided into regions in many different ways]].
*The [[continental United States]] typically refers to the main block of 48 states and their off-shore islands with the [[Atlantic Ocean]] to the east, [[Pacific Ocean]] to the west, [[Canada]] to the north, and [[Mexico]] to the south. Since this grouping contains 48 states, it is also commonly referred to as "the Lower 48". The designation "coterminous" or "contiguous" United States is also used for this grouping of 48 states, arguably more accurately, since [[Alaska]] is also located on the [[North America]]n continent, and therefore "continental United States" should really refer to the Lower 48, plus Alaska.
*[[Alaska]] is an [[exclave]] of the United States, physically connected only to [[Canada]].
*[[Hawaii]] is located on an [[archipelago]] in the central [[Pacific Ocean]].
===Counties===
{{main|County (United States)}}
The states are divided into smaller administrative regions, called [[county (United States)|counties]] in all but two states. In Alaska, the [[county (United States)#County equivalents|county equivalents]] are called [[borough (United States)|borough]]s (parts of the state which are not included in any borough are considered part of the [[Unorganized Borough, Alaska|Unorganized Borough]], which itself is divided into [[census area]]s), and in Louisiana, the county equivalents are called [[parish (subnational entity)|parish]]es. Counties have varying degrees of political and legal significance. In some states, mainly in [[New England]], they are primarily used as judicial districts. In other states, counties have broad powers in housing, education, transportation and recreation.
Counties may contain a number of [[city|cities]], towns, villages, or [[hamlet (place)|hamlets]], or sometimes just a part of a city. Some cities are consolidated with, and coterminous with, their counties, including [[Philadelphia]], [[Honolulu]], [[San Francisco]], [[Nashville]], and [[Denver]]—that is to say, these counties consist in their entirety of a single municipality the government of which also operates as the county government. Some counties, such as [[Arlington County, Virginia]], do not have any additional subdivisions. Some states contain [[independent city (United States)|independent cities]] that are not part of any county. Each of the five boroughs of [[New York City]] is coterminous with a county.
===Townships and municipalities===
{{Main|Local government in the United States#Municipal governments}}
There are approximately [[List of cities in the United States|30,000 incorporated cities]] in the United States, with varying degrees of self-rule.
In many states, most or all of the land area of counties is divided into [[Township (United States)|townships]]. In New York, Wisconsin and New England, county subdivisions are called [[Incorporated town#United States|towns]]. The U.S. Census divides counties in states not having such subdivisions into other [[minor civil division]]s, sometimes using electoral districts. The terms "township" and "town" are closely related (in many historical documents the terms are used interchangeably). However, the powers granted to townships or towns vary considerably from state to state. Many states grant townships some governmental powers (making them [[civil township]]s, either independently or as a part of the county government. In others, [[survey township]]s are non-governmental. In New England, towns are a principal form of local municipal government, providing many of the functions of counties in other states. In [[California]], by contrast, the pertinent statutes of the Government Code clarify that "town" is simply another word for "city", especially a general law city as distinct from a [[charter city]]. Also, in some states, large areas have no general-purpose local government below the county level.
Some townships or other incorporated areas like [[Village (United States)|villages]], [[Borough (United States)|boroughs]], [[Plantation (Maine)|plantations]], and [[Hamlet (place)#United States|hamlets]] have governments and political power; others are simply geographic designations. Townships in many states are generally the product of the [[Public Land Survey System]].
==Political divisions administered by the federal government==
The United States also holds several other territories, districts, and possessions. As these jurisdictions are not part of one of the various states, sovereignty of them rests solely with Congress, and they are governed by Congress in accord with its [[plenary power]] under [[Article Four of the United States Constitution#Clause 2: Property Clause|Article IV, Section 3, Clause 2]] of the [[United States Constitution|U.S. Constitution]]. This governing power includes [[extraterritorial jurisdiction]] in overseas [[military bases|military installations]], American [[embassy|embassies]] and [[consulate]]s located in foreign countries, and [[research center]]s and [[Antarctic field camps|field camps]] in [[Antarctica]]. Additionally, it exercises [[concurrent jurisdiction]] to varying degrees with the states in many domestic [[federal enclave]]s.
===District of Columbia===
{{main|District of Columbia}}
A separate federal district, the District of Columbia (DC), which is under the direct authority of Congress, was formed by the [[District of Columbia Organic Act of 1801]] from land ceded to the Federal Government by the states of [[Maryland]] and [[Virginia]]; however, the territory ceded by Virginia was returned to that state in 1846. The District does not form part of any state and the [[United States Congress]] exercises "exclusive jurisdiction in all cases whatsoever", over the city; however, the [[District of Columbia Home Rule Act]] provides for limited [[District of Columbia home rule|home rule]], including an elected mayor and city council.
