5 SMALLEST COUNTRIES on Earth!
As small as these countries are, they do some pretty incredible things. But yeah they're super small.
5. MALDIVES
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MALDIVES |
The Maldives is made up of chain of 1,192 islands in the indian ocean. it's one of the most spread out nations in the world with the islands covering an area of nearly 35,000 square miles. But despite that, the islands themselves only have a total area of 115 square miles making it the smallest country in Asia. Most of the islands are uninhabited and the population was under 400,000 in 2015. The Maldives was settled in 300 BC by fishermen from india and Sri Lanka. It was mostly Buddhist until Islam was introduced in the 12th century. Since then, ownership was passed between the Portuguese and Dutch and British empires for centuries. It wasn't until 1965 that it finally gained its independence and was a member of the commonwealth until 2016. Unfortunately back in December 2004, the country was badly damaged by the Boxing Day earthquake and tsunami in the Indian ocean that killed over 110 people.
4. SAN MARINO
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SAN MARINO |
With an area of only 23.6 square miles, San Marino is a micro state completely surrounded by Italy. Hundreds of years ago, city states were common in Europe. But over time they were taken over or formed into larger countries. But San Marino has managed to maintain its independence. The country claims to be the oldest sovereign state in the world and is still governed by the earliest written constitution. its official founding date was September 3, 301 AD by the Christian stone mason named Marinus who was fleeing persecution. He founded San Marino on top of Monte Titano where he built a chapel and monastery and lived as a hermit. The pope recognized its independence back in 1631 and even Napoleon's armies respected its boundaries during the Napoleonic wars. It has a population of just over 33,000 people and with one of the lowest unemployment rates in Europe it's also super wealthy and has one of the lowest GDPs in the world.
3. PITCAIRN ISLANDS
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PITCAIRN ISLANDS |
The Pitcairn Islands is a British overseas territory located in the South Pacific. And it only takes two plane rides, a ferry, and a 32 hour ocean crossing to get there. Not exactly convenient. The territory is made up of four islands that have a total land area of only 18 square miles. Only one of the four islands, Pitcairn, is inhabited. it's the least populated nation in the world with only 50 permanent residents. 50. Those people are actually the descendants of four main families that settled on Pitcairn in 1790 and were formed by nine mutineers from the HMS Bounty and a group of native Tahitians that were with them. The population was at its highest in the 1930s when it reached about 300 people. but inbreeding was a big problem on the island and the population is dying out. For yeats there have been efforts to repopulate the nation, but despite free land. and amazing climate, there haven't been any takers. and with that crazy commute, it hasn't developed a tourist industry either. Yeah, I don't care how nice the beaches are, two plane redes, a ferry, and a 30 hour ride. No thanks, you keep it no good.
2. VATICAN CITY
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VATICAN CITY |
Despite its name, Vatican City isn't a city at all. It's actually a walled in city state within Rome Italy, though it's only 0.17 square miles in size. in 320 AD, work began on Saint Peter's Basilica over Saint Peter's tomb. And a century later, a palace for the pope was built. But it wasn't until 1377 that the Vatican became the official residence for the pope. When it gained independence from Italy in 1929, all state power was given to the pope and it's been ruled as an absolute monarchy ever since. It's population is only about 1,000 people but most actually don't live there full time. There are no state taxes and the economy is run by the sale of stamps, tourist goods, and museum entrance fees. Oh, and of course, whatever's put in the collection basket on Sundays by the one Billion members of the Roman Catholic church around the world. And having one of the biggest and most impressive art collections in the world doesn't hurt the bank either.
1. SEALAND
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SEALAND |
Officially known as the principality of Sealand, Sealand is technically the smallest nation in the world. The micronation is located 12 miles off the coast of Suffolk England in the North sea on the HM Fort Roughs better known as Roughs Towers. The platform was built in 1943 by the British during World War Two and was used as an anti aircraft gun defensive. After the war, the towers which were in international waters were empty until Sealand was founded on September 2, 1967 when Paddy Roy Bates took them over to broadcast his pirate radio station Radio Essex. Though he never actually broadcast a thing. He claimed that Sealand was a sovereign state and that he was the prince. In the '60s and '70s, armed forces tried to take Sealand over but with no lcuk. Though it's not officially recognized as a country, it's been treated as one by both Britain and Germany in legal matters. In 2007, it was put up for sale and could be yours for the low, low price of $977 million. But hold up, is it that easy that you can just go into international waters and be like okay everyone, this cube, this square right here,