List of states and territories of the United States

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A map of the United States with all 50 states and the District of Columbia. 48 states and the District of Columbia are contiguous, located north of Mexico and south of Canada. Alaska is located in the extreme northwest of North America, bordering Yukon and British Columbia, and Hawaii is located in the Pacific Ocean.

The United States of America is a federal republic consisting of 50 states and one federal district (Washington, D.C.).[1] States are the primary subdivisions of the United States, and possess a number of powers and rights under the United States Constitution, such as regulating intrastate commerce, running elections, creating local governments, and ratifying Constitutional amendments. Under the tenth amendment to the Constitution, the states can exercise all powers that are not delegated to the federal government.[2] Each state has its own government, consisting of an executive branch, a legislative branch, and a judicial branch.[3] They are all represented in the federal Congress – a bicameral legislature consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each state is represented by two Senators, while Representatives are awarded to each state in proportion to their total population.[4] The federal district does not have representatives in the Senate, but has a non-voting delegate in the House. Each state is entitled to electors in the Electoral College, the body that elects the President of the United States, equal to the combined number of senators and representatives that state has in Congress.[5] Congress can admit more states into the United States, but it cannot create a new state from territory of an existing state or merge two or more states into one without the consent of all states involved.[6]

In addition to the 50 states and federal district, the United States has control over fourteen territories. Five of them (American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands) have a permanent, nonmilitary population, while nine of them (the United States Minor Outlying Islands) do not. With the exception of Navassa Island, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, which are located in the Caribbean, all territories are located in the Pacific Ocean. One territory, Palmyra Atoll, is considered to be incorporated, meaning the full body of the Constitution has been applied to it; the other territories are unincorporated, meaning the Constitution does not fully apply to them. Ten territories (the Minor Outlying Islands and American Samoa) are considered to be unorganized, meaning they have not had an Organic Act enacted by Congress; the four other territories are organized, meaning they have had an Organic Act that has been enacted by Congress. The five inhabited territories each have limited autonomy in addition to having territorial legislatures and governors, but residents cannot vote in federal elections.

Out of the 50 states, California is the most populous, with an estimated 38,041,430 residents as of 2012; Wyoming is the least populous, with an estimated 576,412 residents. The District of Columbia, with an estimated 632,323 residents as of 2012, has a higher population than the two least populous states (Wyoming and Vermont). The largest state by area is Alaska, encompassing 665,384 square miles (1,723,337 square kilometers), while the smallest is Rhode Island, encompassing 1,545 square miles (4,002 square kilometers). The first state to ratify the current Constitution was Delaware, which it did on December 7, 1787, while the newest state is Hawaii, which was admitted to the Union on August 21, 1959. The largest territory in terms of both population and size is Puerto Rico, which has 3,725,789 residents as of the 2010 census and a total area of 5,325 square miles (13,792 square kilometers).

