The primary political unit of the United States after the federal state is the state. Technically and legally, states are not "divisions" but units of the United States, because the United States and the several states that constitute it operate with a uniquely American system of parallel sovereignty. According to numerous decisions of the United States Supreme Court, the several states and the United States (that is, the federal state which is coextensive with the 50 several states and the District of Columbia) are sovereign jurisdictions. ...

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Political divisions of the United States, Political divisions of the United States - Political units and system of operation, Political divisions of the United States - Federal oversight of United States territory, Political divisions of the United States - Congress of the United States, Political divisions of the United States - United States Department of the Interior, Political divisions of the United States - States of the United States, Political divisions of the United States - Divisions of U.S. states, Political divisions of the United States - Jurisdictions not administered by the states, Political divisions of the United States - Federal district of the United States, Political divisions of the United States - Indian reservations, Political divisions of the United States - Territories of the United States, Political divisions of the United States - Freely-associated states, Political divisions of the United States - Electoral districts, Political divisions of the United States - Other districts

Read more here: » Political divisions of the United States: Encyclopedia II - Political divisions of the United States - Political units and system of operation

This is a list of United States territorial acquisitions, beginning with American independence. United States territorial acquisitions - Notes and caveats. There is a small section of central Colorado that lies between the Louisiana Purchase lands and the lands acquired in the Texas Annexation. It was either assumed by the U.S. without treaty, or, according to the National Atlas territorial acquisitions map from 2005, was granted to the U.S. under some provision of the 1819 treaty with Spain.< ...

Including:

• United States territorial acquisitions - Notes and caveats
• United States territorial acquisitions - List of territorial acquisitions

Read more here: » United States territorial acquisitions: Encyclopedia - United States territorial acquisitions

A county of the United States is a local level of government smaller than a state but generally larger than a city or town, in a U.S. state or territory. The actual term "county" describes them in 48 of the 50 states; Louisiana uses the term "parish" and Alaska uses the word "borough." Including those, there are 3,086 counties in the United States, an average of 62 counties per state. The state with the fewest counties is Delaware (three), and the state with the most is Texas (254). In many states, counties are subdivided into townshi ...

Including:

• County United States - Terminology
• County United States - City-county exceptions
• County United States - Statistics
• County United States - Scope of power
• County United States - Lists of counties by state
• County United States - Number of counties per state
• County United States - County name etymologies
• County United States - Special cases
• County United States - Proposals for new counties

Read more here: » County United States: Encyclopedia - County United States

A U.S. state is any one of the fifty states (four of which officially favor the term commonwealth) which, with the District of Columbia, forms the United States of America. The separate state governments and the U.S. federal government share sovereignty, in that an "American" is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of residence. The United States Constitution allocates power between the two levels of government in general terms; the general idea is that by ratifying the Constitution, each state (a ...

Including:

• U.S. state - Legal relationship
• U.S. state - Legal status at end of Revolutionary War
• U.S. state - Union as a single nation
• U.S. state - Relationship among the states
• U.S. state - Secession
• U.S. state - Commonwealths and states
• U.S. state - State judicial systems
• U.S. state - Subdivision of Texas to form new states
• U.S. state - Republic of Texas and California Republic
• U.S. state - Origin of states' names
• U.S. state - List of states
• U.S. state - Trivia
• U.S. state - Names
• U.S. state - Geography
• U.S. state - Grouping of the states in regions
• U.S. state - State lists

Read more here: » U.S. state: Encyclopedia - U.S. state

The term county equivalents includes in addition three types of units outside that definition: Alaska census areas: Most of the land area of Alaska is not contained within any of Alaska's 16 boroughs. This vast area, larger than France and Germany combined, is referred to by the Alaska state government as the unorganized borough and, outside municipal limits, has no local government. The United States Census Bureau has divided the unorganized borough into 11 census areas for statistical purposes. Independe ...

