![List of states and territories of the United States](https://www.english.nina.az/wikipedia/image/aHR0cHM6Ly91cGxvYWQud2lraW1lZGlhLm9yZy93aWtpcGVkaWEvY29tbW9ucy90aHVtYi9hL2E0L01hcF9vZl9VU0Ffd2l0aF9zdGF0ZV9hbmRfdGVycml0b3J5X25hbWVzXzIucG5nLzE2MDBweC1NYXBfb2ZfVVNBX3dpdGhfc3RhdGVfYW5kX3RlcnJpdG9yeV9uYW1lc18yLnBuZw==.png )
The United States of America is a federal republic consisting of 50 states, a federal district (Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States), five major territories, and various minor islands. Both the states and the United States as a whole are each sovereign jurisdictions. The Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution allows states to exercise all powers of government not delegated to the federal government. Each state has its own constitution and government, and all states and their residents are represented in the federal Congress, a bicameral legislature consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each state elects two senators, while representatives are distributed among the states in proportion to the most recent constitutionally mandated decennial census. Additionally, each state is entitled to select a number of electors to vote in the Electoral College, the body that elects the president of the United States, equal to the total of representatives and senators in Congress from that state. The federal district does not have representatives in the Senate, but has a non-voting delegate in the House, and it is also entitled to electors in the Electoral College. Congress can admit more 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, and each new state is admitted on an equal footing with the existing states.
![image](https://www.english.nina.az/wikipedia/image/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZW5nbGlzaC5uaW5hLmF6L3dpa2lwZWRpYS9pbWFnZS9hSFIwY0hNNkx5OTFjR3h2WVdRdWQybHJhVzFsWkdsaExtOXlaeTkzYVd0cGNHVmthV0V2WTI5dGJXOXVjeTkwYUhWdFlpOWhMMkUwTDAxaGNGOXZabDlWVTBGZmQybDBhRjl6ZEdGMFpWOWhibVJmZEdWeWNtbDBiM0o1WDI1aGJXVnpYekl1Y0c1bkx6TXpNSEI0TFUxaGNGOXZabDlWVTBGZmQybDBhRjl6ZEdGMFpWOWhibVJmZEdWeWNtbDBiM0o1WDI1aGJXVnpYekl1Y0c1bi5wbmc=.png)
The United States has control over fourteen territories. Five of them (American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the United States 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 an organic act 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, although all are represented by non-voting delegates in the House.
The largest state by population is California, with a population of 39,538,223 people, while the smallest is Wyoming, with a population of 576,851 people; the federal district has a larger population (689,545) than both Wyoming and Vermont. The largest state by area is Alaska, encompassing 665,384 square miles (1,723,340 km2), while the smallest is Rhode Island, encompassing 1,545 square miles (4,000 km2). The most recent states to be admitted, Alaska and Hawaii, were admitted in 1959. The largest territory by population is Puerto Rico, with a population of 3,285,874 people (larger than 21 states), while the smallest is the Northern Mariana Islands, with a population of 47,329 people. Puerto Rico is the largest territory by area, encompassing 5,325 square miles (13,790 km2); the smallest territory, Kingman Reef, encompasses only 0.005 square miles (0.013 km2), or a little larger than 3 acres.
