In the

law of the United States The law of the United States comprises many levels of Codification (law), codified and uncodified forms of law, of which the supreme law is the nation's Constitution of the United States, Constitution, which prescribes the foundation of the ...

, an insular area is a U.S.-associated jurisdiction that is not part of a U.S. state or the

District of Columbia Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

. This includes fourteen U.S. territories administered under U.S. sovereignty, as well as three

sovereign state A sovereign state is a State (polity), state that has the highest authority over a territory. It is commonly understood that Sovereignty#Sovereignty and independence, a sovereign state is independent. When referring to a specific polity, the ter ...

s each with a Compact of Free Association with the United States. The term also may be used to refer to the previous status of the Swan Islands,

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

, and the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

, as well as the

Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands The Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI) was a United Nations trust territory in Micronesia administered by the United States from 1947 to 1994. The Imperial Japanese South Seas Mandate had been seized by the U.S. during the Pacifi ...

when it existed. Three of the U.S. territories are in the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere, located south of the Gulf of Mexico and southwest of the Sargasso Sea. It is bounded by the Greater Antilles to the north from Cuba ...

, eleven are in the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

, and all three freely associated states are also in the Pacific. Two additional Caribbean territories are disputed and administered by

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

. Article IV, Section 3, Clause 2 of the U.S. Constitution grants to the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

the responsibility of overseeing the territories. A series of U.S. Supreme Court decisions known as the Insular Cases created a distinction between "incorporated territories", where the full

Constitution of the United States The Constitution of the United States is the Supremacy Clause, supreme law of the United States, United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789. Originally includi ...

applies, and " unincorporated territories", where only basic protections apply. The only current incorporated territory,

Palmyra Atoll Palmyra Atoll (), also referred to as Palmyra Island, is one of the Line Islands, Northern Line Islands (southeast of Kingman Reef and north of Kiribati). It is located almost due south of the Hawaiian Islands, roughly one-third of the way be ...

, is uninhabited. A U.S. territory is considered "organized" when the U.S. Congress passes an organic act for it. Three of the U.S. territories with a permanent non-military population have constitutions, and all five have locally elected territorial legislatures and executives, and some degree of political

autonomy In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy is the capacity to make an informed, uncoerced decision. Autonomous organizations or institutions are independent or self-governing. Autonomy can also be ...

. Four of the five are "organized", but

American Samoa American Samoa is an Territories of the United States, unincorporated and unorganized territory of the United States located in the Polynesia region of the Pacific Ocean, South Pacific Ocean. Centered on , it is southeast of the island count ...

is technically " unorganized" and subject to the direct jurisdiction of the Office of Insular Affairs. Ofu Beach American Samoa US National Park Service

Ofu Beach American Samoa US National Park Service

History

The first insular areas that the United States occupied were Baker Island, Howland Island and Navassa Island (1857) then Johnston Atoll and Jarvis Island (both in 1858) would be claimed. After the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

in 1898, several territories were taken that are still under U.S. sovereignty (Puerto Rico and Guam, both in 1898). Palmyra Atoll was annexed along with the Republic of Hawaii (formerly a Kingdom) that same year. American Samoa was reclaimed the following year (1899). In 1917, at the height of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Denmark sold the Danish Virgin Islands to the United States. The U.S. Navy annexed Kingman Reef in 1922.

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

had sold the

Northern Mariana Islands The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), is an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territory and Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), commonwealth of the United States consistin ...

to Germany in 1899. The islands passed to Japan, which in turn lost them to the United States in 1945 after the end of World War II. The

Marshall Islands The Marshall Islands, officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands, is an island country west of the International Date Line and north of the equator in the Micronesia region of the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. The territory consists of 29 c ...

became self-governing in 1979 and fully independent along with the

Federated States of Micronesia The Federated States of Micronesia (, abbreviated FSM), or simply Micronesia, is an island country in Micronesia, a region of Oceania. The federation encompasses the majority of the Caroline Islands (excluding Palau) and consists of four Admin ...

in 1986.

Palau Palau, officially the Republic of Palau, is an island country in the Micronesia subregion of Oceania in the western Pacific Ocean. The Republic of Palau consists of approximately 340 islands and is the western part of the Caroline Islands ...

achieved independence in 1994. The three countries maintain sovereignty with free association status with the United States, which provides them with defense assistance and economic resources.

