United States territorial acquisitions table
Following are the historical territorial acquisitions of the United States
Accession
Date
Area (sq.mi.)
Area (km2 .)
Cost in dollars
Original territory of the Thirteen States (western lands, roughly between the Mississippi River and Appalachian Mountains, were claimed but not administered by the states and were all ceded to the federal government or new states by 1802)
1783
892,135
2,310,619
-----
Annexation of the Vermont Republic
1791
9,616
24,905
-----
Louisiana Purchase , from France 1803
827,987
2,144,476
$15,000,000[ 1]
Florida (East and West ), purchased from Spain 1819
72,101
186,740
$5,000,000[ 2]
Texas annexation 1845
389,166
1,007,935
-----[ 2]
Oregon Territory , by treaty with Great Britain 1846
286,541
742,137
-----[ 2]
Mexican Cession , from Mexico 1848
529,189
1,370,593
$15,000,000[ 2]
Gadsden Purchase , from Mexico1854
29,670
76,845
$10,000,000[ 3]
Baker Island , unincorporated territory claimed under Guano Act of 1856 1857
0.5
1.29
-----
Howland Island , unincorporated territory claimed under Guano Act of 18561857
0.6
1.55
-----
Jarvis Island , unincorporated territory claimed under Guano Act of 18561857
1.7
4.4
-----
Johnston Atoll , unincorporated territory claimed under Guano Act of 18561857
1.1
2.85
-----
Alaska Purchase , from Russia 1867
591,000
1,723,336
$7,200,000[ 2] [ 4]
Midway Islands , annexation of unoccupied area1867
2
5.18
-----
Annexation of the Republic of Hawaii 1898
6,450
16,705
-----[ 2]
Philippines , purchased from Spain (Full independence was granted in July, 1946)1898
115,800
299,921
$20,000,000[ 5]
Puerto Rico , by treaty with Spain1898
3,508
9,085
-----
Guam , by treaty with Spain1899
209
541
-----[ 2]
Eastern Samoa , by treaty with Great Britain and Germany 1899
76
197
-----[ 2]
Panama Canal Zone , by treaty with Panama 1903
553
1,432
$10,000,000 (plus $250,000 annually)[ 2]
Guantánamo , by treaty with Cuba 1903
45
116.5
$3,386.25 (rent annually) [ 6]
Annexation of the Indian Territory 1906
31,069
80,468
-----
Danish Virgin Islands (excluding Water Island ), by purchase from Denmark 1917
136
352
$25,000,000[ 2]
Kingman Reef , annexed1922
0.4
1.0
-----
Swains Island , annexed1925
0.94
2.43
-----[ 7]
Kanton Island and Enderbury Island , joint occupation with Britain (Independent as Republic of Kiribati in 1979)1938
6.5
16.8
-----
Water Island , by purchase from the East Asiatic Company , a private shipping company based in Denmark (which at the time was under German occupation )1944
0.8
2.0
$10,000
Mariana Islands , United Nations Trust Territory ; self-governing as Northern Mariana Islands 1947
179
467
-----
Caroline Islands , United Nations Trust Territory; 1986 most islands adopt commonwealth status as Federated States of Micronesia 1947
500
1,295
-----
Marshall Islands , United Nations Trust Territory; 1979 self-governing; 1986 independent as Republic of the Marshall Islands 1947
70
181
-----
For information on internal territorial acquisitions, see List of U.S.–Native American treaties .
References
^ "Milestones: 1801–1829 – Office of the Historian" . state.gov .^ a b c d e f g h i j World Atlas . Chicago / New York / San Francisco: Rand McNally. 1972. p. 90.^ "Milestones: 1830–1860 – Office of the Historian" . state.gov .^ "Milestones: 1866–1898 – Office of the Historian" . state.gov .^ America, The National Atlas of the United States of. "Territorial Acquisitions of the United States" . nationalmap.gov . ^ Rothman, Lily (22 January 2015). "Why the United States Controls Guantanamo Bay" . Time ^ Van Tilburg, Hans K.; Herdrich, David J.; Suka, Rhonda; Lawrence, Matthew; Filimoehala, Christopher; Gandulla, Stephanie (September 2013). Unlocking the Secrets of Swains Island: a Maritime Heritage Resources Survey (PDF) . Maritime Heritage Program Series: Number 6. Silver Spring, Maryland: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. Retrieved 2024-04-25 .