States
Flag, name and postal abbreviation | Cities | Ratification or admission | Population (2020) | Total area | Reps. | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Capital | Largest | mi2 | km2 | |||||
![]() | AL | Montgomery | Huntsville | Dec 14, 1819 | 5,024,279 | 52,420 | 135,767 | 7 |
![]() | AK | Juneau | Anchorage | Jan 3, 1959 | 733,391 | 665,384 | 1,723,337 | 1 |
![]() | AZ | Phoenix | Feb 14, 1912 | 7,151,502 | 113,990 | 295,234 | 9 | |
![]() | AR | Little Rock | Jun 15, 1836 | 3,011,524 | 53,179 | 137,732 | 4 | |
![]() | CA | Sacramento | Los Angeles | Sep 9, 1850 | 39,538,223 | 163,695 | 423,967 | 52 |
![]() | CO | Denver | Aug 1, 1876 | 5,773,714 | 104,094 | 269,601 | 8 | |
![]() | CT | Hartford | Bridgeport | Jan 9, 1788 | 3,605,944 | 5,543 | 14,357 | 5 |
![]() | DE | Dover | Wilmington | Dec 7, 1787 | 989,948 | 2,489 | 6,446 | 1 |
![]() | FL | Tallahassee | Jacksonville | Mar 3, 1845 | 21,538,187 | 65,758 | 170,312 | 28 |
![]() | GA | Atlanta | Jan 2, 1788 | 10,711,908 | 59,425 | 153,910 | 14 | |
![]() | HI | Honolulu | Aug 21, 1959 | 1,455,271 | 10,932 | 28,313 | 2 | |
![]() | ID | Boise | Jul 3, 1890 | 1,839,106 | 83,569 | 216,443 | 2 | |
![]() | IL | Springfield | Chicago | Dec 3, 1818 | 12,812,508 | 57,914 | 149,995 | 17 |
![]() | IN | Indianapolis | Dec 11, 1816 | 6,785,528 | 36,420 | 94,326 | 9 | |
![]() | IA | Des Moines | Dec 28, 1846 | 3,190,369 | 56,273 | 145,746 | 4 | |
![]() | KS | Topeka | Wichita | Jan 29, 1861 | 2,937,880 | 82,278 | 213,100 | 4 |
![]() | KY | Frankfort | Louisville | Jun 1, 1792 | 4,505,836 | 40,408 | 104,656 | 6 |
![]() | LA | Baton Rouge | New Orleans | Apr 30, 1812 | 4,657,757 | 52,378 | 135,659 | 6 |
![]() | ME | Augusta | Portland | Mar 15, 1820 | 1,362,359 | 35,380 | 91,633 | 2 |
![]() | MD | Annapolis | Baltimore | Apr 28, 1788 | 6,177,224 | 12,406 | 32,131 | 8 |
![]() | MA | Boston | Feb 6, 1788 | 7,029,917 | 10,554 | 27,336 | 9 | |
![]() | MI | Lansing | Detroit | Jan 26, 1837 | 10,077,331 | 96,714 | 250,487 | 13 |
![]() | MN | Saint Paul | Minneapolis | May 11, 1858 | 5,706,494 | 86,936 | 225,163 | 8 |
![]() | MS | Jackson | Dec 10, 1817 | 2,961,279 | 48,432 | 125,438 | 4 | |
![]() | MO | Jefferson City | Kansas City | Aug 10, 1821 | 6,154,913 | 69,707 | 180,540 | 8 |
![]() | MT | Helena | Billings | Nov 8, 1889 | 1,084,225 | 147,040 | 380,831 | 2 |
![]() | NE | Lincoln | Omaha | Mar 1, 1867 | 1,961,504 | 77,348 | 200,330 | 3 |
![]() | NV | Carson City | Las Vegas | Oct 31, 1864 | 3,104,614 | 110,572 | 286,380 | 4 |
![]() | NH | Concord | Manchester | Jun 21, 1788 | 1,377,529 | 9,349 | 24,214 | 2 |
![]() | NJ | Trenton | Newark | Dec 18, 1787 | 9,288,994 | 8,723 | 22,591 | 12 |
![]() | NM | Santa Fe | Albuquerque | Jan 6, 1912 | 2,117,522 | 121,590 | 314,917 | 3 |
![]() | NY | Albany | New York City | Jul 26, 1788 | 20,201,249 | 54,555 | 141,297 | 26 |
![]() | NC | Raleigh | Charlotte | Nov 21, 1789 | 10,439,388 | 53,819 | 139,391 | 14 |
![]() | ND | Bismarck | Fargo | Nov 2, 1889 | 779,094 | 70,698 | 183,108 | 1 |
![]() | OH | Columbus | Mar 1, 1803 | 11,799,448 | 44,826 | 116,098 | 15 | |
![]() | OK | Oklahoma City | Nov 16, 1907 | 3,959,353 | 69,899 | 181,037 | 5 | |
![]() | OR | Salem | Portland | Feb 14, 1859 | 4,237,256 | 98,379 | 254,799 | 6 |
![]() | PA | Harrisburg | Philadelphia | Dec 12, 1787 | 13,002,700 | 46,054 | 119,280 | 17 |
![]() | RI | Providence | May 29, 1790 | 1,097,379 | 1,545 | 4,001 | 2 | |
![]() | SC | Columbia | Charleston | May 23, 1788 | 5,118,425 | 32,020 | 82,933 | 7 |
![]() | SD | Pierre | Sioux Falls | Nov 2, 1889 | 886,667 | 77,116 | 199,729 | 1 |
![]() | TN | Nashville | Jun 1, 1796 | 6,910,840 | 42,144 | 109,153 | 9 | |
![]() | TX | Austin | Houston | Dec 29, 1845 | 29,145,505 | 268,596 | 695,662 | 38 |
![]() | UT | Salt Lake City | Jan 4, 1896 | 3,271,616 | 84,897 | 219,882 | 4 | |
![]() | VT | Montpelier | Burlington | Mar 4, 1791 | 643,077 | 9,616 | 24,906 | 1 |
![]() | VA | Richmond | Virginia Beach | Jun 25, 1788 | 8,631,393 | 42,775 | 110,787 | 11 |
