Territory
A
territory is a defined area (including land and waters), usually considered to be a possession of an animal, person, organization, or institution (from the word 'terra', meaning 'land').
*In
politics, a
territory is an area of land under the jurisdiction of a governmental authority. Territory can, though, include any geographical area under the jurisdiction of a sovereign and does not have a political division status. The remainder of this article deals with political territories.
*In
biology, an
organism which defends an area against intrusion (usually from members of its own species) is said to be
territorial. For further details see
territory (animal).
*In
psychology, environmentalists study territorial behaviour to understand which territory an
organism defends and why. Territorial behaviour is defined as:
The actions or reactions of a person or animal in response to external threats towards the space that is defended by that person or animal.
Types of political territories include:
* A legally administered territory, which is a non-sovereign geographic area that has come under the authority of another government. For example,
American Samoa is a
territory of the government of the United States. With regard to the
Canadian provinces and territories, the major difference between a Canadian
province and a Canadian
territory is that the federal government has more direct control over the territories, while the provinces are run by provincial governments empowered by the constitution. The same distinction applies between
States and territories of Australia, although Australia also distinguishes the mainland territories from the small insular possessions known as external territories. Under
British rule,
Hong Kong was often referred to as a territory, rather than a
colony from about the
1960s onwards.
* An
occupied territory, which is a region that is under the military control of an outside power that has not annexed the region. An example of an occupied territory is Iraq after the American invasion of 2003, Afghanistan by the Soviet Union between 1979 and 1989, or Germany after World War II.
* A
disputed territory, which is a geographic area claimed by two or more rival governments. For example, the territory of
Kashmir is claimed by both the governments of
India and
Pakistan.
* A local government unit. The district of the
Chatham Islands Council is termed the Chatham Islands Territory, although it is in all legal senses an integral part of
New Zealand.
*A claimed part of
Antarctica.
* The 14
overseas territories of the
United Kingdom
