The Thirteen Colonies tradition identifies 13 British colonies as the original communities that formed the United States after declaring independence in 1776.
These colonies stretched along the Atlantic coast, from New Hampshire in the north to Georgia in the south. They were commonly grouped into the New England, Middle, and Southern colonies. Their governments and economies differed, but all had developed political institutions and local traditions of self-government.
The colonies worked together through the Continental Congress during the American Revolution. The Declaration of Independence announced their separation from Britain, while the Revolutionary War secured that independence. The 13 colonies later became the first 13 states of the United States.
A common mix-up is counting other British possessions in North America, such as Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, or East Florida. Those territories remained outside the group that became the United States. Georgia, established in 1732, completed the traditional list of 13 colonies.