What word describes when one country officially takes control of another area of land and makes it part of its own territory?

• A. Occupied
• B. Annexed
• C. Acquired
• D. Incorporated

Answer: (B)

Annexed describes the act of a country officially taking control of another area of land and making it part of its own territory. This term signals a formal, legal incorporation of that land into the sovereign state, affecting its borders and governance. The nuance is that annexation is about sovereignty and long-term claim, not just temporary presence or possession.

Other terms don’t fit as neatly: occupied suggests control during conflict without necessarily changing sovereignty or legal status; acquired is a broad, neutral word that doesn’t specify formal territorial absorption; incorporated can mean joining something within a city or organization and doesn’t inherently convey sovereign expansion.