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The myriad political divisions of the United States include (but are not limited to) states, territories, counties, townships, cities, the federal district, possessions and insular areas, embassies and consulates, Indian reservations, military installations, conservation districts and non-municipal special-purpose districts like public authorities, school districts and utilities districts.

The primary political division of the United States is the U.S. state. The states have a large degree of autonomy, as a result of the U.S.'s federal system, and the fact that they created the federal government (rather than the other way around, as in many other countries). The state then grants further autonomy to its own subdivisions, primarily cities, counties, and townships.

There are an estimated 85,000 extant political entities in the United States. Political divisions of the United States are a subset of the total United States territory.

1 Federal oversight of United States territory

1.1 Congress of the United States

Article IV, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution defines the extent of the authority that the U.S. Congress exercises over the territory of the United States:

New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but no new State shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or more States, or Parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress.

The Congress shall have Power to dispose of and make all needful Rules and Regulations respecting the Territory or other Property belonging to the United States; and nothing in this Constitution shall be so construed as to Prejudice any Claims of the United States, or of any particular State.

The power of Congress over territorial divisions that are not part one of the states is exclusive and universal. Once the territory becomes a state of the Union, the state must consent to any changes pertaining to the jurisdiction of that state.

1.2 United States Department of the Interior

On March 3, 1849, on the last day of the 30th Congress, a bill was passed to create the U.S. Department of the Interior to take charge of the internal affairs of United States territory. The Interior Department has a wide range of responsibilities (which include the regulation of territorial governments, the basic responsibilities for public lands, and other various duties).

In contrast to similarly named Departments in other countries, the United States Department of the Interior is not responsible for local government or for civil administration except in the cases of Indian reservations, through the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), and island dependencies, through the Office of Insular Affairs (OIA).

2 States of the United States

At the Declaration of Independence, the United States consisted of 13 states. In the following years, this number has grown steadily due to expansion to the west, conquest and purchase of lands by the American government, and division of existing states to the current number of 50 U.S. states:

AlabamaAlabama is a state located in the southern United States; the population of Alabama is 4,447,100 as of 2000. The USS Alabama and CSS Alabama were named in honor of this state. History Main article: History of Alabama Among Native American people once livi
AlaskaOn January 3, 1959, Alaska was admitted to the United States as the 49th state. The population of the state is 626,932, as of 2000. The name "Alaska" is most likely derived from the Aleut word for "great country" or "mainland. The natives called it "Alyes
ArizonaArizona was the 48th state admitted to the United States and is part of the Southwest United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, south and east of the Colorado River, bordering New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, California and Mexico. Its major cities ar
ArkansasArkansas [akns] is a southern state in the southern United States. The 2000 census was 2,673,400. postal abbreviation is AR. It was admitted in 1836. USS Arkansas was named in honor of this state. History The early French explorers of the state gave it it
CaliforniaCalifornia is a state located in the western United States, bordering the Pacific Ocean. The most populous and third largest state in the U. California is both physically and demographically diverse. The state's official nickname is "The Golden State", wh
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia

The contiguous part of the U.S. (i.e. without Hawaii and Alaska) is called continental United States.

The relation between the state and national government is rather complex, because of the country's federal system. Under United States law, states are considered sovereign entities, meaning that the power of the states is considered to come directly from the people within the states rather than from the federal government. Federal law overrides state law in the areas in which the federal government is empowered to act, but the powers of the federal government are subject to limits in the Constitution of the United States. (All powers not explicitly granted to the federal government in the Constitution are duly appropriated to the states and the people.)

The American Civil War and Texas v. White established that states do not have the right to secede, and under the Constitution of the United States, they are not allowed to conduct foreign policy.

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