*{{flag|District of Columbia}} (DC; D.C.)
===Insular areas===
[[File:US.EEZ_Pacific_centered_NOAA_map.png|thumb|right|225px|U.S. [[Exclusive Economic Zone]], showing the location of each [[Territories of the United States|U.S. territory]]]]
{{Main|Insular area|Territories of the United States}}
The insular areas of the United States are those U.S. territories that are neither a part of one of the 50 states nor the federal district.<ref name=doi>[http://www.doi.gov/oia/Islandpages/political_types.htm ] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100410124518/http://www.doi.gov/oia/Islandpages/political_types.htm |date=April 10, 2010 }}</ref> They are classified by whether they are ''incorporated'' (part of the United States proper) and whether they have an ''organized'' government through an [[Organic Act]] passed by the [[United States Congress|U.S. Congress]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.doi.gov/oia/islands/politicatypes.cfm|title=Definitions of Insular Area Political Organizations|publisher=U.S. Department of the Interior|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120925044541/http://www.doi.gov/oia/islands/politicatypes.cfm|archive-date=2012-09-25}}</ref> Insular areas are administered by the [[United States Department of the Interior|Department of the Interior's]] [[Office of Insular Affairs]].
Since the creation in 1787 of the first territory beyond the existing states, the [[Northwest Territory]], the federal government has established numerous [[Organized incorporated territories of the United States|organized incorporated territories]], with some political [[autonomy]]. These jurisdictions (or portions thereof) subsequently [[Admission to the Union|became states]]. Thirty-one of the current 50 states were organized incorporated territories, or part of one, before their admission to the Union. No incorporated organized territories have existed since 1959 when [[Alaska]] and [[Hawaii]] joined the Union.
Currently, five territories are self-governing. The current inhabited unincorporated territories of the United States and their [[ISO 3166-1]] codes (in parentheses) are as follows:
*{{flag|American Samoa}} ([[ISO 3166-1:AS|AS]]) (unorganized; self-governing)
*{{flag|Guam}} ([[ISO 3166-1:GU|GU]]) (organized under Organic Act of 1950)
*{{flag|Northern Mariana Islands}} ([[ISO 3166-1:MP|MP]]) ([[Commonwealth (U.S. insular area)|commonwealth]], organized under 1977 Covenant)
*{{flag|Puerto Rico}} ([[ISO 3166-1:PR|PR]]) (commonwealth, organized under Public Law 600 of 1950)
*{{flag|United States Virgin Islands}} ([[ISO 3166-1:VI|VI]]) (organized under Revised Organic Act of 1954)
Guam and Puerto Rico, both gained by the United States in the [[Spanish–American War]], are considered part of the "United States" for purposes of law;<ref>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, Immigration and Nationality Act. {{USC|8|1101a}}</ref> on the other hand, the [[United States Supreme Court]] declared in a series of opinions known as the [[Insular Cases]] 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 [[Territory of Alaska|Alaska]] and [[Territory of Hawaii|Hawaii]], whereas it only applied partially in the new unincorporated territories of [[Puerto Rico]], [[Guam]] and the [[Philippines]].<ref name="puertoricoadvancement.org">{{Citation |url=http://puertoricoadvancement.org/Documents/Consejo%20De%20Salud%20Playa%20De%20Ponce%20V.%20Johnny%20Rullan%20-%20Secretary%20of%20Health%20of%20the%20Commonwealth%20of%20Puerto%20Rico.pdf |title=CONSEJO DE SALUD PLAYA DE PONCE v JOHNNY RULLAN, SECRETARY OF HEALTH OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF PUERTO RICO Page 6 and 7 |publisher=The United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico |access-date=4 February 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110510095936/http://puertoricoadvancement.org/Documents/Consejo%20De%20Salud%20Playa%20De%20Ponce%20V.%20Johnny%20Rullan%20-%20Secretary%20of%20Health%20of%20the%20Commonwealth%20of%20Puerto%20Rico.pdf |archive-date=10 May 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{Citation |url=http://www.law.upenn.edu/journals/jil/articles/volume29/issue2/Torruella29U.Pa.J.Int'lL.283(2007).pdf|title=The Insular Cases: The Establishment of a Regime of Political Apartheid" (2007) Juan R. Torruella|access-date=5 February 2010}}</ref>
In a 2016 [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]] ruling called ''[[Puerto Rico v. Sanchez Valle]]'', the court ruled that territories don't have their own sovereignty.<ref>https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2016/06/09/supreme-court-puerto-rico-independent-sovereign/85155382/ ''Puerto Rico not sovereign, Supreme Court says''. Usatoday.com. Richard Wolf. June 9, 2016. Retrieved July 7, 2018.</ref>
Since 1959, there has been a single incorporated territory: [[Palmyra Atoll]] (formerly part of the Hawaii Territory, but excluded from the [[Hawaii Admission Act]]). The following uninhabited territories, all of which are unorganized, form the [[United States Minor Outlying Islands]] ([[ISO 3166-1:UM|UM]]):