States

States of the United States
State Abbr. Capital Largest city[upper-alpha 1][7] Statehood Population est.
(2012)[8]		 Total area in mi2 (km2)[upper-alpha 2][9] Land area in mi2 (km2)[upper-alpha 2][9] Water area in mi2 (km2)[upper-alpha 2][9] House seat(s)
 Alabama AL Montgomery Birmingham December 14, 1819 4,822,023 700452420000000000052,420 (135,767) 700450645000000000050,645 (131,170) 70031775000000000001,775 (4,597) 7
 Alaska AK Juneau Anchorage January 3, 1959 731,449 7005665384000000000665,384 (1,723,337) 7005570641000000000570,641 (1,477,950) 700494743000000000094,743 (245,383) 1
 Arizona AZ Phoenix Phoenix February 14, 1912 6,553,255 7005113990000000000113,990 (295,233) 7005113594000000000113,594 (294,207) 7002396000000000000396 (1,026) 9
 Arkansas AR Little Rock Little Rock June 15, 1836 2,949,131 700453179000000000053,179 (137,733) 700452035000000000052,035 (134,770) 70031143000000000001,143 (2,960) 4
 California CA Sacramento Los Angeles September 9, 1850 38,041,430 7005163695000000000163,695 (423,968) 7005155779000000000155,779 (403,466) 70037916000000000007,916 (20,502) 53
 Colorado CO Denver Denver August 1, 1876 5,187,582 7005104094000000000104,094 (269,602) 7005103642000000000103,642 (268,432) 7002452000000000000452 (1,171) 7
 Connecticut CT Hartford Bridgeport January 9, 1788 3,590,347 70035543000000000005,543 (14,356) 70034842000000000004,842 (12,541) 7002701000000000000701 (1,816) 5
 Delaware DE Dover Wilmington December 7, 1787 917,092 70032489000000000002,489 (6,446) 70031949000000000001,949 (5,048) 7002540000000000000540 (1,399) 1
 Florida FL Tallahassee Jacksonville March 3, 1845 19,317,568 700465758000000000065,758 (170,312) 700453625000000000053,625 (138,888) 700412133000000000012,133 (31,424) 27
 Georgia GA Atlanta Atlanta January 2, 1788 9,919,945 700459425000000000059,425 (153,910) 700457513000000000057,513 (148,958) 70031912000000000001,912 (4,950) 14
 Hawaii HI Honolulu Honolulu August 21, 1959 1,392,313 700410932000000000010,932 (28,314) 70036423000000000006,423 (16,635) 70034509000000000004,509 (11,678) 2
 Idaho ID Boise Boise July 3, 1890 1,595,728 700483569000000000083,569 (216,443) 700482643000000000082,643 (214,044) 7002926000000000000926 (2,398) 2
 Illinois IL Springfield Chicago December 3, 1818 12,875,255 700457914000000000057,914 (149,997) 700455519000000000055,519 (143,794) 70032395000000000002,395 (6,203) 18
 Indiana IN Indianapolis Indianapolis December 11, 1816 6,537,334 700436420000000000036,420 (94,327) 700435826000000000035,826 (92,789) 7002593000000000000593 (1,536) 9
 Iowa IA Des Moines Des Moines December 28, 1846 3,078,186 700456273000000000056,273 (145,746) 700455857000000000055,857 (144,669) 7002416000000000000416 (1,077) 4
 Kansas KS Topeka Wichita January 29, 1861 2,885,905 700482278000000000082,278 (213,099) 700481759000000000081,759 (211,755) 7002520000000000000520 (1,347) 4
 Kentucky[upper-alpha 3] KY Frankfort Louisville June 1, 1792 4,380,415 700440408000000000040,408 (104,656) 700439486000000000039,486 (102,268) 7002921000000000000921 (2,385) 6
 Louisiana LA Baton Rouge New Orleans April 30, 1812 4,601,893 700452378000000000052,378 (135,658) 700443204000000000043,204 (111,898) 70039174000000000009,174 (23,761) 6
 Maine ME Augusta Portland March 15, 1820 1,329,192 700435380000000000035,380 (91,634) 700430843000000000030,843 (79,883) 70034537000000000004,537 (11,751) 2
 Maryland MD Annapolis Baltimore April 28, 1788 5,884,563 700412406000000000012,406 (32,131) 70039707000000000009,707 (25,141) 70032699000000000002,699 (6,990) 8
 Massachusetts[upper-alpha 4] MA Boston Boston February 6, 1788 6,646,144 700410554000000000010,554 (27,335) 70037800000000000007,800 (20,202) 70032754000000000002,754 (7,133) 9
 Michigan MI Lansing Detroit January 26, 1837 9,883,360 700496714000000000096,714 (250,488) 700456539000000000056,539 (146,435) 700440175000000000040,175 (104,053) 14
 Minnesota MN St. Paul Minneapolis May 11, 1858 5,379,139 700486936000000000086,936 (225,163) 700479627000000000079,627 (206,233) 70037309000000000007,309 (18,930) 8
 Mississippi MS Jackson Jackson December 10, 1817 2,984,926 700448432000000000048,432 (125,438) 700446923000000000046,923 (121,530) 70031509000000000001,509 (3,908) 4
