CDC Style for Referring to US Territories and Freely Associated States
- This is the official term used by CDC. It is consistent with the US Department of State and US Department of the Interior.
- Use this term when you refer to all entities and need to say how many there are.
- The 5 US territories and their locations are—
- Pacific Ocean: American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), and Guam.
- Caribbean Sea: Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands (USVI).
- The 3 freely associated states and their locations are—
- Pacific Ocean: the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), and the Republic of Palau (Palau).
- The 3 freely associated states are not US territories, but independent countries with a Compact of Free Association agreement with the United States.
- Do not use periods with “US.”
- Do not capitalize “territories” or “freely associated states.”
- Each island or group of islands constitutes a singular territory or country and requires a singular verb. For example: The US Virgin Islands (USVI) is located in the Caribbean. The Federated States of Micronesia consists of four states.
Note: Depending on the editorial style of the materials where these terms are used, the numbers five and three can be spelled out.
- Use this term when you refer to all entities and do not need to say how many there are.
- This alternative term is commonly used by entities and organizations in the Pacific region.
- You can use this term alone to refer to both territories and independent countries in the Pacific region only. The USAPI consist of—
- 3 US territories: American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), and Guam.
- 3 freely associated states: the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), and the Republic of Palau (Palau).
- The United States is responsible for the health, education, defense, and other essential operations of these 6
- The acronym “USAPI” refers to multiple island countries. It requires a plural verb and does not need an “s” at the end. For example: The USAPI are populated by…
- The word “jurisdiction” is optional and not needed in most cases. It is a general word that can refer to any political, administrative, or geographic entity, including a state, territory, country, or government.
- Do not use this term.