The territory of the United States and its overseas possessions has evolved over time, from the colonial era to the present day. It includes formally organized territories, proposed and failed states, unrecognized breakaway states, international and interstate purchases, cessions, and land grants, and historical military departments and administrative districts. The last section lists informal regions from American vernacular geography known by popular nicknames and linked by geographical, cultural, or economic similarities, some of which are still in use today.
For a more complete list of regions and subdivisions of the United States used in modern times, see List of regions of the United States.
Colonial era (before 1776)
Thirteen Colonies
Connecticut Colony Delaware Colony Province of Georgia Province of Maryland Province of Massachusetts Bay Province of New Hampshire Province of New Jersey Province of New York Province of North Carolina Province of Pennsylvania Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations Province of South Carolina Colony and Dominion of Virginia
Pre-Revolutionary War regions
† - indicates failed legal entities
New England Acadia Dominion of New England† Equivalent Lands King's College Tract Provinces of Maine† Territory of Sagadahock Popham Colony (or Sagadahoc Colony)† Gorges-Mason Grant† Mason Lands Gorges Patent† Lygonia Patent† New Somersetshire† Muscongus Patent (also known as the Waldo Patent and, eventually, the Bingham Purchase) Massachusetts Bay Colony Narragansett Country† New Hampshire Grants New Haven Colony Plymouth Colony Saybrook Colony Wessagusset Colony†
Mid-Atlantic Granville District East Jersey West Jersey New Netherland and its settlements New Sweden†
Southern Province of Carolina Fort Caroline† Charlesfort† La Florida San Agustín (St. Augustine) San Miguel de Gualdape† (in present-day South Carolina) Mocama Province† Jamestown Natchez District Northern Neck Proprietary (or "Fairfax Grant") The Lost Colony of Roanoke† Stuarts Town†
Interior
District of West Augusta Illinois Country Indiana Company The Indian Reserve Ohio Country (or The Ohio Company of Virginia)† Province of Quebec (lower portion below the Great Lakes)
Far West Unlike the land to the east, most of the land west of the Mississippi River was under French or Spanish rule until the first years of the 19th century. La Louisiane (French Louisiana, 1682–1762 and 1802–1803) Arkansas Post The German Coast Luisiana (Spanish Louisiana, 1762–1802) Tejas Fort Saint Louis† Santa Fe de Nuevo México Las Californias
Colonies settled but unrecognized Transylvania† Watauga Republic
Colonies proposed but unrealized Charlotina Colony Mississippi Colony Vandalia Colony Westsylvania
Independent entities later joined to the Union Vermont Republic (also known as the Republic of New Connecticut), 1791 Republic of Texas (disputed with Mexico), 1846 Republic of Hawaii, 1898 (after U.S. immigrant and military involvement in the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom)
Regions purchased from foreign powers
Louisiana Purchase, 1803, from France, for $15,000,000 Florida Purchase (or the Spanish Cession), 1819 (effective 1821), from Spain, for $5,000,000; included: East Florida, West Florida, and Sabine Free State or Neutral Ground Gadsden Purchase, 1853, from Mexico, for $10,000,000 Alaska Purchase (also called "Seward's Folly"), 1867, from Russia, for $7,200,000 Virgin Islands, 1917, from Denmark, for $25,000,000
Regions annexed from or ceded by foreign powers Republic of West Florida Annexation; seceded from Spain, 1810; disputed with Spain until 1821 Baton Rouge District (annexed by the U.S., 1810) Mobile District (annexed by the U.S., 1812) Pembina Region, formerly part of Rupert's Land and the Red River Colony (often referred to as the British Cession of 1818) to U.S. in an exchange for the unorganized territory of the original Louisiana Purchase lands north of the 49th parallel The Aroostook War Compromise Lands; 1842, split jointly claimed areas with the UK Maine–New Brunswick Border Republic of Indian Stream South Acadia Northwest Angle Rupert's Land south of the 49th parallel Oregon Country (U.S.); the 1846 Oregon Treaty finally split the jointly governed region (called Columbia by the English) between the U.S. and United Kingdom at the 49th parallel Mexican Cession; effective 1848, from Mexico, including: Alta California (California, Nevada, Utah) Nuevo México (New Mexico, Arizona, parts of Texas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Wyoming, Kansas) Provisional New Mexico Texas annexation; annexed from Mexico in 1846, including most of present-day Texas and parts of Oklahoma, Colorado, Wyoming and No Man's Land; disputed with Mexico until the end of the Mexican–American War in 1848 included old Coahuila y Tejas areas United States Minor Outlying Islands; most claimed under the Guano Islands Act as outside the jurisdiction of other nations (1856 and later) After victory in the Spanish–American War in 1898, from Spain: The Philippine Islands; became a U.S. Territory (1900–1935) and a U.S. commonwealth (1935–1946) Puerto Rico Guam American Samoa; 1899, from Germany
Ceded or purchased Native American regions
Black Hawk Purchase; $640,000; purchased 1832; Michigan Territory (eventually Iowa) California Indian Reservations and Cessions; 1851–52; unratified treaties; California Cherokee Outlet; $7,000,000; purchased 1893; Oklahoma Territory (eventually Oklahoma) Cherokee Strip; a disputed two-mile wide tract of land between the Cherokee Nation and Kansas that was eventually ceded to Kansas in 1866 Jackson Purchase; $300,000; purchased by Tennessee and Kentucky from the Chickasaw Nation in 1818 LaFlore's District (Mississippi) Lovely's Purchase; 1816 land purchase from the Osage Nation Moshulatubee's District (Mississippi/Alabama) Nittakechi's District (Mississippi/Alabama) Platte Purchase; $7,500; purchased 1836; Missouri Saginaw Cession; ceded 1819; Michigan Territory (eventually Michigan)
Interstate, territorial, and federal cessions
The following are state cessions made during the building of the U.S. The Delaware Wedge, dispute with Pennsylvania settled in 1921; now a part of the state of Delaware. Washington, D.C.; to the federal government from Virginia and Maryland, 1790. District of Columbia retrocession; the return to Virginia of the District of Columbia lands which Virginia had originally ceded for its creation, 1847. Greer County, Texas; a disputed county claimed both by Texas and the federal government; to Oklahoma Territory, 1896. The Honey Lands; a disputed tract of land between the Territory of Iowa and State of Missouri; to State of Iowa, 1851 District of Kentucky; from Virginia; became the Commonwealth of Kentucky, 1792. Illinois County; from Virginia; became Northwest Territory, 1784. District of Maine; from Massachusetts; became the state of Maine, 1820. The Toledo Strip; the object of the nearly bloodless Toledo War between Ohio and Michigan; to Ohio, 1837. Washington District; from North Carolina; became the Southwest Territory, 1790. West Virginia; from Virginia; separating itself from the Confederacy, declared 1861; admitted to the Union in 1863. The Western Reserve; from Connecticut to the Northwest Territory (Ohio), 1800. The Yazoo lands; from Georgia to the Mississippi Territory, 1802.
