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The United States of America is a federal republic [1] consisting of 50 states, a federal district (Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States), five major territories, and various minor islands. [2] [3] Both the states and the United States as a whole are each sovereign jurisdictions. [4]
Article IV, Section 3, Clause 1 of the Constitution grants to Congress the authority to admit new states into the Union. Since the establishment of the United States in 1776, the number of states has expanded from the original 13 to 50. Each new state has been admitted on an equal footing with the existing states. [5]
The states and territories included in the United States Census Bureau's statistics for the United States population, ethnicity, and most other categories include the 50 states and Washington, D.C. Separate statistics are maintained for the five permanently inhabited territories of the United States: Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands ...
As the United States has grown in area and population, new states have been formed out of U.S. territories or the division of existing states. The population figures provided here reflect modern state boundaries. Shaded areas of the tables indicate census years when a territory or the part of another state had not yet been admitted as a new state.
This category is for states of the United States. To locate categories in a particular state, click on that state, or use the text links below. To locate categories in a particular state, click on that state, or use the text links below.
Under U.S. constitutional law, the 50 individual states and the United States as a whole are each sovereign jurisdictions. [16] The states are not administrative divisions of the country; the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution reserves to the states or to the people all powers of government not delegated to the federal government.
A total of 15 current governors previously served as lieutenant governor, while 11 previously served in the United States House of Representatives. [14] The governor's office has term limits in 37 states and 4 territories; these terms are four years except in New Hampshire and Vermont , where governors serve two-year terms.
This is a complete list of all 50 U.S. states, its federal district (Washington, D.C.) and its major territories ordered by total area, land area and water area. [1] The water area includes inland waters, coastal waters, the Great Lakes and territorial waters.