![]() | WA | Olympia | Seattle | Nov 11, 1889 | 7,705,281 | 71,298 | 184,661 | 10 |
![]() | WV | Charleston | Jun 20, 1863 | 1,793,716 | 24,230 | 62,756 | 2 | |
![]() | WI | Madison | Milwaukee | May 29, 1848 | 5,893,718 | 65,496 | 169,635 | 8 |
![]() | WY | Cheyenne | Jul 10, 1890 | 576,851 | 97,813 | 253,335 | 1 |
Federal district
Flag, name and postal abbreviation | Established | Population (2020) | Total area | Reps. | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
mi2 | km2 | |||||
![]() | DC | Jul 16, 1790 | 689,545 | 68 | 176 | 1 |
Territories
![image](https://www.english.nina.az/wikipedia/image/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZW5nbGlzaC5uaW5hLmF6L3dpa2lwZWRpYS9pbWFnZS9hSFIwY0hNNkx5OTFjR3h2WVdRdWQybHJhVzFsWkdsaExtOXlaeTkzYVd0cGNHVmthV0V2WTI5dGJXOXVjeTkwYUhWdFlpODJMelkxTDFWVFgybHVjM1ZzWVhKZllYSmxZWE5mTWk1emRtY3ZOemN3Y0hndFZWTmZhVzV6ZFd4aGNsOWhjbVZoYzE4eUxuTjJaeTV3Ym1jPS5wbmc=.png)
Inhabited territories
Name and postal abbreviation | Capital | Acquired | Territorial status | Population (2020) | Total area | Reps. | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
mi2 | km2 | |||||||
![]() | AS | Pago Pago | 1900 | Unincorporated, unorganized | 49,710 | 581 | 1,505 | 1 |
![]() | GU | Hagåtña | 1899 | Unincorporated, organized | 153,836 | 571 | 1,478 | 1 |
![]() | MP | Saipan | 1986 | Unincorporated, organized | 47,329 | 1,976 | 5,117 | 1 |
![]() | PR | San Juan | 1899 | Unincorporated, organized | 3,285,874 | 5,325 | 13,791 | 1 |
![]() | VI | Charlotte Amalie | 1917 | Unincorporated, organized | 87,146 | 733 | 1,898 | 1 |
Uninhabited territories
Name | Acquired | Territorial status | Land area | |
---|---|---|---|---|
mi2 | km2 | |||
Baker Island | 1856 | Unincorporated; unorganized | 0.9 | 2.2 |
Howland Island | 1858 | Unincorporated, unorganized | 0.6 | 1.6 |
Jarvis Island | 1856 | Unincorporated, unorganized | 2.2 | 5.7 |
Johnston Atoll | 1859 | Unincorporated, unorganized | 1 | 2.6 |
Kingman Reef | 1860 | Unincorporated, unorganized | 0.005 | 0.01 |
Midway Atoll | 1867 | Unincorporated, unorganized | 3 | 7.8 |
Navassa Island | 1858 | Unincorporated, unorganized | 3 | 7.8 |
Palmyra Atoll | 1898 | Incorporated, unorganized | 1.5 | 3.9 |
Wake Island | 1899 | Unincorporated, unorganized | 2.5 | 6.5 |
Disputed territories
Name | Claimed | Territorial status | Area | Administered by | Also claimed by | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
mi2 | km2 | |||||
Bajo Nuevo Bank (Petrel Island) | 1869 | Unincorporated, unorganized (disputed sovereignty) | 56 | 145 | ![]() | ![]() ![]() |
Serranilla Bank | 1880 | Unincorporated, unorganized (disputed sovereignty) | 463 | 1,200 | ![]() | ![]() ![]() |
See also
- Aboriginal title in the United States
- Historic regions of the United States
- List of Indian reservations in the United States
- List of regions of the United States
- Lists of U.S. state topics
- List of U.S. states and territories by population
- Local government in the United States
- Organized incorporated territories of the United States
- Proposals for a 51st state
- Territorial evolution of the United States
- U.S. territorial sovereignty
- Compact of Free Association
Explanatory notes
- The original 13 states became sovereign in July 1776 upon agreeing to the United States Declaration of Independence, and each joined the first Union of states between 1777 and 1781, upon ratifying the Articles of Confederation. These states are presented in the order in which each ratified the 1787 Constitution, thus joining the present federal Union of states. Subsequent states are listed in the order of their admission to the Union, and the date given is the official establishment date set by Act of Congress. For further details, see List of U.S. states by date of admission to the Union
- Uses the term commonwealth rather than state in its full official name
- Represented by a non-voting delegate in the House of Representatives.
