Why go
A United States trip can cross boundaries that reflect very different histories. Maine and West Virginia emerged from older states, while Hawaii joined much later. Separating those stories from the federal capital and the Caribbean and Pacific territories gives unfamiliar destination names a clearer place on the map.
The full story
The original states grew out of the colonies that broke with British rule. Later boundaries took shape through several processes. Kentucky separated from Virginia, Tennessee from North Carolina and Maine from Massachusetts. West Virginia separated from Virginia during the Civil War. Other states developed from territories acquired through purchase or war, while Hawaii became a state in 1959. Washington, D.C., occupies a different category: it is the national capital within the federal District of Columbia. Overseas territories form another part of the geographic picture. Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands lie in the Caribbean; American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands lie in the Pacific. These categories provide historical and geographic orientation. For travel requirements or rules affecting a particular journey, consult current official guidance for each destination rather than assuming that the same conditions apply everywhere.