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list of the smallest countries by area
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St. Peter's Basilica with its large dome rises above surrounding buildings in Vatican City, viewed from the rooftop of Castel Sant'Angelo in Rome, Italy. Interactive treemap ranking the smallest countries and dependencies by area in square kilometers, from Vatican City at 0.44 to Sao Tome and Principe at 387. Map of southern Europe highlighting Italy and surrounding countries, with a red star marking the location of Vatican City within Rome as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The map shows major seas, neighboring nations, and provides geographic context for Vatican City's position in central Italy. Map of Western Europe highlighting the location of Monaco on the northern Mediterranean coast, bordered by France and near Italy, with surrounding countries and major islands labeled for context. Map of the central Pacific Ocean highlighting the location of Naoero, with nearby countries and islands labeled, including Papua New Guinea, Australia, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji, Tuvalu, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia. Nauru is marked with a square and its capital, Yaren, is indicated. Map of the central Pacific Ocean highlighting Tuvalu with a bold outline. Neighboring countries and territories such as Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Australia, and New Zealand are labeled, along with smaller territories including Tokelau, Wallis and Futuna, and American Samoa. The capital, Vaiaku, is marked within Tuvalu. Map showing the location of San Marino in southern Europe, surrounded by Italy and near the Adriatic Sea, with neighboring countries such as France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Albania labeled. Major surrounding bodies of water include the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. Map of central Europe highlighting the location of Liechtenstein, a small country bordered by Switzerland and Austria, with its capital Vaduz marked. Surrounding countries including Germany, France, Belgium, Czech Republic, Italy, and Slovenia are also labeled. Map showing the location of the Marshall Islands in the central Pacific Ocean, outlined in orange, with nearby countries and territories labeled, including the Federated States of Micronesia, Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Nauru, Kiribati, Tuvalu, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, and Australia. The capital, Majuro, is marked within the Marshall Islands. Map showing the location of Saint Kitts and Nevis in the eastern Caribbean Sea, east of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, with its capital Basseterre labeled. Surrounding countries and islands, including Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, Venezuela, and the United States, are also indicated for regional context.
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St. Peter's Basilica with its large dome rises above surrounding buildings in Vatican City, viewed from the rooftop of Castel Sant'Angelo in Rome, Italy.
What's the smallest country in the world? Vatican City, which has an area of just 0.17 square mile (0.44 square km).

list of the smallest countries by area

Written by
Amy Tikkanen
Amy Tikkanen is Managing Editor at Encyclopaedia Britannica.
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Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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How small is small? For some of the world’s countries, the answer is very, very small, even teeny tiny. Vatican City holds the title as the world’s smallest country, with an area of just 0.17 square mile (0.44 square km). As a point of comparison, the largest country in the world, Russia, is almost 39 million times bigger. Close behind Vatican City is Monaco, measuring 0.8 square mile (2.1 square km). Ten times larger is Naoero, which is next on the list. What are some of the other smallest countries? Find out in our list below.

rank country total square miles total square km
1 Vatican City 0.17 0.44
2 Monaco 0.8 2.1
3 Naoero 8 21
4 Tuvalu 10 25
5 San Marino 24 61
6 Liechtenstein 62 160
7 Marshall Islands 70 181
8 Saint Kitts and Nevis 101 262
9 Maldives 115 298
10 Malta 122 315
11 Grenada 133 344
12 Saint Vincent and Grenadines 150 388
13 Barbados 167 432
14 Antigua and Barbuda 171 442
15 Seychelles 172 446
16 Andorra 181 468
17 Palau 188 488
18 Saint Lucia 242 626
19 Tonga 251 650
20 Micronesia 271 701
21 Singapore 284 736
22 Dominica 290 751
23 Bahrain 304 787
24 Kiribati 313 811
25 Sao Tome and Principe 387 1,001
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World Data Editors Amy Tikkanen