When you think of traveling, countries like China, France, Australia and the US are typically on the top of people’s lists. But those little micronations deserve some love too. They’re just as steeped in history as their larger, more popular counterparts, it’s just that they have the distinction of being sovereign countries that have the population and area size of a small town. Which countries hold the distinction of being the tiniest in the world? We’ve got the answers, along with trivia that you won’t find anywhere else.
1. Vatican City
Area: 0.19 square miles/0.44 square kilometers
Population: 825 inhabitants (2019)
Vatican City, officially known as Vatican City State, is the world’s smallest country and it isn’t even close. In fact, there are plenty of tourists who wander from Rome and have no idea they are technically no longer in Italy. Silly people.
Do you Care: The only way to gain citizenship in the Vatican is to be employed by the Church, and once your term is over or you move on to other things, your days as a “cittadino vaticano” come to an end as well.