<P> The Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is administered by the United States under a perpetual lease, much as the Panama Canal Zone used to be before the signing of the Torrijos - Carter Treaties and only mutual agreement or U.S. abandonment of the area can terminate the lease . </P> <P> From July 18, 1947, until October 1, 1994, the United States administered the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, but the Trust ceased to exist when the last member state of Palau gained its independence to become the Republic of Palau . The Panama canal, and the Canal Zone surrounding it, was territory administered by the United States until 1999, when control was relinquished to Panama . </P> <P> The United States has made no territorial claim in Antarctica but has reserved the right to do so . </P> <P> The government of the United States of America has claims to the oceans in accord with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which delineates a zone of territory adjacent to territorial lands and seas . United States protects this marine environment, though not interfering with other lawful uses of this zone . The United States jurisdiction has been established on vessels, ships, and artificial islands (along with other marine structures). </P>

Who selects the government officials in a territory