In the terminology of the
United States insular areas, a
Commonwealth is a type of
organized but
unincorporated dependent territory.
Commonwealth term definition as per current U.S. State Department policy (as codified in the department's Foreign Affairs Manual) reads "The term "Commonwealth" does not describe or provide for any specific political status or relationship. It has, for example, been applied to both states and territories. When used in connection with areas under U.S. sovereignty that are not states, the term broadly describes an area that is self-governing under a constitution of its adoption and whose right of self-government will not be unilaterally withdrawn by Congress".[1]
There are currently two United States insular areas classified with the status of commonwealth, the Northern Mariana Islands and Puerto Rico.
Of the current U.S. insular areas, the term was first used by Puerto Rico in 1952 as its formal name in English ("Commonwealth of Puerto Rico") since a strict translation of its name in Spanish would have been unacceptable to the U.S. Congress. The formal name in Spanish for Puerto Rico is "Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico," which translates literally as "Associated Free State of Puerto Rico" or as Free Associated State (a state in "free association").
