A long time ago, before GPS technology was embedded in every smartphone, and before Google Earth was even a thing, people used maps to find their way around. Now, when talking about a map of a city or a small area, these paper maps might be pretty helpful. But when you look at the world map, some of the information might be missing — like the world’s smallest countries. Countries so little they can almost fit in your pocket!
San Marino
San Marino is an independent country located within the borders of Italy, and it’s not oven the only one of its kind! Sitting on top of Titano Mountain, the country stretches over 24 sq miles, but still has its own international sports teams as well as a trained army.
Tuvalu
Nine small islands located in the Pacific Ocean make up the entire municipal territory of Tuvalu. The largest of those nine islands is called Funafuti and it also serves as the country’s capital. The highest point of Tuvalu is only a few feet higher than the sea level. This means that if we don’t take better care of our planet, the local population of nearly 12,000 people will need to find somewhere else to live.
Nauru
This teeny-tiny country has a history that sounds too bizarre to be true, but it is real nonetheless. Located about halfway between Hawaii and Australia, the country only no official capital, only 8.1 square miles to its name, and it takes no more than half an hour to drive around it. The place managed to be one of the richest countries in the world and one of the poorest in the span of a few decades. The few tourists who do go visit Nauru can spend a day fishing and swimming, but there isn’t much else to do there other than that.
Monaco
The second to last country on this list is Monaco. Most of this microstate’s borders are shared with France, and the rest is met by the Mediterranean Sea. Given its close proximity to Italy, the people of Monaco speak both French and Italian. Monaco might be small (less than 1 square mile) but it is very densely populated. On top of that, it sees many visitors who come to enjoy the local casinos and luxurious lifestyle.
Vatican City
The smallest country in the world, as most of you probably know, is Vatican City. Just like San Marino, it is completely landlocked by Italy. That is not the only unusual thing about it. It runs differently than any other country in the world as it doesn’t have a regular president, government, or even native population. It is led by the Pope and has a tiny army of 100 incredibly trained Swiss soldiers in funny-looking uniforms.
