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Mapped: The Territorial Evolution of the U.S.

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evolution of american territorial expansion

Mapped: The Territorial Evolution of the U.S.

The sun (almost) never sets on the American Empire.

The United States is the third largest country in the world, with a vast territory extending beyond the borders of the contiguous states. To be exact, the United States is made up of 50 states, nine uninhabited territories, five self-governing territories, one incorporated territory, and one federal district (Washington D.C.). The boundaries of the country haven’t changed much in recent years, but the lines on the map have shifted numerous times in history, through both negotiation and bloodshed.

Today’s above animation, by u/Golbwiki, is the perfect visual aid to understand how the United States evolved from the Thirteen Colonies to its current form.

Here are five of the largest expansion events in U.S. history.

us territorial expansion map

1803: Louisiana Purchase

Napoléon Bonaparte didn’t just have a huge impact on Europe, he also altered the course of history in the New World as well. The French General was waging an expensive war in Europe, and began to view the Louisiana Territory as a burden – as well as a potential source of income. In 1803, he offered up all 828,000 square miles for the famously low price of $15 million.

This massive land purchase comprises nearly 25% of the current territory of the United States, stretching from New Orleans all the way up to Montana and North Dakota.

1819: Adams–Onís Treaty

Spanish explorers first established a presence in Florida as far back as 1565, but 250 years later, Spain had done little to cement its foothold in the region. The Spanish realized they were in poor position to defend Florida should the U.S. decide to seize it.

In 1819, Secretary of State John Quincy Adams negotiated the signing of the Florida Purchase Treaty, which officially transferred Florida to the United States after years of negotiations. There was no official cost of purchase, but the U.S. government agreed to assume approximately $5 million of claims by U.S. citizens against Spain.

1845: Texas Annexation

The newly created Republic of Texas, which broke away from Mexico in the Texas Revolution, was peacefully annexed by the United States in 1845. In one fell swoop, the U.S. acquired 389,000 square miles of former Mexican territory.

1848: Mexican Cession

Shortly after the Texas Annexation, tensions between Mexico and the U.S. flared up anew.

Congress declared war on Mexico over a boundary dispute in 1846, and after a relatively brief armed conflict – known as the Mexican–American War – the two countries signed the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo.

The treaty recognized Texas as a U.S. state, and the United States took control of a huge parcel of land that includes the present-day states of California, Nevada, and Utah, as well as portions of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming. Mexico received $15 million in the arrangement, but saw the size of their territory halved.

1867: Alaska Purchase

In the aftermath of the Crimean War, Alexander II began exploring the possibility of selling Alaska. Similar to Spain’s foothold in Florida earlier in the century, the Russian Emperor recognized the possibility of American incursions into the territory, which they were not in a good position to defend against.

We must foresee that [the U.S.,] will take the afore-mentioned colonies from us and we shall not be able to regain them.

– Grand Duke Konstantin of Russia

After an all-night negotiation session on March 30, 1867, Alaska was sold to the United States for $7.2 million – the equivalent of $109 million in 2018. Alaska officially became a state in 1959.

Scratching the Surface

The examples above are only a brief overview of the complex evolution of shifting territorial claims in America.

For those who want to take a deep dive into the shifting borders of America, here is an extremely thorough animation, also by the same author:

expansion of U.S. territory

Of course, colonial expansion in North America didn’t occur in a vacuum. For an Native American perspective on this topic, check out this animated map.

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Maps

Mapped: Which Countries Recognize Israel or Palestine, or Both?

In this visualization, we look at how international recognition of Israel and Palestine breaks down among the 193 UN member states.

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Map showing the recognition of Israel and Palestine by the 193 UN member countries.

Which Countries Recognize Israel or Palestine, or Both?

The modern-day conflict between Israel and Palestine emerged from the British Mandate for Palestine, which administered the former Ottoman Empire territory after World War I. But even after 75 years—and declarations of independence from each side—universal recognition eludes them.

In this visualization, we look at how Israel and Palestine recognition breaks down among the 193 UN member states as of November 14, 2023, using Wikpedia data for each state.

This post is a companion piece to separate maps showing the recognition of Israel and of Palestine by country.

A Declaration of Independence

The Jewish People’s Council declared the foundation of the State of Israel on May 14, 1948 (the same day that the last British forces left Haifa) on the basis of the 1947 UN Partition Plan, which divided the Mandate territories between Jewish and Arab populations.

U.S. President Truman granted de-facto recognition 11 minutes after the Israeli declaration. Not to be outdone by their Cold War adversary, the U.S.S.R. followed suit three days later with de-jure recognition and was joined by Warsaw Pact allies Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, and Poland.

By the end of 1948, 21 countries recognized Israel.

A Second Declaration of Independence

A declaration of independence for the State of Palestine, comprising the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem, didn’t happen until 40 years later.

