# Transfer of territory from one country to another **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 10, 2022, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transfer-of-territory-from-one-country-to-another/960848 "2022-03-10T21:15:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2022, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transfer-of-territory-from-one-country-to-another/960848/1 "2022-03-10T21:15:04Z")
What are some recent examples (post-WWII) of territory being transferred from one country to another? I’m interested in examples that meet the following criteria: 1. Before the transfer, the territory was recognised by both countries as being an integral part of country A (not a disputed territory) 2. After the transfer, the territory was recognised by both countries as being part of country B (no dispute as to its status) I’m not interested in examples of territories becoming independent or losing independence. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2022, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transfer-of-territory-from-one-country-to-another/960848/2 "2022-03-10T21:27:34Z")
> **[Modi in Bangladesh to conclude land swap agreement](https://www.dawn.com/news/1186551)** > > Agreement calls for the transfer of 111 border enclaves to Bangladesh in exchange for 51 that will become part of India. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2022, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transfer-of-territory-from-one-country-to-another/960848/3 "2022-03-10T21:29:41Z")
Slovakia and the Czech Republic. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2022, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transfer-of-territory-from-one-country-to-another/960848/4 "2022-03-10T21:41:23Z")
Do you want violent transfers, nonviolent transfers, or both? ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2022, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transfer-of-territory-from-one-country-to-another/960848/5 "2022-03-10T21:43:45Z")
It didn’t actually get done, but could have. > **[Norway considers giving mountain to Finland as 100th birthday present](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/28/norway-finland-move-mountain-halti-halditsohkka-highest-peak)** > > Norwegian government considers shifting border to gift its Nordic neighbour a peak that would become its highest point ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2022, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transfer-of-territory-from-one-country-to-another/960848/6 "2022-03-10T21:47:52Z")
Do reunifications count? If so either Vietnam or Germany would count. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2022, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transfer-of-territory-from-one-country-to-another/960848/7 "2022-03-10T21:48:56Z")
There is also the “Bantustans” in South Africa but they were not recognised as seperate countries by anyone except apartheid South Africa, so don’t really count: > **[Bantustan | Dissolution](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bantustan#Dissolution)** > > With the demise of the apartheid regime in South Africa in 1994, all Bantustans (both nominally independent and self-governing) were dismantled and their territories reincorporated into the Republic of South Africa with effect from 27 April 1994 (the day on which the Interim Constitution, which formally ended apartheid, came into force and the first democratic elections began) in terms of section 1(2) and Schedule 1 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1993 ("Interim Constitution"... ---
**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2022, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transfer-of-territory-from-one-country-to-another/960848/8 "2022-03-10T21:49:00Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Do you want violent transfers, nonviolent transfers, or both? Either, as long as the transfer of territory is legally recognised by both parties. ---
**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2022, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transfer-of-territory-from-one-country-to-another/960848/9 "2022-03-10T21:52:56Z")
Reunifications and splits do not count. I am talking about cases where country A and country B continue to exist but a certain parcel of land that was part of country A is now part of country B. The India-Bangladesh land swap is an example. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2022, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transfer-of-territory-from-one-country-to-another/960848/10 "2022-03-10T21:53:55Z")
There is an island that gets transferred back and forth between France and Spain every six months, and has done so for the last 350 years. > **[The island that switches countries every six months](https://www.bbc.com/news/stories-42817859)** > > Why a sliver of the Basque country changes national allegiance twice a year. ---
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2022, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transfer-of-territory-from-one-country-to-another/960848/11 "2022-03-10T22:03:27Z")