* [[Baker Island]] (administered as the Baker Island National Wildlife Refuge)
* [[Howland Island]] (administered as the Howland Island National Wildlife Refuge)
* [[Jarvis Island]] (administered as the Jarvis Island National Wildlife Refuge)
* [[Johnston Atoll]] (administered as the Johnston Atoll National Wildlife Refuge)
* [[Kingman Reef]] (administered as the Kingman Reef National Wildlife Refuge)
* [[Midway Atoll]] (administered as the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge; small number of contractors present)
* [[Navassa Island]] (administered as the Navassa Island National Wildlife Refuge; ''(disputed with Haiti'')
* [[Palmyra Atoll]] (administered as the Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge; small number of people present)
* [[Wake Atoll]] (administered as the Wake Atoll National Wildlife Refuge; small number of contractors present; ''disputed with the Marshall Islands'')
The United States government is part of several international disputes over the disposition of certain maritime and insular areas, which it claims as territories. [[Bajo Nuevo Bank]] and [[Serranilla Bank]] are two such disputed claims.
{{Further|List of Guano Island claims}}
===American Indian reservations===
{{main|Indian reservation}}
American [[Indian reservation]]s are areas of [[land (economics)|land]] managed by an [[Native Americans of the United States|American Indian]] [[tribe]] under the [[United States Department of the Interior]]'s [[Bureau of Indian Affairs]]. There are about 310 [[List of Indian reservations in the United States|Indian reservations in the United States]]. Tribes possess limited [[tribal sovereignty]] over the land in their reservation. As a result, laws on tribal lands may vary from the surrounding area.<ref>Wade Davies and Richmond L. Clow, American Indian Sovereignty and Law: An Annotated Bibliography (Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2009).</ref> The tribal council, not the county or state government, generally has jurisdiction over reservations. Different reservations have different systems of government, which may or may not replicate the forms of government found outside the reservation. Most Indian reservations were established by the federal government; a limited number, mainly in the East, owe their origin to state recognition.<ref>Veronica E. Velarde Tiller, ed., Tiller's Guide to Indian Country: Economic Profiles of American Indian Reservations (Albuquerque: BowArrow Pub., 1996/2005)</ref>
Residents of a reservation may vote as residents of a state and are required to pay federal taxes. The special status of reservations has created both opportunities (such as gambling in states that normally disallow it) and challenges (such as the unwillingness of some companies to do business in an area where they are not certain what laws will apply to them).
===Former areas===
The two former unincorporated U.S. territories are:
* [[Panama Canal Zone]] (1903–1979)
* The [[Commonwealth of the Philippines|Philippine Islands]] (1898–1946)
Additionally, the United States administered the [[Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands]] from July 18, 1947 until October 1, 1994. The trust territory was subsequently divided into four political entities. One, the Northern Mariana Islands, listed above, became an unincorporated U.S. territory, while three—[[Federated States of Micronesia]], [[Marshall Islands]], and [[Palau]]—became independent nations. All three have become [[associated states|freely associated]] with the United States under a [[Compact of Free Association]].
==Federal oversight of United States territory==
===Congress of the United States===
Article IV, Section 3 of the Constitution for the United States of America defines the extent of the authority that the [[Congress of the United States|U.S. Congress]] exercises over the territory of the United States:
:''New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but no new State shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or more States, or Parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress.''
:''The Congress shall have Power to dispose of and make all needful Rules and Regulations respecting the Territory or other Property belonging to the United States; and nothing in this Constitution shall be so construed as to Prejudice any Claims of the United States, or of any particular State.''
The power of Congress over territorial divisions that are not part of one of the states is exclusive and universal. Once a [[Territories of the United States|territory]] becomes a state of the Union, the state must consent to any changes pertaining to the jurisdiction of that state. The only potential violation of this occurred when the legislature of [[Virginia]] declared the [[Confederate States of America|secession of Virginia]] from the United States at the start of the [[American Civil War]] and a newly formed alternative Virginia legislature, recognized by the federal government, consented to have [[West Virginia]] secede from Virginia.
