The Caribbean Sea contains some of the territories of the United States.
Territories of the United States . Currently , the United States has sixteen territories , five of which are permanently inhabited : Puerto Rico , Guam , the Northern Mariana Islands , the U.S. Virgin Islands , and American Samoa . Eleven territories are small islands , atolls and reefs , spread across the Caribbean and Pacific , with no native or permanent populations . The United States of America ( USA ) , commonly known as the United States ( U.S. ) or America , is a constitutional federal republic composed of 50 states , a federal district , five major self-governing territories , and various possessions .