In the 1960s and 1970s the U.S. and Mexico made some adjustments to resolve a longstanding boundary dispute along the Rio Grande: > **[Chamizal dispute](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamizal_dispute)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > > The Chamizal dispute was a border conflict over around 600 acres (240 ha; 2.4 km2) on the Mexico–United States border between El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua. It was caused by a shift in the Rio Grande, as a survey presented in 1852 marked differences between the bed of the Rio Grande (in Spanish: Río Bravo del Norte) and the present channel of the river. Tensions over the territory during the historic Taft–Diaz summit almost result... > **[Boundary Treaty of 1970](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boundary_Treaty_of_1970)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > The Boundary Treaty of 1970 is a treaty between the United States and Mexico that settled all outstanding boundary disputes and uncertainties related to the Rio Grande (Río Bravo del Norte) border between them. > The most significant dispute remaining after the Chamizal Settlement in 1963 involved the location of the boundary in the area of Presidio, Texas, and Ojinaga, Chihuahua. The river channel was relocated to approximate conditions existing ... You might also include the transfer of the Panama Canal Zone from the U.S. back to Panama. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2022, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transfer-of-territory-from-one-country-to-another/960848/12 "2022-03-10T22:20:39Z")
The Canal Zone might not count: It was always recognized as a part of Panama, just a part of Panama that had special arrangements with the US. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2022, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transfer-of-territory-from-one-country-to-another/960848/13 "2022-03-10T22:34:55Z")
No mention yet of Hong Kong being transferred from the UK to China? ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2022, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transfer-of-territory-from-one-country-to-another/960848/14 "2022-03-10T22:42:30Z")
Belgium and the Netherlands have fiddled with their border in recent years: [Belgium–Netherlands border - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belgium%E2%80%93Netherlands_border#Border_changes) The territorial swap saw Belgium giving a total of 40.45 acres of land to the Netherlands comprising two uninhabited riverine peninsulas, previously cut off from “mainland” Belgium by Dutch territory, known as Presqu’île de L’llal and Presqu’île d’Eijsden. In return, the Netherlands gave Presqu’île Petit-Gravier which was 7.63 acres in size, to Belgium. Note that this involved less than 50 acres and approximately zero people. Still, I think it meets the criteria. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2022, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transfer-of-territory-from-one-country-to-another/960848/15 "2022-03-11T02:38:07Z")
Along with Portugal return of Macau. ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2022, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transfer-of-territory-from-one-country-to-another/960848/16 "2022-03-11T03:06:29Z")
I’d say Hong Kong and Macau do not meet the requirements of the OP, as the PRC heavily disputed the legal status of both territories. ---
**Author:** ![UDS1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e47774/32.png) [@UDS1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS1)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2022, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transfer-of-territory-from-one-country-to-another/960848/17 "2022-03-11T03:20:41Z")
Also Hong Kong and Macau were colonies, not integral parts of the Portuguese Republic or the United Kingdom respectively. ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2022, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transfer-of-territory-from-one-country-to-another/960848/18 "2022-03-11T08:48:46Z")
This process of transferring land from one country to another by means of agreement is called a cession in international law. It’s not super rare in Europe for such things to happen; because European countries generally have quite crooked borders, it happens once every few years that some border is straightened by swapping pieces of land between neighbouring countries, but such processes usually occur on a very local level with small parcels. Somewhat recent examples that I can think of occurred were the various land exchanges conducted between West and East Germany in divided Berlin during the Cold War; [here](https://www.berlin.de/mauer/en/history/exchanges-of-territory/) is an article about them. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2022, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transfer-of-territory-from-one-country-to-another/960848/19 "2022-03-11T10:33:02Z")
Since OP stipulated post-WW2, the territory that immediately came to mind was that portion of Germany east of the [Oder-Neisse line](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oder%E2%80%93Neisse_line). After Germany’s defeat and partition, the DDR agreed in 1950 to give that portion to Poland, while West Germany refused to recognise the new border until 1970. Even afterward this was one of the sticking points against German re-unification as then-Chancellor Helmut Kohl suggested that the territory should revert back to Germany. The final border treaty, recognizing the former German territory as belonging to Poland was only signed between (united) Germany and Poland on Jan 16, 1990. ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2022, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transfer-of-territory-from-one-country-to-another/960848/20 "2022-03-11T11:02:03Z")
I think that’s not strictly speaking a cession. East Germany did not cede territory to Poland; it recognised a border that had already been drawn by the Allies after the defeat of Germany. The treaty text itself calls this the existing border (_bestehende Grenze_), indicating that East Germany did not lay claim to this territory prior to the treaty. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transfer-of-territory-from-one-country-to-another/960848.md?page=2)