How Many States Are There In The United States - 50 or 52?
How Many States Are There in the United States?
Contents

Located in North America, the United States of America (the US) is roughly the same size as Europe. The country is subdivided into states, territories, and minor islands. States are the major subdivisions and are bestowed several powers and responsibilities by the US Constitution. If you are considering the state of California for a living, then you will definitely need the help of professional cross country movers. So the move will not be so exciting and stressful .

Video - Many Americans are unaware of their country's official number of states:

What are the Official Definitions? How Many States in Total?

Geographically (and as a general reference), the United States of America includes all areas considered to be under the sovereignty of the United States but does not include leased areas.

On May 14, 1959, the U.S. Board on Geographic Names issued the following definitions based partially on the Alaska Omnibus Bill, which defined the Continental United States as "the 49 States on the North American Continent and the District of Columbia..." The Board reaffirmed these definitions on May 13, 1999.

United States: The 50 States, plus the District of Columbia – or Washington D.C

Continental United States: The 49 States (including Alaska, excluding Hawaii) are located on the continent of North America, and the District of Columbia.

Conterminous United States: The 48 States and the District of Columbia; that is, the United States prior to January 3, 1959 (Alaska Statehood), wholly filling an unbroken block of territory and excluding Alaska and Hawaii. Although the official reference applies the term "conterminous," many use the word "contiguous," which is almost synonymous and better known.

Why is the United States Split into States?

Since the country's founding as an independent nation in 1776, the area it would eventually occupy has required an organizational structure to keep the population growth of its citizens under control.

The Original 13 States

The remaining 37 states were eventually admitted into the Union with Congress's approval after the first 13 states—the original 13 colonies—were admitted.

The First States

The 13 original colonies gained their independence from the British Crown on July 4, 1776, when the Declaration of Independence was ratified.

The Last Two States

Alaska and Hawaii, the final two states, were not admitted to the Union until 1959. Because of Alaska's enormous size, dispersed population, and challenging living conditions, it took a lot longer for this territory to attain the required number of residents to become a state.

Number of States In The US

Currently, the US has 50 states as well as a federal district, minor islands, and five main territories. Of these 50 states, 48 of them are contiguous, that is, they are connected directly. These 48 states all exist in the central region of North America between Mexico and Canada. Examples of these states include Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, North Dakota, Wyoming, Oregon, New Jersey, and New Hampshire. The other two states are Alaska and Hawaii. Alaska lies on the northwestern portion of North America while Hawaii is located on an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean.

- Delaware is the oldest state in the country. It was established on December 7, 1787, and the youngest state is Hawaii which was founded on August 21, 1959.

- The largest state by total area is Alaska with 665,384 square miles while the smallest is the state of Rhode Island with a total area of only 1,545 square miles.

- By population, California is the most populous state with about 39,536,653 people while the least populous state is Wyoming with only 579,315 people.

How Many States Are There In The United States - 50 or 52?
A map showing the United States. Photo: Worldatlas.

What is the 50th State to Join the Union?

On March 18, 1959, Congress passed the Admission Act, and on August 21, 1959, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a proclamation designating Hawaii as the 50th state.

Since then, there have been few attempts to add a 51st state, with Puerto Rico considering a referendum to become a state.

Alaska played a significant role in Hawaii's path to statehood. Alaska took 13 years to become a state with Congress' approval after passing a referendum following World War II. That came only after Hawaii, regarded as a Republican-leaning state, was added to the deal.

Hawaii chose a different path because it has a history of independence and a Republican presence. There were also southern politicians who were concerned about bringing the territory's multiethnic population into the Union.

During the 1950s, Democrats favored Alaska as the 49th state, while Republicans wanted Hawaii admitted on its own. The reason for this political investment in the issue of statehood was the fact that each new state receives two U.S. senators and at least one new House member, and admitting a new state can swing congressional votes.

Two powerful Democratic politicians, Lyndon Johnson and Sam Rayburn, devised a strategy to get Alaska admitted first, prompting Republicans to advocate for Hawaii as the 50th state.

How Many People Are There in the United States: Population Today How Many People Are There in the United States: Population Today

The Constitution is vague about the entire process of transforming a territory into a state, delegating the task to Congress. In Article IV, Section 3, Congress is given the authority to determine what states and territories exist, but state legislatures must approve any act that would combine two existing states or create a new state from parts of other states. (Reuniting Pennsylvania and New Jersey, or Virginia and West Virginia, would be difficult.)

After Hawaii became the 50th state in August 1959, the debate over its admission persisted; there are still those in Hawaii who want the state to become an independent nation again.

Territories of the US

Aside from the fifty states, the United States owns fourteen territories. Only five of these territories are home to permanent civilian populations. The five territories are American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, and Guam. Except for the United States Virgin Islands, Navassa Island, and Puerto Rico, which are located in the Caribbean, all of the territories are on the Pacific Ocean. Only Palmyra Atoll's territory is incorporated, which means that the US constitution is fully applied. Ten of the 14 territories are unorganized (do not have an Organic Act), with the remaining four organized.

Dependent areas: American Samoa, Baker Island, Guam, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Islands, Navassa Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Palmyra Atoll, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Wake Island.

Washington, D.C.

The United States has one federal district, which is neither a state nor a territory, as was previously mentioned. Despite having representatives in the House of Representatives and the Electoral College, the District of Columbia is not represented in the Senate. According to the constitution, the US Congress is the only body with authority over the district. Nonetheless, under the 1973 District of Columbia Home Rule Act, it has a mayor and council who have some decision-making authority, though Congress has the power to step in and overturn decisions.

How Were States Admitted?

There needed to be a mechanism in place to decide how new territories would be added to the Union after the first 13 states were admitted.

The American people started expressing interest in forming new states as they migrated westward, occupying more land and resources.

The framers of the Constitution anticipated this trend and incorporated a provision granting Congress the power to create new sovereign states.

READ MORE: How Many People Are There in the United States: Population Today

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