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County United States, County United States - Terminology, County United States - City-county exceptions, County United States - Statistics, County United States - Scope of power, County United States - Lists of counties by state, County United States - Number of counties per state, County United States - County name etymologies, County United States - Special cases, County United States - Proposals for new counties

Read more here: » County United States: Encyclopedia II - County United States - Terminology

Several islands in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea are considered insular areas of the United States: Insular area - Inhabited. American Samoa (unincorporated, officially unorganized, although self-governing under authority of the U.S. Department of the Interior) Guam (unincorporated, organized under Organic Act of 1950) Midway Islands (unincorporated; administered as the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge) Northern Mariana Islands (unincorporated, commonwealth, orga ...

See also:

Insular area, Insular area - List and status of insular areas, Insular area - Inhabited, Insular area - Uninhabited, Insular area - Disputed

Read more here: » Insular area: Encyclopedia II - Insular area - List and status of insular areas

In 1510, the Serranilla Bank was first shown on Spanish maps. The United States, Colombia (indirectly) and possibly Honduras have all claimed the island. Serranilla Bank - Latin American claims. Colombia has not directly claimed Serranilla Bank but is on record as considering the bank a part of the Providence Archipelago in the intendency of San Andrés and Providencia. Several islands were transferred to Colombia by the U.S., effective on September 17, 1981; while it is clear that almost all of the island ...

See also:

Serranilla Bank, Serranilla Bank - Geography and topography, Serranilla Bank - History and Claims, Serranilla Bank - Latin American claims, Serranilla Bank - The U.S. claim

Read more here: » Serranilla Bank: Encyclopedia II - Serranilla Bank - History and Claims

In 1504, Christopher Columbus, stranded on Jamaica, sent some crew members by canoe to Hispaniola for help. They ran into the island on the way, but it had no water. They called it Navaza, and it was avoided by mariners for the next 350 years. It was claimed by Peter Duncan, an American sea captain, in 1857 under the Guano Islands Act of 1856 because of its guano deposits, the third island to be claimed under this act. These deposits were actively mined from 1865 to 1898. Haiti protested the annexation and claimed the island, but the U.S. rejected the claim and since October 1857 it is cla ...

See also:

Navassa Island, Navassa Island - Geography, Navassa Island - History

Read more here: » Navassa Island: Encyclopedia II - Navassa Island - History

The federal entity created by the Constitution is the dominant feature of the American governmental system. However, every person outside the capital is subject to at least three governing bodies: the federal government, a state, and a county (Note: county government has been abolished in some places, see New England and Town Meeting, the town/city fulfills this level of government). Within an incorporated entity, such as a city, they are also subject to the local government and possibly a distric ...

See also:

Politics of the United States, Politics of the United States - Federal state and local governments, Politics of the United States - State government, Politics of the United States - City government, Politics of the United States - County government, Politics of the United States - Town and village government, Politics of the United States - Other local governments, Politics of the United States - Participation, Politics of the United States - Political culture, Politics of the United States - Political parties, Politics of the United States - Political spectrum of the two major parties, Politics of the United States - Organization of American political parties, Politics of the United States - Political pressure groups, Politics of the United States - International organizations, Politics of the United States - International agreements that the USA has not ratified

Read more here: » Politics of the United States: Encyclopedia II - Politics of the United States - Federal state and local governments

U.S. state - Legal status at end of Revolutionary War. At the time of the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain in 1776, the 13 colonies became 13 independently sovereign states, which became fourteen in 1777 with the formation of the Vermont Republic; for a brief period, they were in effect legally separate nations. U.S. state - Union as a single nation. Upon the adoption of the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, the states became a single sovereign politi ...

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U.S. state, U.S. state - Legal relationship, U.S. state - Legal status at end of Revolutionary War, U.S. state - Union as a single nation, U.S. state - Relationship among the states, U.S. state - Secession, U.S. state - Commonwealths and states, U.S. state - State judicial systems, U.S. state - Subdivision of Texas to form new states, U.S. state - Republic of Texas and California Republic, U.S. state - Origin of states' names, U.S. state - List of states, U.S. state - Trivia, U.S. state - Names, U.S. state - Geography, U.S. state - Grouping of the states in regions, U.S. state - State lists

Read more here: » U.S. state: Encyclopedia II - U.S. state - Legal relationship

In 1504, Christopher Columbus, stranded on Jamaica, sent some crew members by canoe to Hispaniola for help. They ran into the island on the way, but it had no water. They called it Navaza, and it was avoided by mariners for the next 350 years. It was claimed by Peter Duncan, an American sea captain, in 1857 under the Guano Islands Act of 1856 because of its guano deposits, the third island to be claimed under this act. These deposits were actively mined from 1865 to 1898. Haiti protested the annexation and claimed th ...

