Territorial Expansion

Updated August 5, 2020 | Infoplease Staff
Accession Date Area1
United States 3,717,796
Territory in 1790 891,364
Louisiana Purchase 1803 831,321
Florida 1819 69,866
Texas 1845 384,958
Oregon 1846 283,439
Mexican Cession 1848 530,706
Gadsden Purchase 1853 29,640
Alaska 1867 591,004
Hawaii 1898 6,471
Other territory
Philippines21898 115,600
Puerto Rico 1899 3,508
Guam 1899 217
American Samoa 1900 90
Canal Zone31904 553
Virgin Islands of U.S. 1917 171
Trust Territory of Pacific Islands41947 241
Northern Mariana Islands1986 189
All other 16
Total, 1990 3,722,228
1. Total area (land and water), in square miles.
2. Became independent in 1946.
3. Reverted to Panama in 1979.
4. Palau, the last remaining trust territory, became a sovereign state in 1994.
Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Web: www.census.gov.


The Early CongressesU.S. HistoryThe Confederate States of America
Sources +