Timeline

;August 28, 1867 :Captain William Reynolds of the USS ''Lackawanna'' formally took possession of the Midway Atoll for the United States. ;August 13, 1898 :

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

under Admiral George Dewey,

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

's Eighth Army Corps under Major General Wesley Merritt, and Lieutenant General Arthur MacArthur Jr. captured the City of Manila from Spain after Governor-General of the Philippines Fermin Jáudenes surrendered the city, which then remained Spanish-occupied even after the declaration of Philippine Independence from Spain and the establishment of the

First Philippine Republic The Philippine Republic (), now officially remembered as the First Philippine Republic and also referred to by historians as the Malolos Republic, was a state established in Malolos, Bulacan, during the Philippine Revolution against the Spanish ...

on June 12, 1898. ;February 4, 1899 :

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War, known alternatively as the Philippine Insurrection, Filipino–American War, or Tagalog Insurgency, emerged following the conclusion of the Spanish–American War in December 1898 when the United States annexed th ...

began between the

and the newly arrived US Military Government. ;April 11, 1899 :The

Treaty of Paris of 1898 The Treaty of Peace between the United States of America and the Kingdom of Spain, commonly known as the Treaty of Paris of 1898, was signed by Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States on December 10, 1898, and marked the end of the ...

came into effect, transferring

Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...

, the

, and

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

from Spain to the United States, all three becoming unorganized, unincorporated territories. Puerto Rico's official name was changed to ''Porto Rico'', a phonetic reinterpretation of the Spanish name for the territory. ;April 12, 1900 :The Foraker Act becomes effective, making

an unincorporated and organized territory of the United States. ;June 7, 1900 :The United States took control of the portion of the

Samoan Islands The Samoan Islands () are an archipelago covering in the central Pacific Ocean, South Pacific, forming part of Polynesia and of the wider region of Oceania. Political geography, Administratively, the archipelago comprises all of the Samoa, Indep ...

given to it by the Treaty of Berlin of 1899, creating the unorganized, unincorporated territory of

. ;April 1, 1901 :General

Emilio Aguinaldo Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy (: March 22, 1869February 6, 1964) was a Filipino revolutionary, statesman, and military leader who became the first List of presidents of the Philippines, president of the Philippines (1899–1901), and the first pre ...

, President of the

and Filipino leader in the

, surrendered to the United States, allowing the U.S. to form a civilian government for the Philippines. ;August 29, 1916 :The Philippine Autonomy Act or Jones Law was signed, promising the

independence. ;March 2, 1917 : Jones–Shafroth Act reorganized

. This act conferred United States citizenship on all citizens of Puerto Rico. ;March 31, 1917 :The United States purchased the Danish West Indies and renamed it as U.S. Virgin Islands under the terms of a treaty with

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

. ;May 17, 1932 :The name of Porto Rico was changed to

. ;March 24, 1934 :The Tydings–McDuffie Act was signed allowing the creation of the Commonwealth of the Philippines. ;November 15, 1935 :The Commonwealth of the Philippines officially inaugurated

Manuel L. Quezon Manuel Luis Quezon y Molina (, , , ; 19 August 1878 – 1 August 1944), also known by his initials MLQ, was a Filipino people, Filipino lawyer, statesman, soldier, and politician who was president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1 ...

as the President of the Philippine Commonwealth, held at the steps of the Old Legislative Building. The event was attended by 300,000 Filipinos. ;December 8, 1941 : Commonwealth of the Philippines was invaded and occupied by Japan during World War Two, initiating "the most destructive event ever to take place on U.S. soil". Over 1,100,000

Filipino American Filipino Americans () are Americans of Filipino ancestry. Filipinos in North America were first documented in the 16th century and other small settlements beginning in the 18th century. Mass migration did not begin until after the end of the Sp ...

civilians died during the war. ;February 3 - March 3, 1945 : The month long Liberation of Manila led by General

Douglas MacArthur Douglas MacArthur (26 January 18805 April 1964) was an American general who served as a top commander during World War II and the Korean War, achieving the rank of General of the Army (United States), General of the Army. He served with dis ...

