How many territories does the US have?

The United States has a total of 14 territories, five of which are permanently inhabited and nine of which are uninhabited or barely inhabited. The nine uninhabited territories are small islands, reefs, or atolls, and do not have any kind of permanent population.

The term "territory" was granted when new land was acquired by the United States, such as in the case of Hawaii and Alaska. Although many of these former territories eventually became states, some areas remained as territories.

Territories can either be incorporated or unincorporated. Whether or not a territory is incorporated or unincorporated is at the discretion of the United States Federal Government. The majority of US territories are unincorporated territories; there, the U.S. Constitution is only partially applied.

In addition, territories can either be organized or unorganized. To be considered an organized territory, U.S. Congress must pass an Organic Act that grants jurisdiction to the territory, in order to govern its own affairs.

Everyone born in U.S. territories is an American citizen, with the exception of American Samoa.

Puerto Rico is unincorporated organized territory in the Northeast Caribbean Sea. The territory of Puerto Rico consists of the main island and other smaller islands such as Mona, Culebra, and Vieques. The population of Puerto Rico is approximately 3.7 million people.