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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]
The following table is a list of all 50 states and their respective dates of statehood. The first 13 became states 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, its first constitution. [6]
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. [ 10 ] [ 15 ] The average age of governors at the time of their inauguration was about 59 years old.
States are divided into counties or county-equivalents, which may be assigned some local governmental authority but are not sovereign. County or county-equivalent structure varies widely by state, and states also create other local governments. States, unlike U.S. territories, possess many powers and rights under the United States Constitution.
An enlargeable map of the 3,143 counties and county equivalents located in the 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C. as of 2020. The 100 county equivalents in the U.S. territories are not on this map. There are 3,244 counties and county equivalents in the United States.
The following is a list of the 3,143 counties and county-equivalents in the 50 states and District of Columbia sorted by U.S. state, plus an additional 100 county-equivalents in the U.S. territories sorted by territory. [1] [2]
Image:Blank US Map with borders.svg, a blank states maps with borders. Image:BlankMap-USA.png, a map with no borders and states separated by transparency. Image:US map - geographic.png, a geographical map. On Wikimedia Commons, a free online media resource: commons:Category:Maps of the United States, the category for all maps with subcategories.
The traditional abbreviations for U.S. states and territories, widely used in mailing addresses prior to the introduction of two-letter U.S. postal abbreviations, are still commonly used for other purposes (such as legal citation), and are still recognized (though discouraged) by the Postal Service. [12]