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THE UNITED STATES OF

AMERICA

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THE COASTAL PLAINS

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APPALACHIAN MTS

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THE GREAT PLAINS

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CENTRAL PLAINS

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ROCKY MTS

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SIERRA NEVADA

YosemiteDevils Postpile

Sequoia

Devils Postpile National Monument

Sequoia National Park

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THE CASCADES

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PUERTO RICO

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PUERTO RICO

In what way is Puerto Rico autonomous?

For the most part, the day-to-day governing of the

island is left up to the local administration. Puerto

Ricans elect their own public officials and their modelof government closely resembles the U.S. system;

Puerto Rico has a Constitution (ratified in 1952), a

Senate and a House of Representatives. Both English

and Spanish are the official languages of the island.

In what way is Puerto Rico "American"?

Puerto Rico's currency is the U.S. dollar. Puerto Ricans serve in the U.S. armed

forces.

The island uses the U.S. Postal Service.

The American flag flies over Puerto Rico's

capital.

Is Puerto Rico a U.S. state?

No, Puerto Rico is not astate, but rather aCommonwealth of theUnited States. This statusprovides local autonomy to

the island and allows PuertoRico to publicly display itsflag. However, thegovernment of Puerto Ricofalls ultimately on the U.S.Congress. The electedgovernor of Puerto Ricooccupies the highest public

office on the island.Are Puerto Ricans U.S.citzens?

Yes, Puerto Ricans are U.S.citizens. They enjoy all thebenefits of citizenship, saveone: Puerto Ricans who livein Puerto Rico cannot vote for

the U.S. President in thegeneral elections (those wholive in the United States areallowed to vote).

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U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS

History & Political Status

The Caribbean island chain known as the

Virgin Islands was divided into two parts in the 17th century, one English and the other

Danish. The Danish part had been in economic decline for quite some time, owing to losses in

sugarcane production after slavery was abolished in 1848. In 1917, the United States purchased

the Danish part for $25 million, mainly for strategic reasons to assure tranquility in the Caribbean

Ocean. U.S. citizenship was conferred on U.S. Virgin Islanders in 1927. Federal authority over the

new U.S. territory was placed in the Department of the Interior in 1931, where it resides. The

Organic Act of 1936 laid the foundation for self-government and a more elaborate governmental

structure emerged from the revised Organic Act of 1954. The first elections for constitutional

officers were held in 1970.

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AMERICAN SAMOA

Political Status

American Samoa became a U.S. territory by deed of cession,

starting in 1900. The matai (local chiefs) of Tutuila, the largest island in American Samoa, ceded

the island to the United States in 1900. Manua followed in 1904. Swain Island joined the territory in

1925 by an act of the Congress. Authority over American Samoa was initially placed with the U.S.

Navy which oversaw the territory until 1951.

Authority was transferred to the Department of the Interior (DOI) in 1956 where it resides.

Even without an organic act or other explicit Congressional directive on governance, the people of

American Samoa adopted their own constitution in 1967 and first constitutional elections were in

1977. Unlike citizens of other U.S. territories who are U.S. citizens, American Samoans are U.S.

nationals. However, neither citizens nor nationals of U.S. territories vote in Federal elections and

pay Federal taxes. American Samoa came under Federal minimum wage rules in 2007 and

controls its own immigration and border matters.

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GUAM

Political Status

.

Guam became a U.S. territory in 1898 and

placed under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Navy.The Guam Organic Act of 1950 conferred U.S.

citizenship on Guamanians and established the

territorys government. The Act also

transferred Federal jurisdiction over Guam

from the U.S. Navy to the Department of the

Interior. First elections were held in 1970.

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Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

Political Status

Saipan Banzai cliff.

The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) emerged from the Trust Territory of

the Pacific Islands (TTPI) which the United States administered on behalf of the United Nations

from 1947 until Palau, the last member of the TTPI to choose its own political future, became an

independent country 1994. The Federal law (the Covenant) making the CNMI a U.S. territory

passed in 1975. The CNMI adopted its constitution in 1977, and its first constitutional government

took office in 1978. The CNMI came under Federal minimum wage regulations in 2007 and

immigration law in 2008. In June 2009, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security takes over the

CNMIs immigration and border controls.

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