- Although not organized through a federal organic act or other explicit Congressional directive on governance, the people of American Samoa adopted a constitution in 1967, and then in 1977, elected territorial officials for the first time.
- Organized as a commonwealth.
- Represented by a non-voting resident commissioner in the House of Representatives.
- Excluding lagoon
- Although there are no indigenous inhabitants, around 40 United States Fish and Wildlife Service staff and service contractors live on the island at any given time.
- U.S. sovereignty is disputed by Haiti.
- Although there are no indigenous inhabitants, between 4 and 20 Nature Conservancy, employees, United States Fish and Wildlife Service staff, and researchers live on the island at any given time.
- Although there are no indigenous inhabitants, as of 2009, around 150 U.S. 150 U.S. military personnel and civilian contractors were living on the island, staffing the Wake Island Airfield and communications facilities.
- U.S. sovereignty is disputed by the Republic of Marshall Islands.
- This is the approximate figure for the land area of the bank, and does not include the surrounding territorial waters.
- This figure includes the total land area of the Serranilla Bank and the water area of its lagoon, but not the surrounding territorial waters.
References
- Onuf, Peter S. (1983). The Origins of the Federal Republic: Jurisdictional Controversies in the United States, 1775–1787. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 978-0-8122-1167-2.
- "Common Core Document of the United States of America: Submitted With the Fourth Periodic Report of the United States of America to the United Nations Committee on Human Rights concerning the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights". U.S. Department of State, via The Office of Website Management, Bureau of Public Affairs. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
- "U.S. Insular Areas: application of the U.S. Constitution" (PDF). Government Accountability Office. November 1997. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 3, 2013. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
- Radan, 2007, p. 12
- Burnett, Kristin D. "Congressional Apportionment (2010 Census Briefs C2010BR-08)" (PDF). U.S. Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 19, 2011.
- Elhauge, Einer R. "Essays on Article II: Presidential Electors". The Heritage Foundation. Archived from the original on July 24, 2017. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
- "Doctrine of the Equality of States". Justia Law. Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
- "Appendix B: Two–Letter State and possession Abbreviations". Postal Addressing Standards. Washington, D.C.: United States Postal Service. May 2015. Archived from the original on March 5, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
- Jensen, Merrill (1959). The Articles of Confederation: An Interpretation of the Social-Constitutional History of the American Revolution, 1774–1781. University of Wisconsin Press. pp. xi, 184. ISBN 978-0-299-00204-6.
- "Resident Population for the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico: 2020 Census" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 7, 2023.
- "State Area Measurements and Internal Point Coordinates". Washington, D.C.: U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on March 16, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
... provides land, water and total area measurements for the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Island Areas. The area measurements were derived from the Census Bureau's Master Address File/Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (MAF/TIGER®) database. The boundaries of the states and equivalent areas are as of January 1, 2010. The land and water areas, ... reflect base feature updates made in the MAF/TIGER® database through August, 2010.
- Click on the spreadsheet link labeled "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places of 20,000 or More" "City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2023". census.gov. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
- "The History of Washington, DC". Destination DC. March 15, 2016. Archived from the original on March 6, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
- "Directory of Representatives". Washington, D.C.: U.S. House of Representatives. Archived from the original on March 5, 2018. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
- "Acquisition Process of Insular Areas". Office of Insular Affairs. Archived from the original on April 14, 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
- "Definitions of Insular Area Political Organizations". Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of the Interior. June 12, 2015. Archived from the original on July 13, 2018. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
- 2020 Population of U.S. Island Areas Just Under 339,000, U.S. Census Bureau, October 28, 2021.
- "American Samoa". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
- "Islands We Serve: American Samoa". Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of the Interior. June 11, 2015. Archived from the original on March 9, 2018. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
- "Guam". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
- "Northern Mariana Islands". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
- "Puerto Rico". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
- "Virgin Islands". The World Factbook. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
- "Baker Island". Office of Insular Affairs. Archived from the original on April 19, 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
- "Jarvis Island". Office of Insular Affairs. Archived from the original on February 7, 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
- "Johnston Island". Office of Insular Affairs. Archived from the original on March 14, 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
- "Kingman Reef National Wildlife Refuge". United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Archived from the original on May 16, 2013. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
- "United States Pacific Islands Wildlife Refuges". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved October 10, 2014.
