Territory

A territory is a specific area of land, sea, or space. It is connected to a particular person, animal, or country. In the world of international politics, the term has a very specific meaning. It usually refers to a geographic area under the jurisdiction of a sovereign state. This means the area is ruled by a central government. However, it has not been granted the powers of self-government. This makes it different from other political units like states or provinces. Those units usually have equal status to one another within a country.

In a narrower sense, a territory can be a geographic region that depends on an external government. This might include a colonial possession. Some territories function as subdivisions of a larger nation. These are organized divisions controlled by a country. They are not formally incorporated into the main political units. They are also known as federal territories in some systems. In a federation, these areas fall under the direct or exclusive jurisdiction of the national government.

The history of the word "territory" is quite long. It begins with the Proto-Indo-European root "ters," which means "to dry." This root eventually led to the Latin word "terra," meaning earth or land. Later, the Latin word "territorium" emerged. This specific word meant the land surrounding a town. The word entered Middle English during the 14th century. During this time, the suffix "-orium" was used to denote a place. This was later replaced by the suffix "-ory," which also expresses a place.

There are several distinct types of territories used in modern governance. A capital territory, or federal capital territory, is a specially designated area. This is where a country's seat of government is located. In a federal model of government, this setup is very important. It ensures that no single state or territory takes pre-eminence. This happens because the capital does not sit within the borders of another state. A dependent territory is another type. These are not independent sovereign states. Instead, they remain politically outside the integral area of the governing state.

Some territories are defined by their distance from their home country. These are called overseas territories. An ocean separates these entities from the country that governs them. They can be constituent parts of the governing state. They can also be dependent territories. For example, the Faroe Islands and Greenland are overseas autonomous territories. They belong to the Kingdom of Denmark. These two places are internally self-governing. The British Crown also has fourteen different overseas territories. These are dependent territories with varying degrees of self-governance. They are not part of the United Kingdom or its four constituent countries.

Other territories are defined by political disagreements or military presence. A disputed territory is a geographic area claimed by two or more rival governments. For instance, the territory of Kashmir is claimed by both India and Pakistan. In this case, each country claims the whole territory as part of its existing state. The Republic of China, also known as Taiwan, is another example. Its sovereignty status is disputed by the People's Republic of China. There are also occupied territories. These are regions under the military control of an outside power. This power has not gained universal recognition from the international community.

Examples of occupied territories include Crimea, which is occupied by the Russian Federation. Other examples include East Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip, the Golan Heights, and the West Bank. These are occupied by the State of Israel. Western Sahara is also partially occupied by the Kingdom of Morocco. History shows many instances of this occurring. Kuwait was briefly invaded by Iraq in 1990. Iraq was invaded by the United States in 2003. Germany was also an occupied territory after World War II. Kosovo became an occupied territory after 1999. These examples show how territory is often at the center of global politics.