took place, and consequently resulted in Manila Massacre committed by the Japanese forces throughout the Battle of Manila. An estimated 100,000 Manila civilians were killed during the massacre. ;August 1945 : The United States regains full control of its colony of the Philippines following the Philippines campaign. ;July 4, 1946 :The United States formally recognized the

Philippine independence The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

, establishing the Third Philippine Republic, which inaugurated Manuel Roxas as the President of the independent Philippines. The independence ceremonies and inauguration rites were held at the Quirino Grandstand. ;July 14, 1947 :The

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

granted the

to the United States, consisting primarily of many islands fought over during World War II, and including what is now the

, the Carolina Islands,

, and

. It was a trusteeship, and not a territory of the United States. ;August 5, 1947 :The

Privileges and Immunities Clause The Privileges and Immunities Clause (United States Constitution, U.S. Constitution, Article Four of the United States Constitution, Article IV, Section 2, Clause 1, also known as the Comity Clause) prevents a U.S. state, state of the United Stat ...

regarding the rights, privileges, and immunities of citizens of the United States was expressly extended to Puerto Rico by the U.S. Congress through federal law codified in Title 48 the United States Code as and signed by President Harry S. Truman. This law indicates that the rights, privileges, and immunities of citizens of the United States shall be respected in Puerto Rico to the same extent as though Puerto Rico were a State of the Union and subject to the provisions of paragraph 1 of section 2 of article IV of the Constitution of the United States. ;July 1, 1950 :The Guam Organic Act came into effect, organizing

as an unincorporated territory. ;July 25, 1952 :

becomes a

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

of the United States with the ratification of its constitution. ;July 22, 1954 :The organic act for the

United States Virgin Islands The United States Virgin Islands, officially the Virgin Islands of the United States, are a group of Caribbean islands and a territory of the United States. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located ...

went into effect, making them an unincorporated, organized territory. ;July 1, 1967 :

's constitution became effective. Even though no organic act was passed, this move to self-government made American Samoa similar to an organized territory. ;September 12, 1967 :

Article Three of the United States Constitution Article Three of the United States Constitution establishes the judicial branch of the U.S. federal government. Under Article Three, the judicial branch consists of the Supreme Court of the United States, as well as lower courts created by Con ...

, was expressly extended to the

United States District Court The United States district courts are the trial courts of the United States federal judiciary, U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each United States federal judicial district, federal judicial district. Each district cov ...

for the District of Puerto Rico by the U.S. Congress through the federal law 89-571, 80 Stat. 764, this law was signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson. ;January 1, 1978 :The

left the

to become a

commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

of the United States, making them an unincorporated and organized territory. ;January 9, 1978 :The Northern Mariana Islands Commonwealth Constitution, which had been ratified by voters on March 6, 1977, goes into effect. ;October 21, 1986 :The

attained independence from the

, though the trusteeship granted by the

technically did not end until December 22, 1990. The Marshall Islands remained in free association with the United States. ;November 3, 1986 :The

attained independence from the

, and remained in free association with the United States. ;December 22, 1990 :The

terminated the

for all but the

district. ;May 25, 1994 :The

terminated the

for the

district, ending the territory and making

independent, as it was not a territory of the United States. ;October 1, 1994 :

attained independence, but it remained in free association with the United States. ;December 11, 2012 :The Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico enacted a concurrent resolution to request the president and the

Congress of the United States The United States Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a bicameral legislature, including a lower body, the U.S. House of Representatives, and an upper body, the U.S. Senate. They both ...

to respond diligently and effectively, and to act on the demand of the people of Puerto Rico, as freely and democratically expressed in the plebiscite held on November 6, 2012, to end, once and for all, its current form of territorial status and to begin the process to admit Puerto Rico to the Union as a State. ;December 22, 2022 : The U.S. House of Representatives voted in favor of the Puerto Rico Status Act. The act sought to resolve Puerto Rico's status and its relationship to the United States through a binding plebiscite to be held in November 2023; however, the Senate never acted on the bill. ; April 20, 2023 : Puerto Rico Status Act re-introduced in U.S. House with the plebiscite to be held in November 2025.

