The 10 Smallest Countries In The World (2024)
Which are the smallest countries in the world? Smaller countries hold many surprises. Find out which are the 10 smallest countries in the world and see for yourself!
Let’s be frank: about sizes, as about tastes, there is nothing written. For this reason, destinations that appear tiny on the map are often discovered as huge boxes of surprises. Not for nothing, the most precious essences have been kept for life in the most insignificant bottles.
The 10 Smallest Countries In The World
Find out which are the 10 smallest countries in the world and start planning a great trip now. Which one would you like to start with?
1. Vatican City
With just 0.44 square kilometers and fewer than 800 inhabitants, Vatican City can boast of being the smallest landlocked country in the world. City-state within eternal Rome, the Vatican City or simply the Vatican is tiny but very rich. In fact, its architectural and historical ensemble (which is practically the entire city) was declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco in 1984.
When you visit the Vatican, do not miss the rich collection of art kept in its Vatican Museums. Also don’t overlook the imposing Papal Basilica of St. Peter which, paradoxically, at 193 meters long and 44.5 meters high is the Christian church with the largest interior in the world.
To give you a better idea of the size of the country, only St. Peter’s Basilica with its beautiful and huge square accounts for 20% of the state’s territory, which, therefore, can also boast of being the most urbanized independent territory in the world. One way or another, if you want to visit the 10 smallest countries in the world, the Vatican cannot be missing from your list.
2. Marshall Islands
The Republic of the Marshall Islands, commonly called the Marshall Islands, is one of the 10 smallest countries in the world. Located in the Micronesia of the Pacific Ocean, the Marshall Islands can also boast of being the youngest country in Oceania, although not the smallest (we will see who steals this tiny title below).
In total, the Marshall Islands have about 70,000 inhabitants spread over its 181 square kilometers and have a UNESCO World Heritage Site.This Unesco site, the only one in the country, is the uninhabited and at first glance paradisiacal Bikini Atoll.
Curiously, Bikini Atoll is not the best place to visit when you think about what to see and do in the Marshall Islands since it is famous for the numerous nuclear tests that the United States carried out there for more than a decade, between the years 1946 and 1958.
Therefore, we suggest you start your visit to the Marshall Islands by the population of Majuro, its capital, a place of paradisiacal beaches and crystal clear waters that will delight sun and diving lovers. Wherever you start, when you get ready to cross the list of countries visited the 10 smallest in the world, you will have to go to Oceania to be able to put the cross in the Marshall Islands.
3. Liechtenstein
Much closer to home, in the very heart of Europe, is the Principality of Liechtenstein, one of the 10 smallest countries in the world. It has a total of 160 square kilometers and less than 40,000 inhabitants and, although it is not part of the European Union, it does belong to its free movement space.
Therefore, you will not have to use your passport when you go to visit Liechtenstein. Considered a tax haven, it has two interesting cities: Vaduz, the capital, and Schaan, the most populated. When you visit the first one, don’t miss the Liechtensteinisches Landesmuseum or National Museum.
It is the most important in the country and has permanent collections dedicated to the natural and cultural history of the state. It is the ideal place to start to know one of the 10 smallest countries in the world.
4. Maldives
The paradise that is the Republic of Maldives is also among the 10 smallest countries in the world. Not only that. The Maldives is also one of the smallest countries in Asia, both in population and in square kilometers. It has 298 square kilometers spread over 26 atolls, with some 1,200 islands!
Furthermore, it is the flattest country in the world with a maximum elevation of 2.3 meters. Therefore, if you are one of those who are looking for hiking trails through the mountains, Maldives is definitely not your place.
Now, if you are one of those who are looking for infinite beaches of fine sand and immaculate turquoise waters, you will fall in love! Visit to Malé, its capital, and from there go jumping to as many islands as you like.
The Maldives is for diving, to lie in the sun in a hammock, to take shelter under the shade of a palm tree, to enjoy infinite sunrises and sunsets or to indulge in sleeping in an idyllic luxury hotel. All that and much more is what you can do in the Maldives, one of the 10 smallest countries in the world!
