The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states, one federal district, and fourteen territories.
A U.S. state is any one of the fifty subnational entities of the United States. The separate state governments and the federal government share sovereignty, in that an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile.
However, state citizenship is very flexible, and no government approval is required to move between states (with the exception of convicts on parole).
The United States Constitution allocates power between the two levels of government in general terms. By ratifying the Constitution, each state transfers certain sovereign powers to the federal government and agrees to share other powers.
Under the Tenth Amendment, all powers not explicitly transferred or shared are retained by the states and the people. Historically, the tasks of public education, public health, transportation and other infrastructure have been considered primarily state responsibilities, although all have significant federal funding and regulation as well.
Over time, the Constitution has been amended, and the interpretation and application of its provisions have changed. The general tendency has been toward centralization, with the federal government playing a much larger role than it once did. There is a continuing debate over "states' rights," which concerns the extent and nature of the powers that the states have given to the federal government.
At 9.6 million km² and with over 318 million people, the United States is the third or fourth largest country by total area, and third largest by land area and population. The United States is one of the world's most ethnically diverse nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many countries. Its national economy is the largest in the world, with a nominal 2016 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of more than US$18.561 trillion.
The nation was founded by thirteen colonies of Great Britain located along the Atlantic seaboard. Proclaiming themselves "states," they issued the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776. The rebellious states defeated Britain in the American Revolutionary War, the first successful colonial war of independence. A federal convention adopted the current United States Constitution on September 17th, 1787; its ratification the following year made the states part of a single republic. The Bill of Rights, comprising ten constitutional amendments, was ratified in 1791.
In the nineteenth century, the United States acquired land from France, Spain, Mexico, and Russia, and annexed the Republic of Texas and the Republic of Hawaii. The American Civil War ended slavery in the United States and prevented a permanent split of the country. The Spanish-American War and World War I confirmed its status as a military power. In 1945, the United States emerged from World War II as the first country with nuclear weapons and a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. The sole remaining superpower in the post–Cold War era, the United States is perceived by many as the dominant economic, political, cultural, and military force in the world.
On the left you'll find a map of all the states.
In bracket the two-character state abbreviation also known as USPS (United States Postal Service).
Below you'll find a list of all the states in alphabetical order. You'll also find the date the state ratified the United States Constitution or was admitted to the Union.
- ALABAMA (AL) 14 Dec 1819
- ALASKA (AK) 03 Jan 1959
- ARIZONA (AZ) 14 feb 1912
- ARKANSAS (AR) 15 Jun 1836
- CALIFORNIA (CA) 09 Sept 1850
- COLORADO (CO) 01 Aug 1876
- CONNECTICUT (CT) 09 Jan 1788
- DELAWARE (DE) 07 Dec 1787
- FLORIDA (FL) 03 Mar 1845
- GEORGIA (GA) 02 Janv 1788
- HAWAII (HI) 21 Aug 1959
- IDAHO (ID) 03 Jul 1890
- ILLINOIS (IL) 03 Dec 1818
- INDIANA (IN) 11 Dec 1816
- IOWA (IA) 28 Dec 1846
- KANSAS (KS) 29 Jan 1861
- KENTUCKY (KY) 01 Jun 1792
- LOUISIANA (LA) 30 Apr 1812
- MAINE (ME) 15 Mar 1820
- MARYLAND (MD) 28 Apr 1788
- MASSACHUSETTS (MA) 06 Jun 1788
- MICHIGAN (MI) 26 Jan 1837
- MINNESOTA (MN) 11 May 1858
- MISSISSIPPI (MS) 10 Dec 1817
- MISSOURI (MO) 10 Aug 1821
- MONTANA (MT) 08 Nov 1889
- NEBRASKA (NE) 01 Mar 1867
- NEVADA (NV) 31 Oct 1864
- NEW HAMPSHIRE (NH) 21 June 1788
- NEW JERSEY (NJ) 18 Dec 1787
- NEW MEXICO (NM) 06 Jan 1912
- NEW YORK (NY) 26 Juil 1788
- NORTH CAROLINA (NC) 21 Nov 1789
- NORTH DAKOTA (ND) 02 Nov 1889
- OHIO (OH) 01 Mar 1803
- OKLAHOMA (OK) 16 Nov 1907
- OREGON (OR) 14 Fev 1859
- PENNSYLVANIA (PA) 12 Dec 1787
- RHODE ISLAND (RI) 29 May 1790
- SOUTH CAROLINA (SC) 23 May 1788
- SOUTH DAKOTA (SD) 02 Nov 1889
- TENNESSEE (TN) 01 June 1796
- TEXAS (TX) 29 Dec 1845
- UTAH (UT) 04 Janv 1896
- VERMONT (VT) 04 Mar 1791
- VIRGINIA (VA) 25 Jun 1788
- WASHINGTON (WA) 11 Nov 1889
- WEST VIRGINIA (WV) 20 Jun 1863
- WISCONSIN (WI) 29 May 1848
- WYOMING (WY) 10 July 1890