 Missouri MO Jefferson City Kansas City August 10, 1821 6,021,988 700469707000000000069,707 (180,540) 700468742000000000068,742 (178,041) 7002965000000000000965 (2,499) 8
 Montana MT Helena Billings November 8, 1889 1,005,141 7005147040000000000147,040 (380,832) 7005145546000000000145,546 (376,962) 70031494000000000001,494 (3,869) 1
 Nebraska NE Lincoln Omaha March 1, 1867 1,855,525 700477348000000000077,348 (200,330) 700476824000000000076,824 (198,973) 7002524000000000000524 (1,357) 3
 Nevada NV Carson City Las Vegas October 31, 1864 2,758,931 7005110572000000000110,572 (286,380) 7005109781000000000109,781 (284,331) 7002791000000000000791 (2,049) 4
 New Hampshire NH Concord Manchester June 21, 1788 1,320,718 70039349000000000009,349 (24,214) 70038953000000000008,953 (23,188) 7002397000000000000397 (1,028) 2
 New Jersey NJ Trenton Newark December 18, 1787 8,864,590 70038723000000000008,723 (22,592) 70037354000000000007,354 (19,047) 70031368000000000001,368 (3,543) 12
 New Mexico NM Santa Fe Albuquerque January 6, 1912 2,085,538 7005121590000000000121,590 (314,917) 7005121298000000000121,298 (314,160) 7002292000000000000292 (756) 3
 New York NY Albany New York July 26, 1788 19,570,261 700454555000000000054,555 (141,297) 700447126000000000047,126 (122,056) 70037429000000000007,429 (19,241) 27
 North Carolina NC Raleigh Charlotte November 21, 1789 9,752,073 700453819000000000053,819 (139,391) 700448618000000000048,618 (125,920) 70035201000000000005,201 (13,471) 13
 North Dakota ND Bismarck Fargo November 2, 1889 699,628 700470698000000000070,698 (183,107) 700469001000000000069,001 (178,712) 70031698000000000001,698 (4,398) 1
 Ohio OH Columbus Columbus March 1, 1803 11,544,225 700444826000000000044,826 (116,099) 700440861000000000040,861 (105,830) 70033965000000000003,965 (10,269) 16
 Oklahoma OK Oklahoma City Oklahoma City November 16, 1907 3,814,820 700469899000000000069,899 (181,038) 700468595000000000068,595 (177,660) 70031304000000000001,304 (3,377) 5
 Oregon OR Salem Portland February 14, 1859 3,899,353 700498379000000000098,379 (254,800) 700495988000000000095,988 (248,608) 70032391000000000002,391 (6,193) 5
 Pennsylvania[upper-alpha 5] PA Harrisburg Philadelphia December 12, 1787 12,763,536 700446054000000000046,054 (119,279) 700444743000000000044,743 (115,884) 70031312000000000001,312 (3,398) 18
 Rhode Island[upper-alpha 6] RI Providence Providence May 29, 1790 1,050,292 70031545000000000001,545 (4,002) 70031034000000000001,034 (2,678) 7002511000000000000511 (1,320) 2
 South Carolina SC Columbia Columbia May 23, 1788 4,723,723 700432020000000000032,020 (82,931) 700430061000000000030,061 (77,858) 70031960000000000001,960 (5,076) 7
 South Dakota SD Pierre Sioux Falls November 2, 1889 833,354 700477116000000000077,116 (199,730) 700475811000000000075,811 (196,350) 70031305000000000001,305 (3,380) 1
 Tennessee TN Nashville Memphis June 1, 1796 6,456,243 700442144000000000042,144 (109,152) 700441235000000000041,235 (106,798) 7002909000000000000909 (2,354) 9
 Texas TX Austin Houston December 29, 1845 26,059,203 7005268596000000000268,596 (695,660) 7005261232000000000261,232 (676,588) 70037365000000000007,365 (19,075) 36
 Utah UT Salt Lake City Salt Lake City January 4, 1896 2,855,287 700484897000000000084,897 (219,882) 700482170000000000082,170 (212,819) 70032727000000000002,727 (7,063) 4
 Vermont VT Montpelier Burlington March 4, 1791 626,011 70039616000000000009,616 (24,905) 70039217000000000009,217 (23,872) 7002400000000000000400 (1,036) 1
 Virginia[upper-alpha 7] VA Richmond Virginia Beach June 25, 1788 8,185,867 700442775000000000042,775 (110,787) 700439490000000000039,490 (102,279) 70033285000000000003,285 (8,508) 11
 Washington WA Olympia Seattle November 11, 1889 6,897,012 700471298000000000071,298 (184,661) 700466456000000000066,456 (172,120) 70034842000000000004,842 (12,541) 10
 West Virginia WV Charleston Charleston June 20, 1863 1,855,413 700424230000000000024,230 (62,755) 700424038000000000024,038 (62,258) 7002192000000000000192 (497) 3
 Wisconsin WI Madison Milwaukee May 29, 1848 5,726,398 700465496000000000065,496 (169,634) 700454158000000000054,158 (140,269) 700411339000000000011,339 (29,368) 8
 Wyoming WY Cheyenne Cheyenne July 10, 1890 576,412 700497813000000000097,813 (253,335) 700497093000000000097,093 (251,470) 7002720000000000000720 (1,865) 1

