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 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 is represented by two senators, while representatives are distributed among the states in proportion to the most recent constitutionally mandated decennial census.[5]
Additionally, each state is entitled to select a number of electors to vote in theElectoral College, the body that elects thepresident of the United States, equal to the total of representatives and senators in Congress from that state.[6]The federal district does not have representatives in the Senate, but has a non-votingdelegatein the House, and it is also entitled to electors in the Electoral College. Congress canadmitmore 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 anequal footingwith the existing states.[7]
The United States has control over fourteen territories. Five of them (American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. 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 (1,723,337 square kilometers), while the smallest is Rhode Island, encompassing 1,545 square miles (4,001 square kilometers). 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 (13,791 square kilometers); the smallest territory, Kingman Reef, encompasses only 0.005 square miles (0.01 square kilometers).
Flag, name and
postal abbreviation[8]CitiesRatification or
admission[A]Population
of Reps.CapitalLargest[12]mi2km2mi2km2mi2km2AlabamaALMontgomeryHuntsvilleDec 14, 1819
5,024,279
52,420135,76750,645131,1711,7754,597
7
733,391
665,3841,723,337570,6411,477,95394,743245,384
1
7,151,502
113,990295,234113,594294,2073961,026
9
ArkansasARLittle RockJun 15, 1836
3,011,524
53,179137,73252,035134,7711,1432,961
4
CaliforniaCASacramentoLos AngelesSep 9, 1850
39,538,223
163,695423,967155,779403,4667,91620,501
52
5,773,714
104,094269,601103,642268,4314521,170
8
ConnecticutCTHartfordBridgeportJan 9, 1788
3,605,944
5,54314,3574,84212,5427011,816
5
DelawareDEDoverWilmingtonDec 7, 1787
989,948
2,4896,4461,9495,0475401,399
1
FloridaFLTallahasseeJacksonvilleMar 3, 1845
21,538,187
65,758170,31253,625138,88712,13331,424
28
10,711,908
59,425153,91057,513148,9591,9124,951
14
1,455,271
10,93228,3136,42316,6354,50911,678
2
1,839,106
83,569216,44382,643214,0459262,398
2
IllinoisILSpringfieldChicagoDec 3, 1818
12,812,508
57,914149,99555,519143,7932,3956,202
17
IndianaINIndianapolisDec 11, 1816
6,785,528
36,42094,32635,82692,7895931,537
9
IowaIADes MoinesDec 28, 1846
3,190,369
56,273145,74655,857144,6694161,077
4
2,937,880
82,278213,10081,759211,7545201,346
4
Kentucky[B]KYFrankfortLouisvilleJun 1, 1792
4,505,836
40,408104,65639,486102,2699212,387
6
LouisianaLABaton RougeNew OrleansApr 30, 1812
4,657,757
52,378135,65943,204111,8989,17423,761
6
1,362,359
35,38091,63330,84379,8834,53711,750
2
6,177,224
12,40632,1319,70725,1422,6996,990
8
Massachusetts[B]MABostonFeb 6, 1788
7,029,917
10,55427,3367,80020,2022,7547,134
9
10,077,331
96,714250,48756,539146,43540,175104,052
13
MinnesotaMNSaint PaulMinneapolisMay 11, 1858
5,706,494
86,936225,16379,627206,2327,30918,930
8
MississippiMSJacksonDec 10, 1817
2,961,279
48,432125,43846,923121,5311,5083,907
4
MissouriMOJefferson CityKansas CityAug 10, 1821
6,154,913
69,707180,54068,742178,0409652,501
8
1,084,225
147,040380,831145,546376,9621,4943,869
2
1,961,504
77,348200,33076,824198,9745241,356
3
NevadaNVCarson CityLas VegasOct 31, 1864
3,104,614
110,572286,380109,781284,3327912,048
4
New HampshireNHConcordManchesterJun 21, 1788
1,377,529
9,34924,2148,95323,1873971,027
2
New JerseyNJTrentonNewarkDec 18, 1787
9,288,994
8,72322,5917,35419,0471,3683,544
12
New MexicoNMSanta FeAlbuquerqueJan 6, 1912
2,117,522
121,590314,917121,298314,161292757
3
New YorkNYAlbanyNew York CityJul 26, 1788
20,201,249
54,555141,29747,126122,0577,42919,240
26
North CarolinaNCRaleighCharlotteNov 21, 1789
10,439,388
53,819139,39148,618125,9205,20113,471
14
North DakotaNDBismarckFargoNov 2, 1889
779,094
70,698183,10869,001178,7111,6984,397
1
11,799,448
44,826116,09840,861105,8293,96510,269
15
OklahomaOKOklahoma CityNov 16, 1907
3,959,353
69,899181,03768,595177,6601,3043,377
5
4,237,256
98,379254,79995,988248,6082,3916,191
6
Pennsylvania[B]PAHarrisburgPhiladelphiaDec 12, 1787
13,002,700
46,054119,28044,743115,8831,3123,397
17
Rhode IslandRIProvidenceMay 29, 1790
1,097,379
1,5454,0011,0342,6785111,324
2
South CarolinaSCColumbiaCharlestonMay 23, 1788
5,118,425
32,02082,93330,06177,8571,9605,076
7
South DakotaSDPierreSioux FallsNov 2, 1889
886,667
77,116199,72975,811196,3501,3053,379
1
6,910,840
42,144109,15341,235106,7989092,355
9
29,145,505
268,596695,662261,232676,5877,36519,075
38
UtahUTSalt Lake CityJan 4, 1896
3,271,616
84,897219,88282,170212,8182,7277,064
4
VermontVTMontpelierBurlingtonMar 4, 1791
643,077
9,61624,9069,21723,8714001,035
1
Virginia[B]VARichmondVirginia BeachJun 25, 1788
8,631,393
42,775110,78739,490102,2793,2858,508
11
WashingtonWAOlympiaSeattleNov 11, 1889
7,705,281
71,298184,66166,456172,1194,84212,542
10
West VirginiaWVCharlestonJun 20, 1863
1,793,716
24,23062,75624,03862,259192497
2
5,893,718
65,496169,63554,158140,26811,33929,367
8
576,851
97,813253,33597,093251,4707201,864
1
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