See also:

Navassa Island, Navassa Island - Geography, Navassa Island - History

Read more here: » Navassa Island: Encyclopedia II - Navassa Island - History

The following are land grants, cessions, purchases, defined districts (official or otherwise) or named settlements made within an area that was already part of the original 13 colonies or a state of the Union or U.S. territory, including major land acquisitions (of varying degrees of legality) from Native Americans that did not involve international treaties or state cessions. Arizona Territory (CSA) (Arizona, New Mexico) Carver's Tract (Wisconsin) Cherokee Strip (Kansas) Comancheria Cumberlan ...

See also:

Historic regions of the United States, Historic regions of the United States - Colonies not among the original 13, Historic regions of the United States - Regions ceded annexed or purchased from states or foreign powers, Historic regions of the United States - Internal land grants cessions purchases districts claims or settlements, Historic regions of the United States - Iowa, Historic regions of the United States - New York, Historic regions of the United States - Ohio, Historic regions of the United States - Oklahoma, Historic regions of the United States - Pennsylvania, Historic regions of the United States - Former organized territories, Historic regions of the United States - Possessions and overseas territories subsequently retroceded, Historic regions of the United States - Independent nations turned states, Historic regions of the United States - Unrecognized or self-declared entities, Historic regions of the United States - American Civil War-related regions, Historic regions of the United States - Nicknames

Read more here: » Historic regions of the United States: Encyclopedia II - Historic regions of the United States - Internal land grants cessions purchases districts claims or settlements

Several islands in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea are considered insular areas of the United States: Insular area - Inhabited. American Samoa (unincorporated, officially unorganized, although self-governing under authority of the U.S. Department of the Interior) Guam (unincorporated, organized under Organic Act of 1950) Northern Mariana Islands (unincorporated, commonwealth, organized under 1977 Covenant) Puerto Rico (unincorporated, commonwealth, organized under terms ...

See also:

Insular area, Insular area - List and status of insular areas, Insular area - Inhabited, Insular area - Uninhabited, Insular area - Disputed

Read more here: » Insular area: Encyclopedia II - Insular area - List and status of insular areas

The U.S. policy of creating reservations for Native Americans was established during the Presidential administration of Ulysses S. Grant in the late 1860s in response to the perceived "Indian problem" of growing conflicts between U.S. settlers and Native American tribes in the West. Relations between settlers and natives had grown increasingly worse as the settlers encroached on hunting grounds and natural resources in the West. Grant pursued a stated "Peace Policy" as a possible solution to the conflict. The policy included a reorgan ...

See also:

Indian reservation, Indian reservation - History, Indian reservation - Controversy, Indian reservation - The Indian New Deal, Indian reservation - Life and culture, Indian reservation - Gambling

Read more here: » Indian reservation: Encyclopedia II - Indian reservation - History

See also: United States territorial acquisitions, Manifest Destiny Alaska Purchase Gadsden Purchase Louisiana Purchase, originally Louisiana (New France) Sabine Free State Mexican Cession Oregon Country Red River Basin Florida Purchase East Florida West Florida State Cessions Illinois ...

See also:

Historic regions of the United States, Historic regions of the United States - Colonies not among the original 13, Historic regions of the United States - Regions ceded annexed or purchased from states or foreign powers, Historic regions of the United States - Internal land grants cessions purchases districts claims or settlements, Historic regions of the United States - Iowa, Historic regions of the United States - New York, Historic regions of the United States - Ohio, Historic regions of the United States - Oklahoma, Historic regions of the United States - Pennsylvania, Historic regions of the United States - Former organized territories, Historic regions of the United States - Possessions and overseas territories subsequently retroceded, Historic regions of the United States - Independent nations turned states, Historic regions of the United States - Unrecognized or self-declared entities, Historic regions of the United States - American Civil War-related regions, Historic regions of the United States - Nicknames

