Territorien

Territorien, or territories, are geographic areas under the jurisdiction of a governing authority. The term covers the land and adjacent waters over which a state asserts sovereignty, as well as the political units within a state that administer that space. In political geography and international law, territory is a fundamental concept for defining the reach of government authority.

Territories can be sovereign or non‑sovereign. Sovereign territories are independent political units with full international recognition as states. Non‑sovereign or dependent territories remain under the sovereignty of another state but may enjoy internal self-government or special status. Examples of dependent territories include the British Overseas Territories (such as Bermuda and the Falkland Islands) and the U.S. territories (such as Puerto Rico and Guam). Some regions within federal states operate as separate territorial units (such as states or Länder) without being independent states.

Over time, the status and borders of territories have changed through wars, treaties, cession, annexation, decolonization, and unification. Territorial changes can involve transferring control from one state to another, altering internal administrative boundaries, or redefining the legal relationship between a central government and a peripheral region. In international law, states assert territorial sovereignty over land, internal waters, airspace, and, in many cases, adjacent maritime zones, shaping how territory is claimed, managed, and defended.