Commonwealth (U.S. insular area) |
In the terminology of the United States insular areas, a commonwealth is an organized territory that has established with the Federal Government a more highly developed
relationship, usually embodied in a written mutual agreement.
There are currently two United States insular areas holding the status of commonwealth, the Northern Mariana Islands and Puerto Rico. The Philippine Islands was an insular
area that held commonwealth status from March 24, 1934 until July 4, 1946, when the
United States recognized the independence and sovereignty of the Philippines (see: Commonwealth of the Philippines).
The term must be distinguished from its usage in the names of the U.S.
states of Virginia, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky, which officially describe themselves as "commonwealths" but hold the same legal and political status as other states of the Union.
See also
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