# International purchases of territory **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 10, 2017, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-purchases-of-territory/786277 "2017-05-10T12:36:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2017, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-purchases-of-territory/786277/1 "2017-05-10T12:36:13Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2017, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-purchases-of-territory/786277/2 "2017-05-10T12:57:59Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2017, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-purchases-of-territory/786277/3 "2017-05-10T13:40:22Z")
Portugal, Flores Island… Sold the island to the Dutch East Indies… now Indonesia. ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2017, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-purchases-of-territory/786277/4 "2017-05-10T13:45:59Z")
In 1871, all of the Dutch possessions on the Dutch Gold Coast were sold to Britain. ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2017, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-purchases-of-territory/786277/5 "2017-05-10T13:49:50Z")
Britain purchased Singapore, Dansborg (part of Tamil territory) and Frederiksnagore (in Bengal territory) . ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2017, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-purchases-of-territory/786277/6 "2017-05-10T13:58:08Z")
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… ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2017, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-purchases-of-territory/786277/7 "2017-05-10T14:42:26Z")
One more by the United States… The US purchased the Virgin Islands from Denmark. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2017, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-purchases-of-territory/786277/8 "2017-05-10T15:25:15Z")
> [@Iggy](#): > > One more by the United States… The US purchased the Virgin Islands from Denmark. Well; some of them: > [@](#): > > In 1916 and 1917, Denmark and the U.S., respectively, ratified a treaty in which Denmark sold the Danish West Indies to the United States of America for $25 million in gold. 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.