In the midst of the First Intifada, a five-year-long Palestinian uprising that began in 1987, the Palestine Liberation Organization proclaimed the new state in the city of Algiers on November 15, 1988.

A dozen countries, including 10 members of the Arab League along with Malaysia and Yemen, immediately recognized the new state. The Soviet Union, the Eastern Bloc, and most of the Muslim world also joined in recognizing the State of Palestine.

Recognition of Israel and Palestine by Country

As of November 2023, 163 UN member states have recognized Israel, while 138 have recognized Palestine.

UN Member StateRecognize Israel 🇮🇱Recognize Palestine 🇵🇸
🇦🇫AfghanistanNoYes
🇦🇱AlbaniaYesYes
🇩🇿AlgeriaNoYes
🇦🇩AndorraYesNo
🇦🇴AngolaYesYes
🇦🇬Antigua and BarbudaYesYes
🇦🇷ArgentinaYesYes
🇦🇲ArmeniaYesNo
🇦🇺AustraliaYesNo
🇦🇹AustriaYesNo
🇦🇿AzerbaijanYesYes
🇧🇸BahamasYesNo
🇧🇭BahrainYesYes
🇧🇩BangladeshNoYes
🇧🇧BarbadosYesNo
🇧🇾BelarusYesYes
🇧🇪BelgiumYesNo
🇧🇿BelizeNoYes
🇧🇯BeninYesYes
🇧🇹BhutanYesYes
🇧🇴BoliviaNoYes
🇧🇦Bosnia and HerzegovinaYesYes
🇧🇼BotswanaYesYes
🇧🇷BrazilYesYes
🇧🇳BruneiNoYes
🇧🇬BulgariaYesYes
🇧🇫Burkina FasoYesYes
🇧🇮BurundiYesYes
🇰🇭CambodiaYesYes
🇨🇲CameroonYesNo
🇨🇦CanadaYesNo
🇨🇻Cape VerdeYesYes
🇨🇫Central African RepublicYesYes
🇹🇩ChadYesYes
🇨🇱ChileYesYes
🇨🇳ChinaYesYes
🇨🇴ColombiaYesYes
🇰🇲ComorosNoYes
🇨🇷Costa RicaYesYes
🇨🇮Côte d'IvoireYesYes
🇭🇷CroatiaYesNo
🇨🇺CubaNoYes
🇨🇾CyprusYesYes
🇨🇿CzechiaYesYes
🇨🇩Democratic Republic of the CongoYesYes
🇩🇰DenmarkYesNo
🇩🇯DjiboutiNoYes
🇩🇲DominicaYesYes
🇩🇴Dominican RepublicYesYes
🇪🇨EcuadorYesYes
🇪🇬EgyptYesYes
🇸🇻El SalvadorYesYes
🇬🇶Equatorial GuineaYesYes
🇪🇷EritreaYesNo
🇪🇪EstoniaYesNo
🇸🇿EswatiniYesYes
🇪🇹EthiopiaYesYes
🇫🇲Federated States of MicronesiaYesNo
🇫🇯FijiYesNo
🇫🇮FinlandYesNo
🇫🇷FranceYesNo
🇬🇦GabonYesYes
🇬🇪GeorgiaYesYes
🇩🇪GermanyYesNo
🇬🇭GhanaYesYes
🇬🇷GreeceYesNo
🇬🇩GrenadaYesYes
🇬🇹GuatemalaYesYes
🇬🇳GuineaYesYes
🇬🇼Guinea-BissauYesYes
🇬🇾GuyanaYesYes
🇭🇹HaitiYesYes
🇭🇳HondurasYesYes
🇭🇺HungaryYesYes
🇮🇸IcelandYesYes
🇮🇳IndiaYesYes
🇮🇩IndonesiaNoYes
🇮🇷IranNoYes
🇮🇶IraqNoYes
🇮🇪IrelandYesNo
🇮🇱IsraelYesNo
🇮🇹ItalyYesNo
🇯🇲JamaicaYesNo
🇯🇵JapanYesNo
🇯🇴JordanYesYes
🇰🇿KazakhstanYesYes
🇰🇪KenyaYesYes
🇰🇮KiribatiYesNo
🇰🇼KuwaitNoYes
🇰🇬KyrgyzstanYesYes
🇱🇦LaosYesYes
🇱🇻LatviaYesNo
🇱🇧LebanonNoYes
🇱🇸LesothoYesYes
🇱🇷LiberiaYesYes
🇱🇾LibyaNoYes
🇱🇮LiechtensteinYesNo
🇱🇹LithuaniaYesNo
🇱🇺LuxembourgYesNo
🇲🇬MadagascarYesYes
🇲🇼MalawiYesYes
🇲🇾MalaysiaNoYes
🇲🇻MaldivesNoYes
🇲🇱MaliNoYes
🇲🇹MaltaYesYes
🇲🇭Marshall IslandsYesNo
🇲🇷MauritaniaNoYes
🇲🇺MauritiusYesYes
🇲🇽MexicoYesNo
🇲🇩MoldovaYesNo
🇲🇨MonacoYesNo
🇲🇳MongoliaYesYes
🇲🇪MontenegroYesYes
🇲🇦MoroccoYesYes
🇲🇿MozambiqueYesYes
🇲🇲MyanmarYesNo
🇳🇦NamibiaYesYes
🇳🇷NauruYesNo
🇳🇵NepalYesYes
🇳🇱NetherlandsYesNo
🇳🇿New ZealandYesNo
🇳🇮NicaraguaYesYes
🇳🇪NigerNoYes
🇳🇬NigeriaYesYes
🇰🇵North KoreaNoYes
🇲🇰North MacedoniaYesNo
🇳🇴NorwayYesNo
🇴🇲OmanNoYes
🇵🇰PakistanNoYes
🇵🇼PalauYesNo
🇵🇦PanamaYesNo
🇵🇬Papua New GuineaYesYes
🇵🇾ParaguayYesYes
🇵🇪PeruYesYes
🇵🇭PhilippinesYesYes
🇵🇱PolandYesYes
🇵🇹PortugalYesNo
🇶🇦QatarNoYes
🇨🇬Republic of the CongoYesYes
🇷🇴RomaniaYesYes
🇷🇺RussiaYesYes
🇷🇼RwandaYesYes
🇰🇳Saint Kitts and NevisYesYes
🇱🇨Saint LuciaYesYes
🇻🇨Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesYesYes
🇼🇸SamoaYesNo
🇸🇲San MarinoYesNo
🇸🇹São Tomé and PríncipeYesYes
🇸🇦Saudi ArabiaNoYes
🇸🇳SenegalYesYes
🇷🇸SerbiaYesYes
🇸🇨SeychellesYesYes
🇸🇱Sierra LeoneYesYes
🇸🇬SingaporeYesNo
🇸🇰SlovakiaYesYes
🇸🇮SloveniaYesNo
🇸🇧Solomon IslandsYesNo
🇸🇴SomaliaNoYes
🇿🇦South AfricaYesYes
🇰🇷South KoreaYesNo
🇸🇸South SudanYesYes
🇪🇸SpainYesNo
🇱🇰Sri LankaYesYes
🇸🇩SudanYesYes
🇸🇷SurinameYesYes
🇸🇪SwedenYesYes
🇨🇭SwitzerlandYesNo
🇸🇾SyriaNoYes
🇹🇯TajikistanYesYes
🇹🇿TanzaniaYesYes
🇹🇭ThailandYesYes
🇬🇲The GambiaYesYes
🇹🇱Timor-LesteYesYes
🇹🇬TogoYesYes
🇹🇴TongaYesNo
🇹🇹Trinidad and TobagoYesNo
🇹🇳TunisiaNoYes
🇹🇷TürkiyeYesYes
🇹🇲TurkmenistanYesYes
🇹🇻TuvaluYesNo
🇺🇬UgandaYesYes
🇺🇦UkraineYesYes
🇦🇪United Arab EmiratesYesYes
🇬🇧United KingdomYesNo
🇺🇸United StatesYesNo
🇺🇾UruguayYesYes
🇺🇿UzbekistanYesYes
🇻🇺VanuatuYesYes
🇻🇪VenezuelaNoYes
🇻🇳VietnamYesYes
🇾🇪YemenNoYes
🇿🇲ZambiaYesYes
🇿🇼ZimbabweYesYes

