territory, in U.S. history, a portion of the national domain that is given limited self-government, usually in preparation for statehood. Territorial governments have been similar in form to those of the states, but have been subject to greater authority of the federal government. The Ordinance of 1787, adopted by the Congress of the Confederation of the United States to create the Northwest Territory, furnished the basis upon which territorial governments were later organized under the Constitution of the United States. The Louisiana Purchase of 1803 raised the problem of the relationship of the United States to newly acquired domains—a subject treated vaguely in the Constitution of the United States. The Supreme Court, however, established the right of Congress to set up territorial governments and to admit territories to the Union. With the rapid westward expansion of the United States in the 19th cent., and the acquisition of large portions of land through treaty, purchase, and war, Congress shaped territorial boundaries and prescribed government. Territorial governments usually have consisted of a governor, a bicameral legislature, a secretary to keep records, and a system of courts. A territory may be admitted to the Union as a state after its officers petition Congress for an enabling act, establish a constitution, and meet certain requirements (often regarding population) as set forth by the U.S. Congress. Congress itself may initiate such action. Except for the Thirteen Colonies and California, Kentucky, Maine, Texas, Vermont, and West Virginia, all the states went through a territorial stage before they were admitted to the Union. The affairs of territories were under the Dept. of State until 1873, when their supervision was given to the Dept. of the Interior. Present U.S. territories include the Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa. In Canada and Australia a similar portion of the country not yet organized as a province or state is known as a territory.

Yukon Territory, territory (2001 pop. 28,674), 207,076 sq mi (536,327 sq km), NW Canada.

Geography and Climate

The triangle-shaped Yukon territory is bordered on the N by the Beaufort Sea of the Arctic Ocean, on the E by the Northwest Territories, on the S by British Columbia and Alaska, and on the W by Alaska. The highest point in the Yukon is Mt. Logan, 19,551 ft (5,959 m) high, part of the Coast Ranges in the southwest. Although most of the territory is a watershed for the Yukon River and its tributaries, the northern and southeastern regions drain east into the Mackenzie River system.

Immediately south of the desolate arctic coast the country is uninhabited and generally unknown. The other parts of the territory have great natural beauty, with snow-fed lakes backed by perpetually white-capped mountains and forests and streams abounding with wildlife. Kluane National Park (est. 1972) is in the St. Elias Mts. Winters are long and cold, with low humidity. During the short summers the longer day and surprisingly warm sun bring a profusion of wildflowers and enable the hardier grains and vegetables to mature.

The few settlements are situated on the riverbanks. The capital and largest town is Whitehorse, where the vast majority of the population lives. Next in importance is Dawson.

Economy

The Yukon's leading industry by far is mining; lead, zinc, silver, gold, and copper are the principal minerals. Tourism is the second most important industry; the area's colorful history and beautiful scenery draw visitors. Manufacturing has increased in importance, with such products as furniture, clothing, and handicrafts. There are hydroelectric facilities at Whitehorse, Aishihik, and Mayo. Trapping, the oldest industry, has declined in recent decades. Fishing is relatively unimportant.

Transportation facilities are limited. For many years the Yukon River system was the main artery. The White Pass and Yukon Railway, between Whitehorse and Skagway, Alaska, built during the Klondike gold rush of the 1890s, now handles only excursion traffic. The Alaska Highway and other all-weather roads have been built since World War II. Air transportation now plays a vital role, and there is an international airport at Whitehorse.

History and Government

The territory's history began with the explorations in the 1840s of Robert Campbell and John Bell, fur traders for the Hudson's Bay Company. Several trading posts were built on the Yukon River, and before long prospectors began to search for treasure. The Canadian government acquired the Yukon from the Hudson's Bay Company in 1870 and administered it as part of the Northwest Territories. After the famous gold strikes in the Klondike River region in the 1890s, thousands of fortune hunters arrived in search of gold. This colorful period was recorded in the writings of Robert Service and Jack London.

To meet the need for local government created by the influx of prospectors, the Yukon was made a separate district (1895) and then a separate territory (1898) with Dawson as capital. Whitehorse became the capital in 1952. Native land claims and the desire for provincial status are two issues that have dominated territorial politics in recent years. The land claim by the Yukon, a tribe of about 7,000, was approved by the federal government in 1991.

