Insular area

An insular area is a that is neither a part of one of the  nor a part of the, the nation's.

Because those insular areas that are inhabited are, their native-born inhabitants are not constitutionally entitled to under the. However, Congress has extended citizenship rights to all inhabited territories with the exception of, and these citizens may vote and run for office in any U.S. jurisdiction in which they are resident. Residents of American Samoa are, but not U.S. citizens; they are free to move around and seek employment within the whole United States without immigration restrictions, but cannot vote or hold office outside of American Samoa.

Residents of insular areas do not pay U.S. federal es, but most pay taxes to the territorial governments at the same rates as U.S. federal income taxes. Insular areas do not choose electors in s nor do they elect voting members of the. Goods manufactured in insular areas of the United States can be labeled "."

The uses the term insular area to refer not only to these territories under the sovereignty of the United States, but also those independent nations that have signed a  with the United States. While these nations participate in many otherwise domestic programs, they are legally distinct from the United States and their inhabitants are not United States citizens or nationals.



List and status of insular areas
Several islands in the and  are considered  of the United States.

Inhabited

 * none

Uninhabited

 * (uninhabited, owned by but administered by the ; part of the )

Inhabited

 * (officially unorganized, although self-governing under authority of the )
 * (organized under Organic Act of 1950)
 * (commonwealth, organized under 1977 Covenant)
 * (territory with commonwealth status, organized under terms of Puerto Rico-Federal Relations Act) Originally was granted to U.S. through the in
 * (organized under Revised Organic Act of 1954)

Uninhabited
Along with Palmyra Atoll, these form the :
 * (administered as the Midway Atoll )
 * (administered as the Midway Atoll )
 * (administered as the Midway Atoll )
 * (administered as the Midway Atoll )
 * (administered as the Midway Atoll )
 * (administered as the Midway Atoll )

From, until , , the U.S. administered the , but more recently entered into a new political relationship with all four political units (one of which is the Northern Mariana Islands listed above, the others being the three  noted below).

Freely associated states
The freely associated states are the three sovereign states with which the United States has entered into a. They have not been within U.S. jurisdiction since they became sovereign; however, many considered them to be of the United States until each was admitted to the  in the 1990s.

Disputed

 * (with Haiti)
 * (with Marshall Islands)
 * (with Colombia)
 * (with Jamaica)

Former Insular areas

 * , granted to U.S. through the in, achieved independence on July 4th,.
 * , granted to U.S. through the in, gained formal independence on May 20,.