- "Midway Atoll". Office of Insular Affairs. Archived from the original on February 4, 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
- "Navassa Island". Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of the Interior. June 12, 2015. Archived from the original on August 15, 2016. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
- "Palmyra Atoll". Office of Insular Affairs. Archived from the original on January 11, 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
- "Wake Island". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved October 10, 2014.
- Earnshaw, Karen (December 17, 2016). "Enen Kio (a.k.a. Wake Island): Island of the kio flower". Marshall Islands Guide. Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands. Archived from the original on April 1, 2018. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
- Lewis, Martin W. (March 21, 2011). "When Is an Island Not An Island? Caribbean Maritime Disputes". GeoCurrents. Archived from the original on April 22, 2017. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
- "US Minor Outlying Islands – Bajo Nuevo Bank". Geocaching. June 6, 2017. Archived from the original on July 11, 2015. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
- "Cayo Serranilla" (in Spanish). Eco Fiwi. Archived from the original on July 31, 2017. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
- Radan, Peter (2007). Creating New States: Theory and Practice of Secession. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. ISBN 9780754671633.
External links
![image](https://www.english.nina.az/wikipedia/image/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZW5nbGlzaC5uaW5hLmF6L3dpa2lwZWRpYS9pbWFnZS9hSFIwY0hNNkx5OTFjR3h2WVdRdWQybHJhVzFsWkdsaExtOXlaeTkzYVd0cGNHVmthV0V2Wlc0dmRHaDFiV0l2TkM4MFlTOURiMjF0YjI1ekxXeHZaMjh1YzNabkx6TXdjSGd0UTI5dGJXOXVjeTFzYjJkdkxuTjJaeTV3Ym1jPS5wbmc=.png)
- State Resource Guides, from the Library of Congress
- State and Territorial Governments on USA.gov
The United States of America is a federal republic consisting of 50 states a federal district Washington D C the capital city of the United States five major territories and various minor islands Both the states and the United States as a whole are each sovereign jurisdictions The Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution allows states to exercise all powers of government not delegated to the federal government Each state has its own constitution and government and all states and their residents are represented in the federal Congress a bicameral legislature consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives Each state elects two senators while representatives are distributed among the states in proportion to the most recent constitutionally mandated decennial census Additionally each state is entitled to select a number of electors to vote in the Electoral College the body that elects the president of the United States equal to the total of representatives and senators in Congress from that state The federal district does not have representatives in the Senate but has a non voting delegate in the House and it is also entitled to electors in the Electoral College Congress can admit more 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 and each new state is admitted on an equal footing with the existing states A map of the United States showing its 50 states federal district and five inhabited territories Alaska Hawaii and the territories are shown at different scales and the Aleutian Islands and the uninhabited northwestern Hawaiian Islands are omitted from the map The United States has control over fourteen territories Five of them American Samoa Guam the Northern Mariana Islands Puerto Rico and the United States 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 an organic act 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 although all are represented by non voting delegates in the House The largest state by population is California with a population of 39 538 223 people while the smallest is Wyoming with a population of 576 851 people the federal district has a larger population 689 545 than both Wyoming and Vermont The largest state by area is Alaska encompassing 665 384 square miles 1 723 340 km2 while the smallest is Rhode Island encompassing 1 545 square miles 4 000 km2 The most recent states to be admitted Alaska and Hawaii were admitted in 1959 The largest territory by population is Puerto Rico with a population of 3 285 874 people larger than 21 states while the smallest is the Northern Mariana Islands with a population of 47 329 people Puerto Rico is the largest territory by