Federal territory
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A federal territory is an administrative division under the direct and usually exclusive jurisdiction of a federation's national government. A federal territory is a part of a federation, but not a part of any federated state. The states constitute the federation itself and share sovereignty with the federal government, while a territory does not have sovereign status and is constitutionally dependent on the federal government.
Federal territories in various federations
- Australia[a]
- Ashmore and Cartier Islands (external)
- Australian Antarctic Territory (claimed)
- Australian Capital Territory (internal)
- Christmas Island (external)
- Cocos (Keeling) Islands (external)
- Coral Sea Islands (external)
- Heard Island and McDonald Islands (external)
- Jervis Bay Territory (internal)
- Norfolk Island (external)
- Northern Territory (internal)
- Canada
- India[b]
- Malaysia
- Nigeria
- Pakistan
- Russia
- United States
- American Samoa (unincorporated unorganized)
- Bajo Nuevo Bank (claimed)
- Baker Island (unincorporated unorganized)
- Guam (unincorporated organized)
- Howland Island (unincorporated unorganized)
- Jarvis Island (unincorporated unorganized)
- Johnston Atoll (unincorporated unorganized)
- Kingman Reef (unincorporated unorganized)
- Midway Atoll (unincorporated unorganized)
- Navassa Island (unincorporated unorganized)
- Northern Mariana Islands (unincorporated organized)
- Palmyra Atoll (incorporated unorganized)
- Puerto Rico (unincorporated organized)
- Serranilla Bank (claimed)
- U.S. Virgin Islands (unincorporated organized)
- Wake Island (unincorporated unorganized)
Historical federal territories
Brazil
In Brazil, although mentioned in the Federal Constitution, currently there are no federal territories. Brazil had three territories until the adoption of the 1988 Constitution: Fernando de Noronha (today a state district of Pernambuco), Amapá, and Roraima, now fully recognised states. From 1943 to 1982, Rondônia was also a federal territory (until 1956 under the name of Território do Guaporé).[3]
Canada
The Northwest Territories used to include a majority of what is now Canada, and was divided into districts for ease of administration from 1882 until 1999. One such district, Keewatin, was its own federal territory from 1876 until 1905.[citation needed]
Germany
The
France annexed the complete area after World War I. Since then, the German national government never had direct control over a German territory, with the exception of the Nazi government; however, Nazi Germany was - like East Germany - a centralized state where state governments were de facto abolished. The Federal Republic of Germany's Basic Law does not currently provide a legal way to create a federal territory, including a capital district, and describes the German national territory as being composed solely of states.
Mexico
United States
In the
Notes
References
- ^ "Territories of Australia". australia.gov.au. The Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications.
- ^ "States and Union Territories". India.gov.in. Technical Team National Informatics Centre. Archived from the original on August 18, 2017.
- ^ Porto, Jadson Luís Rebelo (March 1999). "Os territórios federais e a sua evolução no Brasil" [The federal territories and their evolution in Brazil] (PDF). Revista de Educação, Cultura e meio ambiente (in Brazilian Portuguese). III (15).