The government consists of a federally appointed commissioner, an elected legislative assembly of 18 members, and a 5-member cabinet appointed by the majority party of the assembly. Dennis Fentie led the conservative Yukon party to victory in the 2002 assembly elections, ousting the governing Liberal party; Fentie's government retained power after the 2006 elections. The territory sends one senator and one representative to the national parliament.

Virgin Lands Territory, Rus. Tselinny Kray, former administrative division, c.231,000 sq mi (598,300 sq km), Central Asian USSR, in Kazakhstan. Created in 1960 by the merger of Kokchetav (Kökshetau), Kustanay (Qostanay), North Kazakhstan, Pavlodar, and Akmolinsk (Aqmola) regions to administer the grain-producing areas of the Kazakh steppe, it was abolished in 1965.

Stavropol Territory, administrative division (1995 pop. 2,650,000), 31,120 sq mi (80,601 sq km), S European Russia, in the North Caucasus, the northern foothills of the main Caucasian range, and the dry steppes to the northeast. The central part of the territory occupies the Stavropol Plateau, a hilly region (rising to c.2,730 ft/830 m) drained by the Kuma and Kuban rivers. In the north is the Manych Depression. There are oil and natural-gas deposits. The once drought-ridden territory has been irrigated since 1945. Winter wheat, corn, sunflowers, and cotton are grown; along the Kuma River grapes, other fruits, and vegetables are also cultivated. Sheep raising is an important occupation. The Pyatigorsk region has numerous mineral spas and is a major resort area. The chief towns are Stavropol, the capital; Pyatigorsk; Kislovodsk; and Cherkessk. The Karachay-Cherkess Republic is in the territory. The population is for the most part Russian and Ukrainian; minority groups are Circassians, Karachay, and Nogay Tatar herders. The territory was first organized in 1924, when it was called North Caucasus Territory. It was renamed Ordzhonikidze Territory in 1937 and was given its present name in 1943.

Saar Territory: see Saarland.

Papua, Territory of: see Papua New Guinea.

Northwest Territory, first possession of the United States, comprising the region known as the Old Northwest, S and W of the Great Lakes, NW of the Ohio River, and E of the Mississippi River, including the present states of Ohio, Ind., Ill., Mich., Wis., and part of Minn.

Exploration and Early Settlement

Men from New France began to penetrate this rich fur country in the 17th cent.; in 1634, the French explorer Jean Nicolet became the first to enter the region. He was followed by explorers and traders—Radisson and Groseilliers, Duluth, La Salle, Jolliet, Perrot, and Cadillac—as well as by missionaries such as Jogues, Dablon, and Marquette. The Great Lakes region was controlled by a few widely scattered French posts, such as Kaskaskia, Vincennes, Prairie du Chien, and Green Bay; links were established between the Northwest settlements and those in French Louisiana (St. Louis, New Orleans). The two chief posts of the Old Northwest were Detroit and Mackinac (Michilimackinac), but French influence spread among the Native American groups east to the Iroquois country.

In the 18th cent. the Northwest was coveted not only by the British colonists in Canada, but also by those in the American seaboard colonies, who organized the Ohio Company in 1747 for the purpose of extending the Virginia settlements westward. At the same time, the French sought to strengthen their hold on the Northwest by building forts. The clash of British and French interests culminated in the expedition led by George Washington that resulted in the loss of Fort Necessity and the outbreak of the last of the French and Indian Wars. The wars ended in 1763 with the Treaty of Paris, by which the British obtained Canada and the Old Northwest.

British Rule

Almost immediately after the British acquired the region, Pontiac, an Ottawa chief, led an uprising against them (see Pontiac's Rebellion). The Ottawa were somewhat appeased by the British Proclamation of 1763 that closed the region W of the Allegheny Mts. to white settlement in an attempt to protect the Native American fur trade and lands; yet this action caused resentment among the American frontiersmen and contributed to the American Revolution. The mysterious machinations of Robert Rogers, an American frontiersman, further endangered the British hold on the Old Northwest. During the Revolutionary War, an expedition led by the American general George Rogers Clark penetrated deep into the region in 1778-79, in one of the most daring and valuable exploits of the war.