Citizenship

Congress has extended citizenship rights by birth to all inhabited territories except

, and these citizens may vote and run for office in any U.S. jurisdiction in which they are residents. The people of

are U.S. nationals by place of birth, or they are U.S. citizens by parentage, or naturalization after residing in a State for three months. Nationals are free to move around and seek employment within the United States without immigration restrictions, but cannot vote or hold office outside American Samoa.

Political representation

Each of the five inhabited areas:

, the

and the

, has a non-voting member in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

Taxation

Residents of the five major populated insular areas do not pay U.S. federal

income tax An income tax is a tax imposed on individuals or entities (taxpayers) in respect of the income or profits earned by them (commonly called taxable income). Income tax generally is computed as the product of a tax rate times the taxable income. Tax ...

es but are required to pay other U.S. federal taxes such as

import An importer is the receiving country in an export from the sending country. Importation and exportation are the defining financial transactions of international trade. Import is part of the International Trade which involves buying and receivin ...

and

export An export in international trade is a good produced in one country that is sold into another country or a service provided in one country for a national or resident of another country. The seller of such goods or the service provider is a ...

taxes, federal commodity taxes, Social Security taxes, etc. Individuals working for the federal government pay federal income taxes while all residents are required to pay federal

payroll tax Payroll taxes are taxes imposed on employers or employees. They are usually calculated as a percentage of the salaries that employers pay their employees. By law, some payroll taxes are the responsibility of the employee and others fall on the ...

es (

Social Security Welfare spending is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifically to social insurance ...

and Medicare). According to

IRS The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting Taxation in the United States, U.S. federal taxes and administerin ...

Publication 570, income from other U.S.

insular areas ( Howland, Baker, Jarvis, Johnston, Midway,

Palmyra Palmyra ( ; Palmyrene dialect, Palmyrene: (), romanized: ''Tadmor''; ) is an ancient city in central Syria. It is located in the eastern part of the Levant, and archaeological finds date back to the Neolithic period, and documents first menti ...

, and Wake Islands, and Kingman Reef) is fully taxable as income of United States residents. Puerto Rico is inside the main domestic

customs territory A customs territory is a territory with uniform customs regulations and there are no internal customs or similar taxes within the territory. Customs territories may fall into several types: * A sovereign state, including a federation * A trade bloc ...

of the United States, but the other insular areas are outside it; tariff treatment varies (see ).

Associated states

The U.S. State Department and the U.S. Code also use the term "insular area" to refer not only to territories under the

sovereignty Sovereignty can generally be defined as supreme authority. Sovereignty entails hierarchy within a state as well as external autonomy for states. In any state, sovereignty is assigned to the person, body or institution that has the ultimate au ...

of the United States, but also those independent nations that have signed a Compact of Free Association with the United States. While these nations participate in many otherwise domestic programs, and full responsibility for their military defense rests with the United States, they are legally distinct from the United States and their inhabitants are neither U.S. citizens nor nationals.

Current insular areas by status

The following islands, or island groups, are considered insular areas:

Incorporated organized territories

''None''

Incorporated unorganized territory

One (uninhabited) *

– U.S. Territory of Palmyra Island (mostly owned by the Federal Government and

The Nature Conservancy The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, United States. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US. Founded in ...

; administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

Unincorporated organized territories

Four (inhabited) * (organized under the Guam Organic Act of 1950) * (

, organized under the 1975 Covenant) * (Commonwealth, organized under the 1900 Foraker Act) * (organized under the 1954 Revised Organic Act of the Virgin Islands)

Unincorporated unorganized territories

Wake Island Lagoon Paradise by Matthew Piatkowski

One (inhabited) * (self-governing even though officially unorganized and under the authority of the U.S. Department of the Interior) Six (uninhabited) * Baker Island (administered as a

National Wildlife Refuge The National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS) is a system of protected areas of the United States managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), an agency within the United States Department of the Interior, Department of the Interi ...

) * Howland Island (administered as a

) * Jarvis Island (administered as a

) *

Johnston Atoll Johnston Atoll is an Unincorporated territories of the United States, unincorporated territory of the United States, under the jurisdiction of the United States Air Force (USAF). The island is closed to public entry, and limited access for mana ...

