The United States is a federation of 50 states, Alaska, and Hawaii. The country's geography includes the District of Columbia, a stateless limbo land between Maryland and Virginia, and numerous American Indian reservations. The federal government is made up of representatives sent from the states.
The U.S. also has territories, which are areas under U.S. control but not yet states. These include Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The people in these territories are American citizens, but they don't have representation in Congress.
In addition to these, there are unincorporated organized territories like the Palmyra Atoll, and unincorporated unorganized territories like Howland Island, Navassa Island, and Wake Island.
American Samoa, home to 55,000 people, is a unique case. American Samoans are American Nationals and can live in the states but can't vote in presidential elections unless they go through the immigration process.
Finally, there are three tiny nations with a "Compact of Free Association" with the United States: Palu, the Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia. These nations have UN seats and the U.S. provides economic support and military defense in return for being allowed to build military bases there.
1. The United States is composed of 48 contiguous states, Alaska, and Hawaii.
2. The states are usually drawn in little boxes, not to scale, due to the vast size of Alaska and Hawaii's location in the middle of the ocean.
3. Statehood is eternal, meaning states cannot leave the union.
4. The federal government, where national laws are written, is made of representatives sent from the states.
5. Washington D.C., the nation's capital, is a stateless limbo land between Maryland and Virginia.
6. D.C. is under the control of Congress, meaning all other states get the final say on how D.C. is run, while D.C. does not get a vote in anything.
7. The American Indian reservations are numerous and are treated as foreign nations by the U.S.
8. When the U.S. ran out of lands to manifest destiny, it expanded to territories like Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
9. Puerto Rico is an organized, unincorporated territory of the U.S., meaning it's self-governing and the U.S. constitution doesn't automatically apply to the island.
10. 3.7 million people live in Puerto Rico, which is 91% of the people living on U.S. Territorial islands and more people than live in 21 of the states.
11. The U.S. treats Puerto Rico as a state in almost all but name.
12. Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands were acquired in the Spanish-American war and taken from Japan during World War II, respectively.
13. The people in these territories are American citizens.
14. Congress can override their local governments and they don't have representation because no state-tation.
15. The territories and D.C. do get to elect congressional representatives who attend all of the meetings but just can't vote in any of them.
16. Since votes for president are based on state population, citizens in the territories can't vote.
17. Along with these unincorporated organized territories, there are also unincorporated unorganized territories like Howland Island, Navassa Island, Wake Island, Jarvis Island, Kingman Reef, Midway Reef, Serranilla Bank, and Bajo Nuevo Bank.
18. The Palmyra Atoll is an unorganized incorporated territory, meaning the U.S. constitution applies here.
19. American Samoa is home to 55,000 people and its residents are American Nationals, not citizens.
20. American Samoans can live in the states but can't vote in presidential elections unless they go through the immigration process like any foreigner.
21. The three tiny nations -- Palu, the Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia -- are separate countries with UN seats and a "Compact of Free Association" with the United States.