An American Territory

The Old Northwest became U.S. territory in 1783 by the Treaty of Paris ending the Revolution and soon was one of the most pressing problems before the U.S. Congress. The four so-called landed states—Virginia, Massachusetts, New York, and Connecticut—claimed portions of the Old Northwest, while states with no western land claims, especially Maryland, argued that if the claims of the landed states were recognized, the wealth and population of the other states would be attracted to the western lands. The final solution was the cession of all the lands to the U.S. government, which was thus greatly strengthened; New York made its cession in 1780, Virginia in 1784, Massachusetts in 1785, and Connecticut in 1786. Two reserves were kept, the Virginia Military District and the Connecticut Western Reserve in Ohio. The Ordinance of 1785 established the Township System for surveying, which used a rectangular grid system in order to divide the land.

American Settlement

The Ordinance of 1787 set up the machinery for the organization of territories and the admission of states. Its terms prohibited slavery in the Northwest Territory, encouraged free public education, and guaranteed religious freedom and trial by jury. The Ohio Company of Associates, the most active force in early colonization, was followed by later companies that brought settlers into the territory.

British traders, however, opposed American expansion, and the Native Americans were also hostile to their encroachment. A series of campaigns against the indigenous tribes culminated in 1794, when Gen. Anthony Wayne won an American victory at Fallen Timbers; his victory was solidified by the Greenville Treaty of 1795. Meanwhile, Jay's Treaty and subsequent negotiations smoothed out some of the British-American difficulties. The Northwest posts were transferred to Americans in 1796, although British influence remained strong among the Native Americans.

Settlers poured into the southern part of the Territory, and in 1799 a legislature was organized. In 1800 the western part was split off as Indiana Territory, and by 1802, the eastern portion was populated enough to seek admission as a state; it was admitted as Ohio in 1803. Other territories were then formed—Michigan in 1805, Illinois in 1809, and Wisconsin in 1836.

The surviving British traders, however, wanted the Northwest set aside as Native American land, and continued unrest led Tecumseh and Shawnee Prophet to seek a permanent foothold for the Native Americans. Some western Americans, meanwhile, sought to extend the Northwest to Canada. The quarrel over the Northwest was a major cause of the War of 1812. The Treaty of Ghent (see Ghent, Treaty of), which ended the war, solved the problem of the Northwest. Despite opposition from British merchants in the region, Great Britain irrevocably gave the Northwest to the United States.

Northern Territory, territory (1991 pop. 132,780), 520,280 sq mi (1,347,525 sq km), N central Australia. It is bounded on the N by the Timor Sea, the Arafura Sea, and the Gulf of Carpentaria. Darwin is the territorial capital. In the north are lowlands, in the southeast are low plains sloping toward the Lake Eyre depression, and in the southwest are the MacDonnell Ranges. The main rivers are the Victoria, Daly, Adelaide, and Roper, all of which drain into the northern seas. The climate in the north is tropical, with a monsoon season; the south becomes colder and drier as the elevation rises.

About three fourths of the population live in the Darwin and Alice Springs metropolitan areas. Australian aborigines represent nearly one fourth of the Northern Territory's population and own the land of 15 reservations with a total area of 94,000 sq mi (243,460 sq km); the Arnhem Land preserve is the largest. Much of this land is important to the uranium mining and tourist industries.

The territory's economic development has been accelerating in recent years. Gold is worked to a small extent; uranium, bauxite, manganese, iron, lead, and zinc deposits are increasingly exploited. Stockbreeding, encouraged by government development projects, is the major rural activity. There is very little farming in the territory. Peanuts, pearl shell, and trepang are the principal exports.

Northern Territory's first settlement was established at Port Essington in 1824 in an attempt to forestall French colonization. The settlement failed, and permanent settlement did not resume until 1869. Northern Territory was part of New South Wales from 1825 to 1863 and of South Australia from 1863 to 1911. Transferred to direct rule by the commonwealth in 1911, it was divided into two territories in 1926 but was reunited in 1931.

In 1974, the commonwealth-appointed Legislative Council was replaced by a fully elected Legislative Assembly. In 1978, full self-goverment was granted to the Territory, and in the 1990s statehood became a prominent political issue. Also politically important in recent years has been the issue of the treatment of and opportunities for the aboriginal population. The Northern Territory elects a member with full voting rights to the Australian House of Representatives.

