The United States acquired some of its’ territory through purchase from other nations (e.g. Louisiana, Gadsden Purchase, Alaska). Are there notable examples of any other nations purchasing territory? Not talking about peace treaties or war reparations here, but rather straight up real estate transactions where land (or at any rate a territorial claim) is exchanged for money.
Canada acquired Rupert’s Land and the North-Western Territory for cash from the Hudson’s Bay Company.
Technically, it wasn’t a straight sale. Canada and the HBC agreed on all the terms, including a purchase price of £300,000. The HBC then surrendered the lands to the British Crown, which then transferred the land to Canada. But a sale for all intents and purposes.
Portugal, Flores Island… Sold the island to the Dutch East Indies… now Indonesia.
In 1871, all of the Dutch possessions on the Dutch Gold Coast were sold to Britain.
Britain purchased Singapore, Dansborg (part of Tamil territory) and Frederiksnagore (in Bengal territory) .
France bought the Dauphine, Corsica and Bourges/Berry.
You know, these principality,duchy type kingdoms and empires did a lot of that. Check through the history of Deutchland, the Austrian empire, Prussia, Hungary, Scandanavia, the Netherlands, Switzerland/Helvetica, Greece…
One more by the United States… The US purchased the Virgin Islands from Denmark.
Well; some of them:
The ones to the North East are British.
The American ones are one of the few places in the USA where cars drive on the left although most vehicles have the steering wheel on the left.