Top 10 SMALLEST Countries In The World!
From tiny islands to powerful palaces here are ten of the smallest countries in the world.
10-Malta
Malta is an archipelago or a group of islands in the Mediterranean Sea it is located 50 miles south of Italy the country is 122 square miles which is 10 miles smaller than Las Vegas Nevada Malta is small enough that you may not have realized its importance to world history its location has given it great importance as it has been ruled by various leaders such as the Phoenicians Greeks Romans Byzantines Knights of st. John and many more King George the sixth even awarded the George Cross to Malta in 1942 for multi-grade bravery in world war ii this is why the cross is on Malta's national flag it wasn't until 1964 that multi gained independence from the United Kingdom and then became a republic in 1974 the official languages of Malta are Maltese in English Maltese is very unique in that it descends from the Arabic that developed in Sicily between the 9th and 12th century it involved independently of Arabic and became Latinized over the years its population as a 2015 is about 432 thousand people Malta is a popular destination for tourists mostly for its historical monuments and structures its beautiful views and crystal-clear waters surrounding the islands make it a wonderful place to visit the clear view of the crystal sea surrounding the island is also very appealing Valletta which is multiple on destination is the shining star its 16th century buildings are in wonderful condition the shocker Valletta is hardly one thousand feet across so much to see in such a small area.
9-The Maldives
The Maldives is a South Asian country located in the Arabian Sea what's so unique about the Maldives is that it's made up of 26 atolls that spread out over the sea because of this it is one of the most widely dispersed countries in the world the name Maldives can literally translate into Garland or necklace islands an asshole is a ring shaped coral reef that encircles a lagoon partially or completely there are 26 of these in the Maldives that separate islands it isn't just widely dispersed but it is also the lowest country in the world as far as elevation goes even its highest point is the lowest the average height is around 5 feet above sea level and the highest point in the entire nation is just under 8 feet about 2.4 meters one of the most highly sought-after experiences in the Maldives is their adventure tourism that offers tourists a chance to swim with sharks manta rays and other sea creatures Islam was adopted in the year 1153 and the islands were under the Sultan of Ceylon now Sri Lanka well it used to be considered an isolated nation with an authoritarian government it has now become one of the top luxury travel destinations in the world population about four hundred and nine thousand.
8-Saint Kitts and Nevis
The Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis is a two-island country in the West Indies again this country may seem unimportant but it has been called the mother colony of the West Indies and is, in fact, the birthplace of Alexander Hamilton nebith was originally called San Martin by Christop her Columbus in 1493 Columbus originally named the other Island after his patron saint st. Christopher, it isn't known who changed the name to Saint Kitts and Nevis its area is about 269 square kilometers currently the population is around 55,500 tourists are attracted to Saint Kitts and Nevis for its nature many believe the combination of the mountainous beauty and majestic sea is beyond the perfect paradise from Botanical Gardens to beautiful beaches Saint Kitts and Nevis are one-of-a-kind but their most popular attraction is their National Park besides natural wonders this park is full of barracks and other military defenses from centuries ago the French Spanish and the Kali naga people all built barriers and other military structures here and many of them still stand today like many of the surrounding islands st. Kitts was formed by volcanoes the tallest thoughts have erupted some 200 years ago.
7-The Marshall Islands
Another country of islands and coral atolls the Marshall Islands were first settled as far back as 2000 BC they were known by locals as Gillette janani's which meant gifts from God but when John Marshall the British explorer refound the islands they were named after him by the English most of the 1000 islands are spread out over 29 coral atolls in the South Pacific and are less than six feet above sea level the Marshall Islands are now a symbol of the dangers of climate change as they are starting to disappear under the water even though the Marshall Islands date way back there is no history recorded until the 1500s when other explorers began to visit in October 2011 the government created the biggest shark sanctuary in the world that would be watched over by Marshall Islands here all shark fishing is banned and all by catch must be released since the country is so small and the sanctuary is so big it is unknown if they can really enforce this law and keep the shark safe Marshall Islands as a country is smaller than the City of Seattle Washington which is 80 square miles this makes Marshall Islands the first country on the list to be under 100 square miles Quadra Lane the largest of the Marshall atolls has been a huge strategic value to the United States first for nuclear testing and more recently as a ballistic missile defense site the Pentagon has a lease on Kwajalein until 2066 and have commissioned scientific studies on the impact rising sea levels will have on the bases mission they may have to move out sooner and the locals are already looking for special agreement to be able to move to the United States once they get flooded.