area encompassing 5 325 square miles 13 790 km2 the smallest territory Kingman Reef encompasses only 0 005 square miles 0 013 km2 or a little larger than 3 acres StatesStates of the United States of America Flag name and postal abbreviation Cities Ratification or admission Population 2020 Total area Reps Capital Largest mi2 km2 Alabama AL Montgomery Huntsville Dec 14 1819 5 024 279 52 420 135 767 7 Alaska AK Juneau Anchorage Jan 3 1959 733 391 665 384 1 723 337 1 Arizona AZ Phoenix Feb 14 1912 7 151 502 113 990 295 234 9 Arkansas AR Little Rock Jun 15 1836 3 011 524 53 179 137 732 4 California CA Sacramento Los Angeles Sep 9 1850 39 538 223 163 695 423 967 52 Colorado CO Denver Aug 1 1876 5 773 714 104 094 269 601 8 Connecticut CT Hartford Bridgeport Jan 9 1788 3 605 944 5 543 14 357 5 Delaware DE Dover Wilmington Dec 7 1787 989 948 2 489 6 446 1 Florida FL Tallahassee Jacksonville Mar 3 1845 21 538 187 65 758 170 312 28 Georgia GA Atlanta Jan 2 1788 10 711 908 59 425 153 910 14 Hawaii HI Honolulu Aug 21 1959 1 455 271 10 932 28 313 2 Idaho ID Boise Jul 3 1890 1 839 106 83 569 216 443 2 Illinois IL Springfield Chicago Dec 3 1818 12 812 508 57 914 149 995 17 Indiana IN Indianapolis Dec 11 1816 6 785 528 36 420 94 326 9 Iowa IA Des Moines Dec 28 1846 3 190 369 56 273 145 746 4 Kansas KS Topeka Wichita Jan 29 1861 2 937 880 82 278 213 100 4 Kentucky KY Frankfort Louisville Jun 1 1792 4 505 836 40 408 104 656 6 Louisiana LA Baton Rouge New Orleans Apr 30 1812 4 657 757 52 378 135 659 6 Maine ME Augusta Portland Mar 15 1820 1 362 359 35 380 91 633 2 Maryland MD Annapolis Baltimore Apr 28 1788 6 177 224 12 406 32 131 8 Massachusetts MA Boston Feb 6 1788 7 029 917 10 554 27 336 9 Michigan MI Lansing Detroit Jan 26 1837 10 077 331 96 714 250 487 13 Minnesota MN Saint Paul Minneapolis May 11 1858 5 706 494 86 936 225 163 8 Mississippi MS Jackson Dec 10 1817 2 961 279 48 432 125 438 4 Missouri MO Jefferson City Kansas City Aug 10 1821 6 154 913 69 707 180 540 8 Montana MT Helena Billings Nov 8 1889 1 084 225 147 040 380 831 2 Nebraska NE Lincoln Omaha Mar 1 1867 1 961 504 77 348 200 330 3 Nevada NV Carson City Las Vegas Oct 31 1864 3 104 614 110 572 286 380 4 New Hampshire NH Concord Manchester Jun 21 1788 1 377 529 9 349 24 214 2 New Jersey NJ Trenton Newark Dec 18 1787 9 288 994 8 723 22 591 12 New Mexico NM Santa Fe Albuquerque Jan 6 1912 2 117 522 121 590 314 917 3 New York NY Albany New York City Jul 26 1788 20 201 249 54 555 141 297 26 North Carolina NC Raleigh Charlotte Nov 21 1789 10 439 388 53 819 139 391 14 North Dakota ND Bismarck Fargo Nov 2 1889 779 094 70 698 183 108 1 Ohio OH Columbus Mar 1 1803 11 799 448 44 826 116 098 15 Oklahoma OK Oklahoma City Nov 16 1907 3 959 353 69 899 181 037 5 Oregon OR Salem Portland Feb 14 1859 4 237 256 98 379 254 799 6 Pennsylvania PA Harrisburg Philadelphia Dec 12 1787 13 002 700 46 054 119 280 17 Rhode Island RI Providence May 29 1790 1 097 379 1 545 4 001 2 South Carolina SC Columbia Charleston May 23 1788 5 118 425 32 020 82 933 7 South Dakota SD Pierre Sioux Falls Nov 2 1889 886 667 77 116 199 729 1 Tennessee TN Nashville Jun 1 1796 6 910 840 42 144 109 153 9 Texas TX Austin Houston Dec 29 1845 29 145 505 268 596 695 662 38 Utah UT Salt Lake City Jan 4 1896 3 271 616 84 897 219 882 4 Vermont VT Montpelier Burlington Mar 4 1791 643 077 9 616 24 906 1 Virginia VA Richmond Virginia Beach Jun 25 1788 8 631 393 42 775 110 787 11 Washington WA Olympia Seattle Nov 11 1889 7 705 281 71 298 184 661 10 West Virginia WV Charleston Jun 20 1863 1 793 716 24 230 62 756 2 Wisconsin WI Madison Milwaukee May 29 1848 5 893 718 65 496 169 635 8 Wyoming WY Cheyenne Jul 10 1890 576 851 97 813 253 335 1Federal districtFederal district of the United States Flag name and postal abbreviation Established Population 2020 Total area Reps mi2 km2 District of Columbia DC Jul 16 1790 689 545 68 176 1Territories States and federal district Inhabited territories Uninhabited territoriesInhabited territories Inhabited territories of the United States Name and postal abbreviation Capital Acquired Territorial status Population 2020 Total area Reps mi2 km2 American Samoa AS Pago Pago 1900 Unincorporated unorganized 49 710 581 1 505 1 Guam GU Hagatna 1899 Unincorporated organized 153 836 571 1 478 1 Northern Mariana Islands MP Saipan 1986 Unincorporated organized 47 329 1 976 5 117 1 Puerto Rico PR San Juan 1899 Unincorporated organized 3 285 874 5 325 13 791 1 U S Virgin Islands VI Charlotte Amalie 1917 Unincorporated organized 87 146 733 1 898 1Uninhabited territories Territories of the United States with no permanent population Name Acquired Territorial status Land