Most of the countries that do not currently recognize Israel are Muslim-majority countries. However, some Muslim-majority countries have recognized Israel, such as Egypt and Jordan, who specifically agreed to do so under peace treaties signed in 1979 and 1994 respectively.

Several conflicts have also resulted in some countries suspending relations with Israel. The 1967 and 1973 Arab-Israeli Wars (also called the Six-Day War and Yom Kippur War, respectively) all saw countries suspend diplomatic relations, including Mali and the Maldives. In the case of Eastern Bloc countries that did so in 1967 and 1973, many resumed relations after the fall of the Soviet Union.

On the other side, despite more countries recognizing the State of Palestine over time, none of the G7 and only nine of the G20 have recognized the state. Similarly, only a minority of the EU has endorsed the declaration.

Present-Day

Israel and Palestine continue to vie for recognition in the international arena, with the former gaining recognition from a few countries including Bhutan and the UAE in 2020, and the latter from Colombia in 2018 and Saint Kitts and Nevis in 2019.

But universal recognition continues to elude both sides, with many countries awaiting a formal resolution to the conflict from the two sides.

It’s worth noting that both Israel and Palestine took steps towards recognition under the Oslo Accords, signed on September 13, 1993. The agreement saw Palestine recognize the State of Israel, put an end to the First Intifada, and allowed for limited self-government under a new Palestinian National Authority in Gaza and the West Bank. It promised to lay the groundwork for a two-state solution; a promise of peace that has yet to be realized.

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