Federal district

Federal district of the United States
Name Abbr. Date established Population est.
(2012)[8]		 Total area in mi2 (km2)[upper-alpha 2][9] Land area in mi2 (km2)[upper-alpha 2][9] Water area in in mi2 (km2)[upper-alpha 2][9] House seat
 District of Columbia DC July 16, 1790 632,323 700168000000000000068 (176) 700161000000000000061 (158) 70007000000000000007 (18) 1[upper-alpha 8]

Territories

A map showing the location of each territory controlled by the United States. The United States is marked in blue, inhabited territories are marked in green, and uninhabited territories are marked in orange.

Inhabited territories

Inhabited territories of the United States
Territory Abbr. Capital Acquired[10] Territorial status Population (2010) Total area in mi2 (km2)[upper-alpha 2][11] Land area in mi2 (km2)[upper-alpha 2][11] Water area in in mi2 (km2)[upper-alpha 2][11] House seat
 American Samoa AS Pago Pago[12] 1900 Unincorporated, unorganized 55,519 7002581000000000000581 (1,505) 700176000000000000076 (197) 7002505000000000000505 (1,308) 1[upper-alpha 8]
 Guam GU Hagåtña[13] 1899 Unincorporated, organized 159,358 7002571000000000000571 (1,479) 7002210000000000000210 (544) 7002361000000000000361 (935) 1[upper-alpha 8]
 Northern Mariana Islands[upper-alpha 9] MP Saipan[14] 1986 Unincorporated, organized 53,883 70031976000000000001,976 (5,118) 7002182000000000000182 (471) 70031793000000000001,793 (4,644) 1[upper-alpha 8]
 Puerto Rico[upper-alpha 10] PR San Juan[15] 1899 Unincorporated, organized 3,725,789 70035325000000000005,325 (13,792) 70033424000000000003,424 (8,868) 70031901000000000001,901 (4,924) 1[upper-alpha 11]
 U.S. Virgin Islands VI Charlotte Amalie[16] 1917 Unincorporated, organized 106,405 7002733000000000000733 (1,898) 7002134000000000000134 (347) 7002599000000000000599 (1,551) 1[upper-alpha 8]

Uninhabited territories

Territories of the United States with no permanent population
Territory Acquired[10] Territorial status[17] Land area in mi2 (km2)[upper-alpha 12]
Baker Island 1856 Unincorporated, unorganized 69999000000000000000.9 (2.3)[18]
Howland Island 1858 Unincorporated, unorganized 69996000000000000000.6 (1.6)[18]
Jarvis Island 1856 Unincorporated, unorganized 70002200000000000002.2 (5.7)[19]
Johnston Atoll 1859 Unincorporated, unorganized 70001000000000000001 (2.6)[20]
Kingman Reef 1860 Unincorporated, unorganized 69981000000000000000.01 (0.03)[21]
Midway Atoll 1867 Unincorporated, unorganized 70003000000000000003 (7.8)[22]
Navassa Island 1858 Unincorporated, unorganized 70003000000000000003 (7.8)[23]
Palmyra Atoll 1898 Incorporated, unorganized 70001500000000000001.5 (3.9)[24]
Wake Island 1899 Unincorporated, unorganized 70002500000000000002.5 (6.5)[25]

