# When was the last time a country purchased territory from another country? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 26, 2007, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-a-country-purchased-territory-from-another-country/427852 "2007-11-26T23:51:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![T\_SQUARE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9de053/32.png) [@T\_SQUARE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/T_SQUARE)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2007, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-a-country-purchased-territory-from-another-country/427852/1 "2007-11-26T23:51:48Z")
The United States purchased Alaska from the Russians in 1867. That’s the kind of thing I’m talking about. When was the last time something like that happened? ---
**Author:** ![SandyHook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dec6dc/32.png) [@SandyHook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SandyHook)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-a-country-purchased-territory-from-another-country/427852/2 "2007-11-27T00:47:47Z")
The US also got the Virgin Islands from England 1916ish in exchange for a bunch of old navy ships which England was in bad need of at the time. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-a-country-purchased-territory-from-another-country/427852/3 "2007-11-27T00:51:58Z")
Do you want the date of the actual deal, or date of the exchange? I’m thinking that Hong Kong would qualify as a recent exchange, but that deal goes back a long way. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-a-country-purchased-territory-from-another-country/427852/4 "2007-11-27T00:54:30Z")
Last year, Japan entered into talks to purchase an island from Indonesia. ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-a-country-purchased-territory-from-another-country/427852/5 "2007-11-27T01:14:15Z")
[QUOTE=SandyHook] The US also got the Virgin Islands from England 1916ish in exchange for a bunch of old navy ships which England was in bad need of at the time. [/QUOTE] 1. We got them from Denmark. 2. It was in exchange for $25 million. 3. The treaty was finalized in 1917. Other than that, spot on. You’re probably thinking of the [Bases for Destroyers deal](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Destroyers_for_Bases_Agreement) concluded between FDR and Churchill at the start of World War II. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-a-country-purchased-territory-from-another-country/427852/6 "2007-11-27T03:55:31Z")
The most recent cession of land by the U.S. from a state to a foreign country was probably the Horcón Tract, with the[Boundary treaty of 1970](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boundary_Treaty_of_1970)… I’m sure a lot of money was involved, but it was all under the table, ya know? ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-a-country-purchased-territory-from-another-country/427852/7 "2007-11-27T06:11:21Z")
The territory was not purchased from a foreign country, but the [Cocos (Keeling) Islands](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocos_%28Keeling%29_Islands) come to mind. Australia assumed control of them in 1955 and paid out the Clunies-Ross family (who had controlled the islands previously) in 1978. ---
**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:** [November 28, 2007, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-a-country-purchased-territory-from-another-country/427852/8 "2007-11-28T07:30:59Z")
In 1869, Canada offered to buy the territories of the Hudson Bay Company. The HBC surrendered its title to the lands to Britain, which then transferred the lands to Canada, in return for £300,000 payment to the HBC from Canada.