===United States Department of the Interior===
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 territorial governments, the basic responsibilities for public lands, and other various duties).
In contrast to similarly named Departments in other countries, the United States Department of the Interior is not responsible for local government or for civil administration except in the cases of Indian reservations, through the [[Bureau of Indian Affairs]] (BIA), and island dependencies, through the [[Office of Insular Affairs]] (OIA).
==Other defined areas==
In addition to general-purpose government entities legislating at the state, county, and city level, special-purpose areas may exist as well. [[Conservation district]]s are one such type of special purpose area, created for the purpose of conserving land, natural scenery, flora, and fauna. [[Congressional district]]s are another example, formed for the purpose of electing members to the [[United States Congress]].
There are also numerous "[[Special district (United States)|special district governments]]" in existence throughout the various states. According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], such governments are: {{quote|independent, special-purpose governmental units (other than [[school district]] governments) that exist as separate entities with substantial administrative and fiscal independence from general-purpose local governments. Special district governments provide specific services that are not being supplied by existing general-purpose governments. Most perform a single function, but, in some instances, their enabling legislation allows them to provide several, usually related, types of services. The services provided by these districts range from such basic social needs as hospitals and fire protection to the less conspicuous tasks of mosquito abatement and upkeep of cemeteries. The Census Bureau classification of special district governments covers a wide variety of entities, most of which are officially called districts or authorities.<ref>{{cite report| last=U.S. Census Bureau| title=2002 Census of Governments, Vol 1, Number 1, Government Organization, GC02(1)-1| publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office| date=2002| location=Washington, D.C.| pages=vii–viii| url=https://www.census.gov/prod/2003pubs/gc021x1.pdf| access-date=July 5, 2017}}</ref>}}
Additionally, U.S. courts have ruled that there are smaller areas which are to be considered as fulfilling government functions, and should therefore be bound by the same restrictions placed on "traditional" local government bodies. These include [[homeowners association]]s (determined in ''[[Shelley v. Kraemer]]'', ''Loren v. Sasser'', ''Committee for a Better Twin Rivers v. Twin Rivers Homeowners' Association''), and company-owned towns (both for employees and for consumers, decided in the [[United States Supreme Court|USSC]] case ''[[Marsh v. Alabama]]'' in 1946). Many homeowners' and neighborhood associations are considered [[non-profit organization]]s, but have the ability to raise [[taxes]] or fees, fine members for infractions against association-rules, and initiate lawsuits. The question of [[civil rights]] in such communities has not yet been conclusively determined, and varies from state to state.
==See also==
{{portal|United States}}
*[[Aboriginal title in the United States]]
*[[Geography of the United States]]
*[[Historic regions of the United States]]
*[[Index of United States-related articles]]
*[[List of regions of the United States]]
*[[List of states and territories of the United States]]
*[[Organized incorporated territories of the United States]]
*[[Outline of the United States]]
*[[Territorial evolution of the United States]]
*[[Territories of the United States]]
*[[United States territorial acquisitions]]
*[[United States territory]]
*[[Unorganized territory]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==Sources==
*{{cite book |last=Radan |first=Peter |title=Creating New States: Theory and Practice of Secession |year=2007 |publisher=Ashgate Publishing, Ltd |url=https://books.google.com/?id=-IjHbPvp1W0C&vq=jurisdiction |ref=Radan|isbn=9780754671633 }}
==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20040202150052/http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~stephan/48states.html Animated Map: Boundaries of the United States and the Several States]
* [https://www.census.gov/geo/www/garm.html U.S. Census Bureau Geographic Areas Reference Manual]
* [http://citymayors.com/government/mergers_locgov.html CityMayors article]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20170305011359/http://publications.newberry.org/ahcbp/ Atlas of Historical County Boundaries]
* [https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/30/opinion/urban-rural-united-states-regions-midterms.html The Eleven Nations of the United States] (July 30, 2018; [[The New York Times]])
{{United States political divisions}}
{{Administrative divisions of the United States by state}}
{{Americas topic|Administrative divisions of}}
{{United States topics}}
{{authority control}}
[[Category:Political divisions of the United States| ]]
[[Category:Administrative divisions in North America|United States]]
[[Category:Administrative divisions of the United States by state|*]]
[[jv:Pamérangan pulitik Amérika Sarékat]]
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