Read more here: » Historic regions of the United States: Encyclopedia II - Historic regions of the United States - Regions ceded annexed or purchased from states or foreign powers

Navassa Island is about two square miles (5.2 km²). It is located in a strategic location 160 km (90 nautical miles) south of the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, about one-fourth of the way from Haiti to Jamaica in the Jamaica Channel; transient Haitian fishermen and others camp on the island. The island's latitude and longitude is 18°24′0″N, 75°0′30″W. The terrain of Navassa Island consists mostly of exposed rock, but with enough grassland to support goat herds. There are also dense stands of fig-li ...

See also:

Navassa Island, Navassa Island - Geography, Navassa Island - History

Read more here: » Navassa Island: Encyclopedia II - Navassa Island - Geography

Suffrage is nearly universal for citizens 18 years of age and older. A major remaining exception is the District of Columbia, where residents have no representation whatsoever in the US Senate; only a non-voting "delegate" in the House; and an extremely weak "home rule" city government. Also, US voting rights can be restricted as a result of felony conviction (such laws vary widely by state). The most significant fact about politics in the United States, especially at the national level, is that successful participation requires large ...

See also:

Politics of the United States, Politics of the United States - Federal state and local governments, Politics of the United States - State government, Politics of the United States - City government, Politics of the United States - County government, Politics of the United States - Town and village government, Politics of the United States - Other local governments, Politics of the United States - Participation, Politics of the United States - Political culture, Politics of the United States - Political parties, Politics of the United States - Political spectrum of the two major parties, Politics of the United States - Organization of American political parties, Politics of the United States - Political pressure groups, Politics of the United States - International organizations, Politics of the United States - International agreements that the USA has not ratified

Read more here: » Politics of the United States: Encyclopedia II - Politics of the United States - Participation

International organization participation: ANZUS, APEC, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CE (observer), CERN (observer), CP, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, ESCAP, FAO, G-7, G-8, G-10, G12, G20, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MIPONUH, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS, OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SPC, UN, UN Security Council, UNCTAD, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, NMIK, UNOMIG, UNR ...

See also:

Politics of the United States, Politics of the United States - Federal state and local governments, Politics of the United States - State government, Politics of the United States - City government, Politics of the United States - County government, Politics of the United States - Town and village government, Politics of the United States - Other local governments, Politics of the United States - Participation, Politics of the United States - Political culture, Politics of the United States - Political parties, Politics of the United States - Political spectrum of the two major parties, Politics of the United States - Organization of American political parties, Politics of the United States - Political pressure groups, Politics of the United States - International organizations, Politics of the United States - International agreements that the USA has not ratified

Read more here: » Politics of the United States: Encyclopedia II - Politics of the United States - International organizations

Main article: Lists of U.S. county name etymologies Many states have counties named after U.S. presidents such as Washington, Madison, Polk, Jefferson, etc. Counties are also commonly named after famous individuals, local Native American tribes once in the area, cities located within the county, and land or water features (Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, meaning "Fat Hill" in Spanish, and Lake County, Illinois, on Lake Michigan). ...

See also:

County United States, County United States - Terminology, County United States - City-county exceptions, County United States - Statistics, County United States - Scope of power, County United States - Lists of counties by state, County United States - Number of counties per state, County United States - County name etymologies, County United States - Special cases, County United States - Proposals for new counties

Read more here: » County United States: Encyclopedia II - County United States - County name etymologies

Main article: County statistics of the United States At the 2000 U.S. Census, the median land area of the 3,066 U.S. counties was 1,611 km² (622 sq. miles), which is only two-thirds of the median land area of a ceremonial county of England, and only a little more than a quarter of the median land area of a French département. This figure, however, hides large differences between the eastern and western United States. The land area of counties in the western United States is much larger than the land area of coun ...

See also:

County United States, County United States - Terminology, County United States - City-county exceptions, County United States - Statistics, County United States - Scope of power, County United States - Lists of counties by state, County United States - Number of counties per state, County United States - County name etymologies, County United States - Special cases, County United States - Proposals for new counties

Read more here: » County United States: Encyclopedia II - County United States - Statistics