#1
Vatican City — 0.44 km²
The smallest internationally recognized state in the world, entirely enclosed by the city of Rome. Its population — well under 1,000 — is mostly clergy.[1]
Microstates ranked by land area — half of the ten smallest are European, and the smallest of all is smaller than most golf courses.
| Rank | Country | Land area | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vatican City | 0.44 km² | Europe |
| 2 | Monaco | 2.1 km² | Europe |
| 3 | Nauru | 21 km² | Oceania |
| 4 | Tuvalu | 26 km² | Oceania |
| 5 | San Marino | 61 km² | Europe |
| 6 | Liechtenstein | 160 km² | Europe |
| 7 | Marshall Islands | 181 km² | Oceania |
| 8 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 263 km² | Caribbean |
| 9 | Maldives | 298 km² | Asia |
| 10 | Malta | 315 km² | Europe |
No matching rows.
The smallest internationally recognized state in the world, entirely enclosed by the city of Rome. Its population — well under 1,000 — is mostly clergy.[1]
Only the second smallest, but one of the most densely populated places on Earth, packing roughly 38,000 people into just over two square kilometers — including the famous Monte Carlo casino district.[1]
The smallest island nation and the smallest republic in the world. Decades of phosphate mining briefly made it one of the richest countries per capita — and left much of the island's interior unusable.[1]
Made up of nine low-lying coral atolls and islands, with a maximum elevation of only a few meters — making it one of the countries most vulnerable to sea-level rise.[1]
By tradition, founded in the year 301 — which would make it the world's oldest surviving republic. It's entirely surrounded by Italy.[1]