New Guinea, Territory of: see Papua New Guinea.

Memel Territory, Ger. Memelland, name applied to the district (1,092 sq mi/2,828 sq km) of former East Prussia situated on the east coast of the Baltic Sea and the right (northern) bank of the Neman River. In 1919 the Treaty of Versailles placed the district, containing the city and port of Memel (see Klaipeda), under League of Nations-sponsored French administration. Lithuanian troops occupied the area in 1923, forcing the French garrison to withdraw. The Allied council of ambassadors then drew up a new status for the territory, which in 1924 became an autonomous region within Lithuania with its own legislature. The 1938 electoral victory of the National Socialists in the Memel Territory was followed in Mar., 1939, by a German ultimatum demanding the district's return. Lithuania complied. In 1945 the area was taken by Soviet forces and was restored to Lithuania, by then a part of the USSR.

Maritime Territory or Primorsky Kray, administrative division (1992 pop. 2,309,000), c.64,900 sq mi (168,100 sq km), Russian Far East, between China (Manchuria or the Northeast) in the west and the Sea of Japan in the east. Vladivostok is the capital. The population (constituting 50% of the people of the Russian Far East) is predominantly Russian, Ukrainian, and Belarusian, with small indigenous ethnic groups. The territory's coastal mountain range contains coal, iron ore, lead, zinc, lignite, tin, and silver. Fisheries (salmon and sardines) are located along the shore. An agricultural plain with millet and rice crops extends along the Chinese border. The Trans-Siberian RR links Vladivostok with Ussuriysk, the territory's other major city. For history of the Maritime Territory, see Russian Far East.

Krasnoyarsk Territory, administrative division (1989 pop. 3,595,000), c.928,000 sq mi (2,403,520 sq km), central Siberian Russia, extending from the Sayan Mts. and the Minusinsk basin in the south across the Siberian wooded steppe, taiga, and tundra to the Arctic Ocean. The territory stretches along the entire course of the Yenisei, comprising parts of the West Siberian lowland on the left bank and the central Siberian Plateau on the right bank. The territory includes Krasnoyarsk proper and the Khakass Republic (in the southwest). The former Evenki Autonomous Area (in the E central section) and the former Taymyr Autonomous Area (N of the Arctic Circle; see under Taymyr Peninsula) were merged with Krasnoyarsk Territory in Jan., 2007.

The Yenisei and its tributaries are important transportation routes and electric power sources. Surplus amounts of hydroelectric power are generated. The Trans-Siberian RR crosses the southern section of the territory. There are deposits of brown coal, graphite, iron ore, manganese, gold, copper, nickel, aluminum, palladium, uranium, and mica. In the north is an extensive lumber industry. Grain is grown, cattle and reindeer are raised, and fur trapping is carried on. Krasnoyarsk, the capital, and Kansk, Achinsk, Norilsk, Minusinsk, and Igarka are the chief cities. The southern part of the territory contains 90% of the population, which includes Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians, Khakass, Tatars, Evenki, Yakuts, and Nenets. The territory was organized in 1934. During Stalin's rule and after, the area was the site of labor camps.

Krasnodar Territory, administrative division (1995 pop. 5,004,200), 32,317 sq mi (83,701 sq km), SE European Russia, extending E from the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea into the Kuban steppe and straddling the northwestern end of the Greater Caucasus. Krasnodar is the capital. The territory includes the Adygey Republic. The main agricultural section is in the Kuban steppe and along the lower Kuban River. Most of the area has high quality black soil. The territory is one of Russia's principal tobacco-growing regions. The subtropical Black Sea littoral produces fruit, tea, and wine and is dotted with health resorts, of which Sochi is the best known. There are petroleum, gas, machinery, cement, and lumber industries. Krasnodar, Maykop, and Armavir are the chief industrial centers; Tuapse is the main port. More than 90% of the population is Russian and Ukrainian; their dialect is a mixture of the two languages. The rest of the population is Adygey or Circassian. The area N of the Kuban belonged to the Crimean Khanate and was annexed by Russia in 1783. The Kuban Cossacks, who settled there, gradually displaced the native nomadic Nogay Tatars. The Black Sea littoral was ceded to Russia by Turkey in the Treaty of Adrianople (1829). The remainder, known as Circassia, was annexed in 1864. Krasnodar Territory was formed in 1937.

