Hey Youtube, Jim here! Welcome to Top10Archive! We often use the expression U.S. soil when
talking about events and policies, but do we really know what constitutes U.S. soil?
Did you know there’s technically U.S. soil over by Australia?
There are a lot of U.S. territories that we never hear about. Some because there’s simply no one
living there and others because they don’t make the news. They live under different sets of rules
and have been acquired by the United States for different reasons, however, they all share one
thing in common. They’re technically part of the good old US of A. How many can you name?
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a future top 10 list! 10. Wake Island
This island, a coral atoll, is unpopulated and is used mostly as a refueling stop for the U.S.
Air Force. It’s in Micronesia and is part of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument.
Stop in for a refuel and then move on with your day, that's basically it. Regardless,
this island is a U.S. territory which makes stopping by all the easier without any need
for pesky agreements with other nations about whether we can or can’t put our stuff there.
9. Navassa Navassa is also uninhabited, but it’s actually
located in the Caribbean Sea, which is much more pleasant and fun to be in, at least in my opinion.
It’s a small island located Northeast of Jamaica and South of Cuba. Despite having no
people living there, the island is currently in dispute between the U.S. and Haiti. Since 1857,
the U.S. has claimed Navassa as theirs via an act of 1856 regarding the Guano Islands. However,
Haiti says they have claim over the territory since a treaty was made way back in 1697.
What’s on that island that everyone wants so badly? Mermaids. I'm guessing Mermaids.
8. Kingman Reef The last unpopulated one, I promise.
Kingman Reef is an unpopulated triangular reef between Hawaii and American Samoa (which we’ll
get to in a moment). It’s only 11 miles long! It’s likely that the U.S. only has this because it’s
between two of its other territories, one now a State and one unincorporated. Most of the reef is
submerged, with two small strips of dry land made of coral rubble and giant clam shells. Its highest
point, and this is very telling, is just under 5 feet above sea level. This means, even though
some of its topography is considered “dry land”, you’re never “dry” or on “land” at all.
7. Palmyra Atoll The Palmyra Atoll
is a U.S. territory, but it is privately owned by the Nature Conservancy and the United States
Fish and Wildlife Service. It’s near Oahu, Hawaii and is actually made up of 50 islands.
The population of this island may be small, mostly staff and scientists that hardly add up to 20
people at any given time. Imagine that, being a science nerd for years and then being rewarded
by being sent to a bunch of small tropical private islands so that you can do your job?
6. The Midway Atoll Found in the Pacific Ocean,
this Atoll is in the halfway mark between the Asia and North American mainland.
It used to be a Naval Air Facility owned by the United States. Now, there are about 60 people
living there and they’re, much like in the Palmyra Atoll, mostly environmental workers. I know what
you’re thinking, the U.S. has remote islands that we didn’t know about and we’re still vacationing
in Florida? Well, unfortunately, the island isn’t open to tourists, so you’ll have to find another
island to set up for your vacation this year. 5. U.S. Virgin Islands
Now we’re getting somewhere! If you haven’t seen a commercial for the U.S. Virgin Islands by some
travel agency, then, what kind of content are you even watching? These islands are considered part
of the Leeward Islands, covering over 133 square miles and serving as the home to over 100,000
people who are mostly Afro-Caribbean. Tourism is the main economic activity on the island, so
feel free to vacation here, everyone! Citizens of the island are U.S. citizens, though they’re not
eligible to vote in U.S. Presidential elections. 4. Puerto Rico
You knew Puerto Rico had to be on this list. Or, well, maybe you didn’t. A large number of
Americans don’t actually know that Puerto Rico is a part of the United States.. Not mentioning any
names. Puerto Rico consists of the main island and other smaller ones all rich in history, pleasant
in climate, and with a lot of delicious food to offer. It’s located in the Northeast Caribbean
Sea and was previously Spanish Territory until the U.S. invaded Puerto Rico and gained the territory
via the signing of the Treaty of Paris. This was all done with the promise of help and economic
stability which the U.S. promised to provide. There are close to 4 million people living on the
island and all of those people are U.S. citizens, though, like those of the Virgin Islands,
they are not eligible to vote in US elections. However, 61% of Puerto R icans are in favor
of becoming a State. 3. Guam
This is a highly mentioned U.S. territory in pop culture. You’ll often hear it mentioned as a place
far far away, perhaps where they keep prisoners or banish people. In reality, it’s a U.S. territory
with an established civil government. It’s located in the Western Pacific Ocean and has over
160,000 people living there. Most of them are American citizens by birth. The island is the
largest of the Mariana Islands and is popular with tourists from Japan. It’s been a territory
since 1898 as part of the Treaty of Paris, and was the site of fighting during WWII. Now, it’s home
to two U.S. military bases and probably a lot of selfie stick kiosks to accommodate tourism.
2. Northern Mariana Islands These 15 islands all belong to the United States.
They cover an area of 183.5 square miles and are the home of about 77,000 people. The majority
of these people live on two islands, Saipan and Tinian. The administrative center of the
island is Capitol Hill, but most residents consider Saipan as the capital and center.
These islands haven’t been a U.S. Territory forever, though. They may be as old as your
dad. The negotiation for the islands, between the United States and the Northern Mariana Islands,
began in 1972 and was approved in 1975. In 1978, the islands formed a new local government and a
new constitution for its 77,000 people. Much like the United States, the Northern Mariana Islands
have a great melting pot of people. Languages include Chamorro, Carolinian, English, Philippine
languages, Chinese, and more. People are Asian, Pacific Islanders, Multiracial, and 2.5% “other”.
1. American Samoa Though American Samoa doesn’t
have the largest number of people on this list, it is one of the most interesting U.S. Territories.
It consists of five mainland and coral atolls. Within the 76.8 square miles, 55,000 people call
it home. Though they are extremely proud of their heritage, they also feel very American,
as they should, they’re American citizens nonetheless. They have the highest military
enlistment of all U.S. territories! They have a rich culture of tattoos famous around the world,
a high sense of community and some good exports like tuna. Most residents are bilingual and can
speak both English and Samoan. So my question is, when are we going to have a fan-meetup here!?
Thanks for watching! Let us know in the comments if you’re from one of these lovely places or tell
us in the comments which one you’d most like to visit. Become a citizen of the Top10Archive nation
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