areami2 km2Baker Island 1856 Unincorporated unorganized 0 9 2 2Howland Island 1858 Unincorporated unorganized 0 6 1 6Jarvis Island 1856 Unincorporated unorganized 2 2 5 7Johnston Atoll 1859 Unincorporated unorganized 1 2 6Kingman Reef 1860 Unincorporated unorganized 0 005 0 01Midway Atoll 1867 Unincorporated unorganized 3 7 8Navassa Island 1858 Unincorporated unorganized 3 7 8Palmyra Atoll 1898 Incorporated unorganized 1 5 3 9Wake Island 1899 Unincorporated unorganized 2 5 6 5Disputed territories Territories claimed but not administered by the United States Name Claimed Territorial status Area Administered by Also claimed bymi2 km2Bajo Nuevo Bank Petrel Island 1869 Unincorporated unorganized disputed sovereignty 56 145 Colombia Jamaica NicaraguaSerranilla Bank 1880 Unincorporated unorganized disputed sovereignty 463 1 200 Colombia Honduras NicaraguaSee alsoGeography portalNorth America portalUnited States portalAboriginal title in the United States Historic regions of the United States List of Indian reservations in the United States List of regions of the United States Lists of U S state topics List of U S states and territories by population Local government in the United States Organized incorporated territories of the United States Proposals for a 51st state Territorial evolution of the United States U S territorial sovereignty Compact of Free AssociationExplanatory notesThe original 13 states became sovereign in July 1776 upon agreeing to the United States Declaration of Independence and each joined the first Union of states between 1777 and 1781 upon ratifying the Articles of Confederation These states are presented in the order in which each ratified the 1787 Constitution thus joining the present federal Union of states Subsequent states are listed in the order of their admission to the Union and the date given is the official establishment date set by Act of Congress For further details see List of U S states by date of admission to the Union Uses the term commonwealth rather than state in its full official name Represented by a non voting delegate in the House of Representatives Although not organized through a federal organic act or other explicit Congressional directive on governance the people of American Samoa adopted a constitution in 1967 and then in 1977 elected territorial officials for the first time Organized as a commonwealth Represented by a non voting resident commissioner in the House of Representatives Excluding lagoon Although there are no indigenous inhabitants around 40 United States Fish and Wildlife Service staff and service contractors live on the island at any given time U S sovereignty is disputed by Haiti Although there are no indigenous inhabitants between 4 and 20 Nature Conservancy employees United States Fish and Wildlife Service staff and researchers live on the island at any given time Although there are no indigenous inhabitants as of 2009 around 150 U S 150 U S military personnel and civilian contractors were living on the island staffing the Wake Island Airfield and communications facilities U S sovereignty is disputed by the Republic of Marshall Islands This is the approximate figure for the land area of the bank and does not include the surrounding territorial waters This figure includes the total land area of the Serranilla Bank and the water area of its lagoon but not the surrounding territorial waters ReferencesOnuf Peter S 1983 The Origins of the Federal Republic Jurisdictional Controversies in the United States 1775 1787 Philadelphia University of Pennsylvania Press ISBN 978 0 8122 1167 2 Common Core Document of the United States of America Submitted With the Fourth Periodic Report of the United States of America to the United Nations Committee on Human Rights concerning the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights U S Department of State via The Office of Website Management Bureau of Public Affairs Retrieved July 9 2017 U S Insular Areas application of the U S Constitution PDF Government Accountability Office November 1997 Archived PDF from the original on November 3 2013 Retrieved July 10 2013 Radan 2007 p 12 Burnett Kristin D Congressional Apportionment 2010 Census Briefs C2010BR 08 PDF U S Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration Archived from the original PDF on November 19 2011 Elhauge Einer R Essays on Article II Presidential Electors The Heritage Foundation Archived from the original on July 24 2017 Retrieved December 29 2015 Doctrine of the Equality of States Justia Law Archived from the original on October 19 2012 Retrieved June 16 2017 Appendix B Two Letter State and possession