Khabarovsk Territory, administrative division (1989 est. pop. 1,800,000), 305,000 sq mi (789,950 sq km), Russian Far East. Situated in the eastern and northeastern extremity of Siberia, the territory is bounded by the Sea of Okhotsk in the east, the Maritime Territory and China (Heilongjiang prov.) in the south, and the Kolyma range in the north. It includes the Jewish Autonomous Region. The mountainous territory is crossed by the Dzhugdzhur and Bureya ranges, where gold, oil, tin, and coal are extracted. Grain and potatoes are grown in the Amur valley, and in the north there are reindeer herds and fur trappers. Herring, flounder, and salmon are caught along the coast. Major cities are the capital, Khabarovsk, the industrial center Komsomolsk-on-Amur, and the ports Sovetskaya Gavan and Nikolayevsk-on-Amur; 75% of the total population (Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians, Jews, Tatars, and Yakuts) is concentrated in the cities. The territory was founded in 1938 and reorganized in 1953 and 1957. For history, see Russian Far East.

Jefferson, Territory of, in U.S. history, region that roughly encompassed the present-day state of Colorado, although extending 2° farther south and 1° farther north, organized by its inhabitants (1859-61), but never given congressional sanction. After a great increase in emigration in the 1850s, settlers in Arapahoe co., Kansas Territory, felt the need to be closer to the seat of government. They met in convention in Denver on Aug. 1, 1859, to discuss alternatives to the region's status. The 166 delegates present debated the benefits of reorganization as a state or as a territory and submitted the question on Sept. 5 to the public, which voted overwhelmingly for territorial status. Subsequently, Beverly D. Williams was sent as a representative to Congress, which, however, refused his petition. Nevertheless, the constitution of the Territory of Jefferson was adopted on Oct. 24, and the first session of its legislature met on Nov. 7. Robert W. Steele was elected provisional governor. Although illegal, the new government coexisted peacefully with the official county institutions. Laws were passed regarding taxation, and the franchise was denied Native and African Americans. On Feb. 28, 1861, Congress passed the Organic Act, which created the Territory of Colorado. The provisional government quickly dismantled, and William Gilpin replaced Steele as governor.

Indian Territory, in U.S. history, name applied to the country set aside for Native Americans by the Indian Intercourse Act (1834). In the 1820s, the federal government began moving the Five Civilized Tribes (Cherokee, Creek, Seminole, Choctaw, and Chickasaw) of the Southeast to lands W of the Mississippi River. The Indian Removal Act of 1830 gave the President authority to designate specific lands for them, and in 1834 Congress formally approved the choice. The Indian Territory included present-day Oklahoma N and E of the Red River, as well as Kansas and Nebraska; the lands were delimited in 1854, however, by the creation of the Kansas and Nebraska territories. Tribes other than the original five also moved there, but each tribe maintained its own government. As white settlers continued to move westward, pressure to abolish the Indian Territory mounted. With the opening of W Oklahoma to whites in 1889 the way was prepared for the extinction of the territory, achieved in 1907 with the entrance of Oklahoma into the Union. See Oklahoma.

Federal Capital Territory: see Australian Capital Territory.

Cimarron, Territory of, now the Panhandle of Okla. It was settled in the early 1800s by cattle ranchers, many of them squatters. To protect their claims they attempted, in 1887, to create a separate territorial government at Beaver, Okla. After subsequent efforts toward this end failed in the U.S. Congress, Cimarron became part of the Oklahoma Territory in 1890.

British Indian Ocean Territory, archipelago, c.1,180 mi (1,900 km), NE of Mauritius, in the central Indian Ocean. The islands, which form the Chagos Archipelago and are located on the southern end of a chain of sea mounts that also includes Lakshadweep and the Maldives, were administered by Mauritius before they were made a separate dependency by the British in 1965. Their importance is primarily strategic; the United States and Britain maintain a major naval facility on the main island, Diego Garcia. Between 1967 and 1973 Britain evicted the Chagos islanders as the archipelago was converted to purely military use. In 2000 they secured a British court decision declaring their explusion illegal. The government, however, subsequently (2004) prevented their return to the outlying Chagos islands, and the islanders again challenged the government in court. The archipelago is claimed by Mauritius, Maldives, and Seychelles.

