TheUnited Statesis the world's third-largest country based on population and land area. It is divided into50 states,but also claims 14 territories around the world.
The definition of aterritory, as it applies to those claimed by the United States, is any land that is administered by the United States but is not officially claimed by any of the 50 states or any other world nation.
In this alphabetical list of the territories of the United States,land area and population(where applicable) appearcourtesy of the CIA World Factbook. Area figures for islands do not include submerged land area. Population numbers are as of July 2017. (Due to the hurricanes in August 2017, the Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands populations may be different, because a large number of people fled to the mainland, though some may return.)
01
of 14
American Samoa
Total area: 77 square miles (199 sq km)
Population: 51,504
Nearly all 12 of the islands of American Samoa are volcanic in origin and have coral reefs around them.
02
of 14
Baker Island
Total area: .81 square miles (2.1 sq km)
Population: Uninhabited
An unpopulated coral atoll, Baker Island is a U.S. National Wildlife Refuge and visited by more than a dozen varieties of birds as well as endangered and threatened sea turtles.
03
of 14
Guam
Total area: 210 square miles (544 sq km)
Population: 167,358
The largest island in Micronesia, Guam doesn't have large cities but does have some large villages on the island.
04
of 14
Howland Island
Total area: 1square mile (2.6 sq km)
Population: Uninhabited
About halfway between Australia and Hawaii, the uninhabited Howland Island is mostly submerged. It receives scant rainfall and has constant wind and sun.
05
of 14
Jarvis Island
Total area: 1.9 square miles (5sq km)
Population: Uninhabited
Jarvis island has the same climate as Howland Island, and neither have any naturally occurring freshwater.
06
of 14
Johnston Atoll
Total area: 1 square mile (2.6sq km)
Population: Uninhabited
Previously a wildlife refuge, Johnston Atoll was a site of nuclear testing during the 1950s and 1960s and remains under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Air Force. Until 2000 it was a storage and disposal site for chemical weapons.
07
of 14
Kingman Reef
Total area: 0.004 square miles (0.01 sq km)
Population: Uninhabited
Kingman Reef, with 756 square miles (1,958 sq km) ofsubmerged area,has abundant marine species and is a U.S. Natural Wildlife Reserve. Its deep lagoon served as a respite area for U.S. flying boats going from Hawaii to American Samoa in the 1930s.
08
of 14
Midway Islands
Total area: 2.4 square miles (6.2 sq km)
Population: There are no permanent inhabitants on the islands but caretakers periodically live there.
The site of a major turning-point battle during World War II, Midway Islands are a National Wildlife Refuge and home to the largest colony ofLaysan albatrossin the world.
09
of 14
Navassa Island
Total area: .19 square miles (5.4 sq km)
Population: Uninhabited
Results from US Geological Survey studies of the species on the island in 1998 and 1999 raised the number known living there from 150 to more than 650. As a result, it was made a U.S. National Wildlife Refuge. It is closed to the public.
10
of 14
Northern Mariana Islands
Total area: 181 square miles (469 sq km), according to theCommonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
Population: 52,263
While visiting the Northern Mariana Islands northeast of Guam, you can go hiking, fishing, cliff jumping, or scuba diving—and can even examine a World War II shipwreck.
11
of 14
Palmyra Atoll
Total area: 1.5 square miles (3.9 sq km)
Population: Uninhabited
ThePalmyra Atoll Research Consortium studies climate change, invasive species, coral reefs, and marine restoration. The atoll is owned and protected by theNature Conservancy, which purchased it in 2000 from private owners.
12
of 14
Puerto Rico
Total area: 3,151 square miles (8,959 sq km)
Population: 3,351,827
Though Puerto Rico gets rain throughout the year, the wet season is May through October, with the start of hurricane season being August, also its wettest month. In addition to withstanding catastrophic hurricanes, measurable earthquakes (more than 1.5 in magnitude) occur nearby daily.
13
of 14
U.S. Virgin Islands
Total area: 134 square miles (346 sq km)
Population: 107,268
Made up of three larger islands and 50 smaller ones, the U.S. Virgin Islands lie about40 miles (64 km)east of Puerto Rico, next tothe British Virgin Islands.
14
of 14
Wake Island
Total area: 2.51 square miles (6.5 sq km)
Population: 150 military and civilian contractors work on the base
Prizedfor its strategic location as a refueling and stopover site, Wake Island was the site of a major battle during World War II and was held by the Japanese until its surrender at the end of the war.