a large extent or tract of land; a region; a country; a district.-the extent of land belonging to, or under the dominion of, a prince, state, or other form of government; often, a tract of land lying at a distance from the parent country or from the seat of government; as, the territory of a state; the territories of the east india company.-in the united states, a portion of the country not included within the limits of any state, and not yet admitted as a state into the union, but organized with a separate legislature, under a territorial governor and other officers appointed by the president and senate of the united states. in canada, a similarly organized portion of the country not yet formed into a province.