Abbreviations Postal Addressing Standards Washington D C United States Postal Service May 2015 Archived from the original on March 5 2018 Retrieved March 3 2018 Jensen Merrill 1959 The Articles of Confederation An Interpretation of the Social Constitutional History of the American Revolution 1774 1781 University of Wisconsin Press pp xi 184 ISBN 978 0 299 00204 6 Resident Population for the 50 States the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico 2020 Census PDF U S Census Bureau Archived PDF from the original on December 7 2023 State Area Measurements and Internal Point Coordinates Washington D C U S Census Bureau Archived from the original on March 16 2018 Retrieved March 3 2018 provides land water and total area measurements for the 50 states the District of Columbia Puerto Rico and the Island Areas The area measurements were derived from the Census Bureau s Master Address File Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing MAF TIGER database The boundaries of the states and equivalent areas are as of January 1 2010 The land and water areas reflect base feature updates made in the MAF TIGER database through August 2010 Click on the spreadsheet link labeled Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places of 20 000 or More City and Town Population Totals 2020 2023 census gov Retrieved December 4 2024 The History of Washington DC Destination DC March 15 2016 Archived from the original on March 6 2018 Retrieved March 3 2018 Directory of Representatives Washington D C U S House of Representatives Archived from the original on March 5 2018 Retrieved March 5 2018 Acquisition Process of Insular Areas Office of Insular Affairs Archived from the original on April 14 2012 Retrieved July 9 2013 Definitions of Insular Area Political Organizations Washington D C U S Department of the Interior June 12 2015 Archived from the original on July 13 2018 Retrieved March 1 2018 2020 Population of U S Island Areas Just Under 339 000 U S Census Bureau October 28 2021 American Samoa The World Factbook Central Intelligence Agency Retrieved July 9 2013 Islands We Serve American Samoa Washington D C U S Department of the Interior June 11 2015 Archived from the original on March 9 2018 Retrieved March 1 2018 Guam The World Factbook Central Intelligence Agency Retrieved July 9 2013 Northern Mariana Islands The World Factbook Central Intelligence Agency Retrieved July 9 2013 Puerto Rico The World Factbook Central Intelligence Agency Retrieved July 9 2013 Virgin Islands The World Factbook Retrieved July 9 2013 Baker Island Office of Insular Affairs Archived from the original on April 19 2012 Retrieved July 9 2013 Jarvis Island Office of Insular Affairs Archived from the original on February 7 2012 Retrieved July 9 2013 Johnston Island Office of Insular Affairs Archived from the original on March 14 2012 Retrieved July 9 2013 Kingman Reef National Wildlife Refuge United States Fish and Wildlife Service Archived from the original on May 16 2013 Retrieved July 9 2013 United States Pacific Islands Wildlife Refuges The World Factbook Central Intelligence Agency Retrieved October 10 2014 Midway Atoll Office of Insular Affairs Archived from the original on February 4 2012 Retrieved July 9 2013 Navassa Island Washington D C U S Department of the Interior June 12 2015 Archived from the original on August 15 2016 Retrieved March 3 2018 Colon Yves September 25 1998 U S Haiti Squabble Over Control of Tiny Island Miami Herald Webster University Archived from the original on August 30 2016 Retrieved November 25 2016 Palmyra Atoll Office of Insular Affairs Archived from the original on January 11 2012 Retrieved July 9 2013 Wake Island The World Factbook Central Intelligence Agency Retrieved October 10 2014 Earnshaw Karen December 17 2016 Enen Kio a k a Wake Island Island of the kio flower Marshall Islands Guide Majuro Republic of the Marshall Islands Archived from the original on April 1 2018 Retrieved March 4 2018 Lewis Martin W March 21 2011 When Is an Island Not An Island Caribbean Maritime Disputes GeoCurrents Archived from the original on April 22 2017 Retrieved June 16 2017 US Minor Outlying Islands Bajo Nuevo Bank Geocaching June 6 2017 Archived from the original on July 11 2015 Retrieved July 10 2015 Cayo Serranilla in Spanish Eco Fiwi Archived from the original on July 31 2017 Retrieved June 16 2017 Radan Peter 2007 Creating New States Theory and Practice of Secession Ashgate Publishing Ltd ISBN 9780754671633 External linksWikimedia Commons has media related to States of the United States State Resource Guides from the Library of Congress State and Territorial Governments on USA gov