ORGANIZATIONAL TERM |
DEFINITION |
insular area |
A jurisdiction that is neither a part of
one of the several States nor a Federal district. This is the current generic term to
refer to any commonwealth, freely associated state, possession or
territory or Territory and from July 18, 1947, until October 1,
1994, the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. Unmodified, it may
refer not only to a jurisdiction which is under United States
sovereignty but also to one which is not, i.e., a freely
associated state or, 1947-94, the Trust Territory of the Pacific
Islands or one of the districts of the Trust Territory of the
Pacific Islands. |
sovereign |
An independent or non-independent
jurisdiction which itself possesses or whose people possess in their own right the
jurisdiction's supreme authority, regardless of the jurisdiction's or
people's current ability to exercise that authority. |
possession |
Equivalent to territory. Although it
still appears in Federal statutes and regulations, possession is no longer current
colloquial usage. |
commonwealth |
An organized United States insular area, which has established
with the Federal Government, a more highly developed
relationship, usually embodied in a written mutual agreement.
Currently, two United States insular areas are commonwealths, the Northern Mariana Islands and Puerto Rico. A United States
insular area from April 11, 1899, the Philippine Islands achieved commonwealth status on March 24, 1934 (Public Law 73-127), and
remained as such until the United States recognized the Philippine
Islands' independence and sovereignty as of July 4, 1946. |
incorporated territory |
Equivalent to Territory, a United States
insular area, of which only one territory exists currently, Palmyra Atoll, in which the United
States Congress has applied the full corpus of the United States
Constitution as it applies in the several States. Incorporation is interpreted
as a perpetual state. Once incorporated, the Territory can no longer be
de-incorporated. |
Territory |
An incorporated United States insular area,
of which only one exists currently, Palmyra Atoll. With an area of 1.56 square
miles, Palmyra consists of about fifty small islands and lies
approximately one thousand miles south of Honolulu. |
unincorporated territory |
A United States insular area in which the United
States Congress has determined that only selected parts of
the United States Constitution apply. |
territory |
An unincorporated United States insular
area, of which there are currently thirteen, three in the Caribbean (Navassa
Island, Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands) and ten in the
Pacific (American Samoa, Baker Island, Guam, Howland Island, Jarvis
Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Atoll, the Northern
Mariana Islands and Wake Atoll). |
organic act |
The body of laws that the United Congress
has enacted for the government of a United States insular area; it usually
includes a bill of rights and the establishment and conditions of the
insular area's tripartite government. |
organized territory |
A United States insular area for which the United
States Congress has enacted an organic act. |
unorganized territory |
An unincorporated United States insular area for
which the United States Congress has not enacted an organic act. |
Compact of Free Association |
The status of free
association recognizes an island government as a sovereign, self-governing
state with the capacity to conduct foreign affairs consistent with the terms
of the Compact. The Compact places full responsibility for military defense
with the United States. The basic relationship of free association continues indefinitely; the economic provisions of the
Compact are subject to renegotiation at the end of 15 years. |
Disputed Island |
Formerly or currently considered U.S. possession by the U.S. The U.S., through negotiation, has disclaimed
ownership of most islands in favor of another country. Two islands
remain contested. |