Following is a listing of the world’s 10 smallest independent countries, along with a short descriptor of each "micro-state": Holy See (Vatican City):
Totaling .44 square kilometers (or approximately 0.2 square miles), the Holy See is the world’s smallest state, the Vatican has a population of 870. The country is the religious epicenter of the Roman Catholic Church, and is thus, a "theocracy". The country is itself entirely surrounded by Italy’s capital city, Rome.
Monaco:
Totaling 2 square kilometers, Monaco is home to 30, 000 people, making it relatively densely populated. The micro-state is located on the French Riviera, relatively close to the French city of Nice, and is well-known for its casinos at Monte Carlo. Also famous is its monarchy, headed by Prince Rainier and his late wife and former American actress, Princess Grace (Kelly).
Nauru:
Totaling 21 square kilometers, Nauru has a population of just over 10,000. Formerly known as "Pleasant Island", this Pacific island is economically dependent upon phosphate deposits, and is faced with the environmental problem of "islandization", as is the case for many tiny islands across the globe.
Tuvalu:
Totaling 26 square kilometers, Tuvalu is composed of 9 coral atolls along a 360 mile chain in Polynesia. Formerly known as the Ellice Islands, Tuvalu is home to just over 10,000 people, mostly of Polynesian ancestry.
San Marino:
Totaling 60 square kilometers, and entirely surrounded by Italy, San Marino has the distinction of being the world’s oldest republic, having been founded in the fourth century by a stonecutter called Marinus. About 25,000 people reside in San Marino.
Liechtenstein:
Totaling 160 square kilometers, Liechtenstein is an entirely landlocked country, located on the Rhine River between Switzerland and Austria in the Alps. Inhabited since 4,000 BCE (before the common era), this country is populated by just over 32, 000 people.
Marshall Islands:
Totaling 181 square kilometers, the Marshall Islands consist of 29 major atolls, 5 coral islands, and over 1,200 atoll-type islets spread across several hundred miles of the South Pacific. Formerly part of the Trust Territory of Pacific Islands (which was administered by the United States), the Marshall Islands gained independence in 1986 and are inhabited by about 65,000 people.
St. Kitts and Nevis:
Totaling 269 square kilometers, this two-island Caribbean country is populated by about 42,000 inhabitants. Originally named St. Christopher, the name of the larger island was shortened to St. Kitts by English settlers. The smaller island, Nevis, was named for its illusion of snow-capped mountain tops (nievas) by Christopher Columbus.
Maldives:
Totaling 300 square kilometers, Maldives comprises 1,200 islands in the Indian Ocean and is inhabited by some 300,000 people. With an obscure history, it is thought that the islands were a stopping point for ancient mariners.
Malta:
Totaling 320 square kilometers, this island located just south of the Italian island of Sicily is home to over 380,000 people. It became a possession of the United Kingdom in 1814 and remained under British jurisdiction until 1964.
Other micro-states include
Grenada (340 square kilometers),
St. Vincent and the Grenadines (389 square kilometers),
Barbados (430 square kilometers),
Antigua and Barbuda (440 square kilometers),
Andorra (450 square kilometers),
Seychelles (455 square kilometers), and
Palau (458 square kilometers).
Note: These countries are referred to as "micro-states" due to their diminutive size or total area, measuring less (or around) 450 square kilometers.
Learn much more about these micro-states and all the other less-known countries of the world by going to
www.countrywatch.com.
-- Denise Youngblood Coleman Ph.D.
Editor in Chief and Executive Vice President
June, 2007