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U.S. STATES
The United States is a federal union of fifty states. The original thirteen
states were the successors of the thirteen colonies that rebelled against
British rule. Most of the rest have been carved from territory obtained through
war or purchase by the U.S. government. The exceptions are Vermont, Texas, and
Hawaii; each was an independent republic before joining the union. Early in the
country's history, three states were created out of the territory of existing
ones: Kentucky from Virginia; Tennessee from North Carolina; and Maine from
Massachusetts. West Virginia broke away from Virginia during the American Civil
War. The most recent state—Hawaii—achieved statehood on August 21, 1959. The
U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the states do not have the right to secede
from the union.
The states comprise the vast bulk of the U.S. land mass; the only other areas
considered integral parts of the country are the District of Columbia, the
federal district where the capital, Washington, is located; and Palmyra Atoll,
an uninhabited but incorporated territory in the Pacific Ocean. The United
States possesses five major territories with indigenous populations: Puerto Rico
and the United States Virgin Islands in the Caribbean; and American Samoa, Guam,
and the Northern Mariana Islands in the Pacific. Those born in the territories
possess U.S. citizenship.
 
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