General references

Notes

Notes

  1. ↑ The largest city is the city in a state with the largest population in the city proper; metropolitan areas are not considered in this number.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 Area figures are rounded to the nearest whole number.
  3. ↑ The state of Kentucky is known officially as the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
  4. ↑ The state of Massachusetts is known officially as the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
  5. ↑ The state of Pennsylvania is known officially as the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
  6. ↑ The state of Rhode Island is known officially as the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.
  7. ↑ The state of Virginia is known officially as the Commonwealth of Virginia.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Represented by a non-voting delegate to the House of Representatives.
  9. ↑ The Northern Mariana Islands are officially known as the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
  10. ↑ Puerto Rico is officially known as the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
  11. ↑ Represented by a non-voting resident commissioner in the House of Representatives.
  12. ↑ The uninhabited territories contain no water area.

Footnotes

  1. ↑ "United States". Oxford Dictionaries. Oxford University Press. Retrieved July 10, 2013. 
  2. ↑ "Map Layer Info". National Atlas of the United States. nationalatlas.gov. Retrieved July 11, 2013. 
  3. ↑ "Frequently Asked Questions About the Minnesota Legislature". Minnesota State Legislature. Retrieved July 11, 2013. 
  4. ↑ Article I, Section 2, Constitution of the United States (June 21, 1788). Retrieved on July 10, 2013.
  5. ↑ Article II, Section 1, Constitution of the United States (June 21, 1788). Retrieved on July 10, 2013.
  6. ↑ Article IV, Section 3, Constitution of the United States (June 21, 1788). Retrieved on July 10, 2013.
  7. ↑ "State and Local Government Finances and Employment" (pdf). United States Census Bureau. 2012. p. 284. Retrieved July 8, 2013. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for the United States, Regions, States, and Puerto Rico" (XLS). United States Census Bureau. 2012. Retrieved July 8, 2013. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 "2010 Census of Population and Housing" (pdf). United States Census Bureau. September 2012. p. 41. Retrieved July 8, 2013. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Acquisition Process of Insular Areas". Office of Insular Affairs. Retrieved July 9, 2013. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 "2010 Census of Population and Housing" (pdf). United States Census Bureau. September 2012. p. 1. Retrieved July 8, 2013. 
  12. ↑ "American Samoa". The World Factbook. Retrieved July 9, 2013. 
  13. ↑ "Guam". The World Factbook. Retrieved July 9, 2013. 
  14. ↑ "Northern Mariana Islands". The World Factbook. Retrieved July 9, 2013. 
  15. ↑ "Puerto Rico". The World Factbook. Retrieved July 9, 2013. 
  16. ↑ "Virgin Islands". The World Factbook. Retrieved July 9, 2013. 
  17. ↑ "11025: Nationality". Higher Education Statistics Agency. Retrieved July 9, 2013. 
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 "Baker Island". Office of Insular Affairs. Archived from the original on April 19, 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2013. 
  19. ↑ "Jarvis Island". Office of Insular Affairs. Archived from the original on February 7, 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2013. 
  20. ↑ "Johnston Island". Office of Insular Affairs. Archived from the original on March 14, 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2013. 
  21. ↑ "Kingman Reef National Wildlife Refuge". United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Retrieved July 9, 2013. 
  22. ↑ "Midway Atoll". Office of Insular Affairs. Archived from the original on February 4, 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2013. 
  23. ↑ "Navassa Island". Office of Insular Affairs. Archived from the original on February 4, 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2013. 
  24. ↑ "Palmyra Atoll". Office of Insular Affairs. Archived from the original on January 11, 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2013. 
  25. ↑ "Wake Island". Office of Insular Affairs. Archived from the original on April 14, 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2013. 

See also

External links

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