diff -r c0b0dda16009 Doc/c-api/buffer.rst
--- a/Doc/c-api/buffer.rst	Fri Sep 19 15:23:30 2014 +0800
+++ b/Doc/c-api/buffer.rst	Sun Sep 21 13:32:27 2014 +0200
@@ -466,6 +466,9 @@
    ``'C'``) or Fortran-style (*order* is ``'F'``) contiguous or either one
    (*order* is ``'A'``).  Return 0 otherwise.
 
+   Note that buffers with zero length are always contiguous. Also
+   ``strides[i]`` may be arbitrary if ``shape[i] == 1``.
+
 
 .. c:function:: void PyBuffer_FillContiguousStrides(int ndim, Py_ssize_t *shape, Py_ssize_t *strides, Py_ssize_t itemsize, char order)
 
diff -r c0b0dda16009 Objects/abstract.c
--- a/Objects/abstract.c	Fri Sep 19 15:23:30 2014 +0800
+++ b/Objects/abstract.c	Sun Sep 21 13:32:27 2014 +0200
@@ -368,15 +368,36 @@
     Py_ssize_t sd, dim;
     int i;
 
-    if (view->ndim == 0) return 1;
-    if (view->strides == NULL) return (view->ndim == 1);
+    if (view->shape == NULL) {
+        if (view->ndim == 0) {
+            return 1;
+        }
+        else if (view->strides == NULL){
+            return 1;
+        }
+        if (view->strides[0] == view->itemsize) {
+            return 1;
+        }
+        return 0;
+    }
+
+    if (view->strides == NULL) {
+        /* By definition the buffer is C-contiguous, but it might be
+           both if it is effectively 1-d or empty.
+         */
+        sd = 0;
+        for (i=0; i < view->ndim; i++) {
+            if (view->shape[i] == 0) return 1;
+            if (view->shape[i] != 1) sd += 1;
+        }
+        return sd <= 1;
+    }
 
     sd = view->itemsize;
-    if (view->ndim == 1) return (view->shape[0] == 1 ||
-                               sd == view->strides[0]);
     for (i=0; i<view->ndim; i++) {
         dim = view->shape[i];
         if (dim == 0) return 1;
+        if (dim == 1) continue;
         if (view->strides[i] != sd) return 0;
         sd *= dim;
     }
@@ -389,15 +410,23 @@
     Py_ssize_t sd, dim;
     int i;
 
-    if (view->ndim == 0) return 1;
     if (view->strides == NULL) return 1;
 
+    if (view->shape == NULL) {
+        if (view->ndim == 0) {
+            return 1;
+        }
+        if (view->strides[0] == view->itemsize) {
+            return 1;
+        }
+        return 0;
+    }
+
     sd = view->itemsize;
-    if (view->ndim == 1) return (view->shape[0] == 1 ||
-                               sd == view->strides[0]);
     for (i=view->ndim-1; i>=0; i--) {
         dim = view->shape[i];
         if (dim == 0) return 1;
+        if (dim == 1) continue;
         if (view->strides[i] != sd) return 0;
         sd *= dim;
     }