6-Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein is one of the most fascinating small countries in the world located in Central Europe this German-speaking monarchy is one of a kind its area is just over 60 square miles but it has a lot of stories to tell it is double landlocked by Austria and Switzerland who are themselves landlocked the only other country in this situation is as beck Stan it has some of the wealthiest averages in the world with the lowest poverty rates this could possibly be the reason that there's a very low crime rate in the country there hasn't even been a murder in 20 years now citizens who are given prison sentences longer than two years are transferred to Austria most people don't even lock their doors at night the place is so small that every year the head of state his serene Highness Prince Hans-adam the second and his son invite the entire country to their castle for a beer in the garden of Vaduz castle once a know something silly the country is responsible for 20% of all manufactured false teeth in the world at one point the country was available for rent for $70,000 a night who wouldn't want to rent that this isn't too surprising because stepping into Liechtenstein you may think you've stepped into a storybook from the monarchy to the castles to the green countryside this place looks like a medieval adventure.
5-San Marino
San Marino otherwise known as the most serene Republic of San Marino is actually a microstate that is surrounded by Italy it is the fifth smallest country in the world hence why it's number five Lonely Planet called San Marino the land of cliff top castles San Marino is less than 25 square miles which is just bigger than Providence Rhode Island the country believes they are the oldest extant sovereign state and oldest constitutional republic they also claim to have the earliest written governing documents that are still in effect what's strange is that it is the only country in the world with more vehicles than people since the country is surrounded by Italy much of the language food and buildings are highly influenced by Italian history and culture probably because of its small size the majority of people 98 percent share the same religion which is Roman Catholic but it does have its own Flair the palace of the governor is quite beautiful and Mount Titano is recognized by UNESCO as a National Monument .
4-Tuvalu
Tuvalu which you may know as Ellis Islands is a country located nearly directly between Hawaii and Australia how big is it oh just about 10 meters squared that's about the size of Laguna Beach California it is believed that the first settlers arrived as Polynesians about 3,000 years ago the people of Tuvalu once believed that Cape Lucia motae Ali or the eel and the plan under created the islands the flounder created the apples and the eel created the coconut palms while this story varies depending on who you ask the foundation is pretty much the thing only about 350 people visit the country literally every year so tourism is not very popular in Tuvalu but with such a small size this isn't surprising plus nobody will be passing through and no one aside from those living on the island live anywhere near it as it is in the middle of the ocean violent crime is rare in Tuvalu and like many tiny nations it is considered for you safe however it is illegal to do one thing that you might not think of and Tuvalu it is illegal to be gay so yeah that might put a damper on day.
3-Nauru
Nauru or formerly the attractive pleasant island is an island country in Micronesia it is roughly the size of Key West and houses ten thousand residents Nauru is a phosphate rock island and a popular destination for mining operations for this reason it may be one of the wealthiest small countries in the world in the 60s and 70s it definitely was today however mining has diminished its wealth and ruined much of the natural income and beauty of the country to make up for this Nauru has been known to illegally launder money throughout the years now R was first inhabited by Micronesians and Polynesians over 3,000 years ago since there were 12 tribes at the time there is a 12 pointed star on the nations flag for not quite known reasons Nauru 's are the most overweight people in the world about, 90, seven percent of men and 93 percent of women are considered overweight or obese not surprisingly after hearing this fact they have the highest rate for type 2 diabetes with more than 40 percent of the population affected so before the country was profitable and healthy and now things are going downhill as the product of pollution and poverty.
2-Monaco
Monaco is a microstate located on the French Riviera since it has over 35,000 residents and is less than one square mile it is now the most densely populated country in the world don't let its size fool you though about 30% of the population are millionaires you know why because of us Monaco's main source of income is tourism it has casinos where citizens aren't allowed in so anything spent at the casino is pure profit for the country since citizens won't be spending any money there you know like the casinos from the James Bond movies Monaco is a tax-free State which also adds to their wealth for this reason outsiders have tried to use Monaco for their income and residents to skip out on paying taxes aside from pure tourism the Grand Prix held in Monaco is one of the greatest and most famous in the world.
1-The Vatican
Although officially Vatican City this city-state is actually its own country as well however the Holy See or the sea of Rome has full ownership exclusive Dominion and sovereign Authority and jurisdiction still it is a country in itself and since it is just 110 acres it is considered the smallest country in the world it is less than 1/8 of the size of Central Park since the Holy See have control over much of the country the Pope is the sovereign of the state what's funny is that since Vatican City is an enclave within Italy it is defended by the Italian military so there is no written agreement that this should be so because the country is considered neutral the city is too small to hold embassies and over 70% of the citizens are the clergy because of this out of about 600 citizens in the country only about 30 of them are female you think this small country had nothing to show but st. Peter's Basilica and the Sistine Chapel some of Italy's greatest works of art are located in the Vatican.
Have you ever been to any of these tiny countries let us know in the comments below and Thank you very much.