(administered as a

) * Kingman Reef (administered as a

) * (administered as a

) Two (uninhabited, disputed) *

Navassa Island Navassa Island (; ; , sometimes ) is an uninhabited island in the Caribbean Sea. Located east of Jamaica, south of Cuba, and west of Jérémie on the Tiburon Peninsula of Haiti, it is subject to an ongoing territorial dispute between Haiti and ...

(administered as a

; claimed by

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

) * (administered by the U.S. Air Force; claimed by the

)

Claimed territories

Two (uninhabited, disputed) * Bajo Nuevo Bank (disputed with Colombia; administered by Colombia) * Serranilla Bank (disputed with Colombia and Honduras; administered by Colombia)

Freely associated states

Three sovereign UN member states which were all formerly in the U.S. administered United Nations Trust Territory and are currently in free association with the United States. The U.S. provides national defense, funding, and access to social services. * * * After achieving independence from the

, these states are no longer under U.S. sovereignty and thus not considered part of the United States. Some programs in these states are administered by the U.S. Office of Insular Affairs, along with other federal entities such as the Department of Defense.

Former insular areas

(1947–1994): U.N. trust territory administered by the U.S.; included the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. *

: military government, 1899–1902; insular government, 1902–1935; commonwealth government, 1935–1942 and 1945–1946 (islands under Japanese occupation, 1942–1945 and puppet state, 1943–1945); granted independence on July 4, 1946, by the Treaty of Manila. *

: republican government, 1898–1900; territorial government, 1900–1959; became the State of Hawaii and the incorporated, unorganized territory of Palmyra Atoll on August 21, 1959. * Swan Islands (1863–1972): claimed by the U.S. under the Guano Islands Act; sovereignty ceded to

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, ...

in a 1972 treaty. * Quita Sueño Bank, Roncador Bank and Serrana Bank: claimed by the U.S. under the Guano Islands Act; claims relinquished in the Vásquez-Saccio Treaty with Colombia in 1972. * Caroline Island, Kirimati, Flint Island, Malden Island, Starbuck Island, Vostok Island, Birnie Island, Gardner Island, Orona, McKean Island, Manra, Rawaki, Canton Island and Enderbury Island: claimed by the U.S. under the Guano Islands Act; claims ceded to

Kiribati Kiribati, officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an island country in the Micronesia subregion of Oceania in the central Pacific Ocean. Its permanent population is over 119,000 as of the 2020 census, and more than half live on Tarawa. The st ...

. *

Funafuti Funafuti is an atoll, comprising numerous islets, that serves as the capital of Tuvalu. As of the 2017 census, it has a population of 6,320 people. More people live in Funafuti than the rest of Tuvalu combined, with it containing approximately 6 ...

, Nukufetau, Nukulaelae and Niulakita: claimed by the U.S. under the Guano Islands Act; claims ceded to

Tuvalu Tuvalu ( ) is an island country in the Polynesian subregion of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean, about midway between Hawaii and Australia. It lies east-northeast of the Santa Cruz Islands (which belong to the Solomon Islands), northeast of Van ...

. * Pukapuka, Manihiki, Penrhyn and Rakahanga: claimed by the U.S. under the Guano Islands Act; claims ceded to the

Cook Islands The Cook Islands is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of 15 islands whose total land area is approximately . The Cook Islands' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) covers of ocean. Avarua is its ...

. *

Atafu Atafu, formerly known as the Duke of York Group, is a group of 52 coral islets within Tokelau in the south Pacific Ocean, north of Samoa. With a land area of , it is the smallest of the three islands that constitute Tokelau. It is an atoll and s ...

, Fakaofo and Nukunonu: claimed by the U.S. under the Guano Islands Act; claims ceded to

Tokelau Tokelau (; ; known previously as the Union Islands, and, until 1976, known officially as the Tokelau Islands) is a dependent territory of New Zealand in the southern Pacific Ocean. It consists of three tropical coral atolls: Atafu, Nukunonu, an ...

Notes

References

External links

Department of Interior Office of Insular Affairs

Department of the Interior Definitions of Insular Area Political Organizations

'' The Atlantic Monthly'', February 2001
Chapter 7: Puerto Rico and the Outlying Areas
U.S. Census Bureau, Geographic Areas Reference Manual {{DEFAULTSORT:Insular area (U.S.) Dependent territories Types of administrative division