Belfort, Territory of, department (1990 pop. 134,400), E France, in Alsace, on the Swiss border. The city of Belfort is the capital.

Australian Capital Territory (1991 pop. 276,468), 939 sq mi (2,432 sq km), SE Australia, an enclave within New South Wales, containing Canberra, capital of Australia. It was called the Federal Capital Territory until 1938. Most of the territory consists of an area formerly known as Yass-Canberra, which was ceded to the commonwealth by New South Wales in 1911. In 1915, New South Wales additionally ceded Jervis Bay, providing a potential port for Canberra. In 1988 the territory gained self-government with its own unicameral parliament, and Jervis Bay was separated from the territory. The federal government is the largest employer in the territory. Nearly all of the population lives in Canberra.

Altay Territory: see Altai Territory, Russia.

Altai Territory or Altay Territory, administrative division (1995 pop. 2,697,200), c.102,400 sq mi (265,220 sq km), S central Siberian Russia. Barnaul is the capital. It is drained by the Upper Ob River and traversed by the TurkSib and South Siberian railroads. To the southeast is the Altai Republic, a former subdivision of the region. The fertile Kulunda steppe, where spring wheat, oats, corn, and sugar beets are grown, is in the western part of the territory. Major cities, besides Barnaul, include Biysk and Chesnokovka.

Afars and the Issas, French Territory of the: see Djibouti, republic.

or Yukon Territory

Territory (pop., 2001 est.: 30,000), northwestern Canada. Bounded by Alaska, U.S., to the west, and the Canadian Northwest Territories to the east and British Columbia to the south, its capital is Whitehorse. Drained by the Yukon River system, it has some of the highest mountains in North America, notably the Saint Elias Mountains and Mount Logan, Canada's highest peak. It was originally settled by American Indians and the Inuit (Eskimo). The first European visitor (1825) was British explorer John Franklin, who was seeking the Northwest Passage. Sporadic settlement occurred thereafter. The discovery of gold in the 1870s later resulted in the Klondike gold rush. In 1898 it was separated from the Northwest Territories and given territorial status. The economic boost from the gold rush soon abated, and the exploitation of other minerals expanded and continued throughout the 20th century. Its economic mainstays, though, are government services and tourism.

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Territory (pop., 2006: 192,898), northern Australia. It covers an area of some 520,902 sq mi (1,349,129 sq km). Its capital is Darwin; the only other sizable town is Alice Springs. Most of the people are of European descent; about one-fifth are Australian Aboriginals. It consists mainly of tableland, with the Simpson Desert in the southeast and the Arnhem Land plateau in the north. It was inhabited by Aboriginals for thousands of years; they held Ayers Rock (Uluru) as central to their culture. The coast was explored by the Dutch in the 17th century and surveyed in the early 19th century by Matthew Flinders. First included as part of New South Wales, it was annexed to South Australia in 1863. It reverted to being under direct control of the Commonwealth of Australia in 1911. The northern parts were bombed by the Japanese in World War II and occupied by Allied troops. It was granted self-government within the Commonwealth in 1978. It remains sparsely inhabited; its economy rests on cattle farming, mining, government services, and a growing tourism industry.

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Former territory, U.S. West, including most of modern Oklahoma. The Choctaw, Creek, Seminole, Cherokee, and Chickasaw tribes were forcibly moved to this area between 1830 and 1843, and an 1834 act set aside the land as Indian country. In 1866 its western half was ceded to the U.S.; this portion was opened to white settlers in 1889 and became the Territory of Oklahoma in 1890. The two territories were united and admitted to the Union as the state of Oklahoma in 1907.

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Political entity (pop., 2006: 324,034), southeastern Australia. A capital territory was mandated by the 1901 Australian constitution; the site was chosen in 1908. It lies within New South Wales and consists of Canberra and the area around Jervis Bay. Parliament moved there from Melbourne in 1927. In 1989 the Territory received responsibility for self-government similar to that held by Australian states.

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