5. Monaco
If at 0.44 square kilometers the Vatican was the smallest landlocked country in the world, at just 2 square kilometers Monaco is the smallest in the world with access to the sea. Officially called the Principality of Monaco, it is almost all coastline, specifically, 3,829 meters of Mediterranean coastline. Its widest point exceeds a kilometer and a half, and the narrowest does not reach 350 meters. With these measures, how could it not be one of the 10 smallest countries in the world?
It is the perfect example that a small country can keep great beauty. When you visit it, be sure to go to its historic center, the Prince’s Palace of Monaco or the Cathedral of Saint Nicholas. If you like nature, then you will like to see Larvotto, the main beach, and also its Exotic Garden. But if there is an iconic building par excellence in Monaco, that is the Monte Carlo Casino.
6. Nauru
At 21.3 square kilometers, Nauru is the smallest country in Oceania and the smallest island country in the world. You’ll find tiny Nauru on a single island in Micronesia, in the central Pacific Ocean, south of the equator. Its capital is Yaren and its population almost exceeds 11,000 inhabitants.
When you are completing your list of visiting the 10 smallest countries in the world and you go to Nauru, enjoy its Anibare Bay, the underground lake of Moqua Well and the beautiful Laguna de Buada. You will love them!
7. Saint Kitts and Nevis
The Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis is made up of two islands named in the same way and is among the 10 smallest countries in the world. To make matters worse, they are, in addition to being one of the smallest countries in the world, the smallest in America both in square kilometers (it only has 261) and the smallest country in the world by population (in inhabitants it does not reach 60,000).
But again, its small size does not deter your visit. These two islands hold an infinite number of things to see and do. When you travel to Saint Kitts and Nevis, go up Mount Liamuiga, which at 1,156 meters is the highest mountain in the country; visit Basseterre, with 20,000 inhabitants, the most populated and cultural city of the archipelago; or simply relax discovering the wonderful nature of the place, one of the 10 smallest countries in the world.
8. San Marino
At just over 60 square kilometers, the Serene Republic of San Marino is also among the 10 smallest countries in the world. Another country, almost a stone’s throw away, that you shouldn’t miss despite its size.
When you go there, don’t forget to climb Mount Titano (its highest mountain, in the middle of the Apennines), La Guaita or De La Fratta; see the Palazzo Pubblico or the Basilica of San Marino, and eat a delicious cake tre monti (cake of the three mountains). If you do it like this, surely San Marino, one of the 10 smallest countries in the world, will leave you with a good taste in your mouth.
9. Seychelles
The Republic of Seychelles is one of the 10 smallest countries in the world, as well as the smallest country in Africa. It has a total of 115 islands totaling 455 square kilometers. Its only city is also its capital and is called Victoria. But if you travel to Seychelles, don’t limit yourself to seeing only its capital.
The country is beautiful and his thing is to go jumping from island to island. Of course, do not miss such impressive places as the Valel de Mai Nature Reserve, Fregate Island or Mount Seychellois, with 906 meters of height the highest point in the country. It will make your visit to one of the 10 smallest countries in the world a great experience.
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10. Tuvalu
The last country in the list of the 10 smallest countries in the world is called Tuvalu, although until 1974 it was called the Ellice Islands. Tuvalu is also the second country in the world with the least population (fewer people live in the Vatican only), and the second flattest country in the world (only the Maldives is lower). In total, Tuvalu has 26 square kilometers, 5 atolls, and 4 coral reefs and is one of the states of Polynesia, in Oceania.
Its capital is called Funafuti, although the capital is often considered Vaiaku, on the island of Fongafale, for being the seat of the national parliament. When you go to Tuvalu enjoy its beaches with perfect waters, eat a delicious pulaka and do not stop listening to the fatele. And above all, do not forget to toast with a tasty coconut juice because you have managed to reach one of the 10 smallest countries in the world.