Former organized territories
The following is a list of the 31 U.S. territories that have become states, in the order of the date organized (all were considered incorporated):
Northwest Territory (1787–1803); became the state of Ohio and the Territory of Indiana Territory South of the River Ohio (also known as the Southwest Territory) (1790–1796); became the State of Tennessee Territory of Mississippi (1798–1817); became the State of Mississippi and the Territory of Alabama Territory of Indiana (1800–1816); split into the Illinois Territory, the Michigan Territory, and the State of Indiana Territory of Orleans (1804–1812); became the State of Louisiana. Territory of Michigan (1805–1837); became State of Michigan and the Territory of Wisconsin Territory of Louisiana (1805–1812) (preceded by the District of Louisiana), then renamed the Territory of Missouri Territory of Illinois (1809–1818); split into the State of Illinois and additions to the Michigan Territory Territory of Missouri (1812–1821); became the State of Missouri and unorganized territory (the eastern part of which was attached to the Territory of Michigan in 1834) Territory of Alabama (1817–1819); became the State of Alabama Territory of Arkansas (1819–1836); became the State of Arkansas, additions to the unorganized territory of the original Louisiana Purchase, and the unorganized Indian Territory (which eventually spawned Indian Territory, Oklahoma Territory and No Man's Land) Territory of Florida (1822–1845); became the State of Florida Territory of Wisconsin (1836–1848); split into the State of Wisconsin, the Iowa Territory and Unorganized Territory Territory of Iowa (1838–1846); split into the State of Iowa and unorganized territory of the original Louisiana Purchase Territory of Oregon (1848–1859) (preceded by the unrecognized Oregon Country); split into the State of Oregon and Washington Territory Territory of Minnesota (1849–1858) (preceded by unorganized territory of the original Northwest Territory (remnant of former Wisconsin Territory) and original Louisiana Purchase); split into the State of Minnesota and unorganized territory of the original Louisiana Purchase Territory of New Mexico (1850–1912) (preceded by Nuevo Mexico, of which the southern part was known as the Arizona Territory (1861–1864) by the Confederate States of America); split into the Arizona Territory and the State of New Mexico Territory of Utah (1850–1896) (preceded by Alta California and the unrecognized State of Deseret); split into the State of Utah, the Nevada Territory, additions to the Colorado Territory and additions to the Wyoming Territory Territory of Washington (1853–1889); became the State of Washington and additions to the Idaho Territory. Territory of Kansas (1854–1861) (preceded by unorganized territory of the original Louisiana Purchase); part became the modern State of Kansas; the western part became part of the Colorado Territory Territory of Nebraska (1854–1867) (preceded by unorganized territory of the original Louisiana Purchase); split into the State of Nebraska, the Dakota Territory, additions to the Idaho Territory and additions to the Colorado Territory Territory of Colorado (1861–1876) (preceded by parts of the territories of Kansas, Utah, New Mexico and Nebraska); became the State of Colorado (see also Jefferson Territory) Territory of Nevada (1861–1864) (preceded by the Utah Territory and the unrecognized State of Deseret); became the State of Nevada. Territory of Dakota (1861–1889); became the State of North Dakota, the State of South Dakota, additions to the Idaho Territory and additions to the Wyoming Territory. Territory of Arizona (1863–1912); became the State of Arizona and an addition to the State of Nevada. Territory of Idaho (1863–1890) (preceded by parts of the territories of Washington, Dakota, and Nebraska); became the State of Idaho, the Montana Territory, additions to the Dakota Territory and additions to the Wyoming Territory. Territory of Montana (1864–1889); became the State of Montana. Territory of Wyoming (1868–1890) (preceded by parts of the territories of Dakota, Utah and Idaho); became the State of Wyoming. Territory of Oklahoma (1890–1907) (preceded by the unorganized Indian Territory (1834–1907) and the Neutral Strip); became the State of Oklahoma. Territory of Hawaii (1900–1959) (preceded by the Republic of Hawaii); became the State of Hawaii.