The Smallest Countries in the World 🌍🤏

Added: 2026-05-29

[00:00:00]When people think about countries, they usually imagine massive nations like Russia, Canada, or United States.

[00:00:07]But some countries are so tiny, they're smaller than major cities.

[00:00:12]And the smallest country on Earth?

[00:00:14]It's actually smaller than New York City's Central Park.

[00:00:18]Welcome to the fascinating world of microstates.

[00:00:22]The smallest country in the world [music] is Vatican City.

[00:00:25]Located inside Italy, Vatican City covers only about 0.2 square miles, nearly 120 times smaller than Manhattan.

[00:00:35]Despite its size, it functions as an [music] independent country with its own government, stamps, coins, and even a small security force known as the Swiss Guard.

[00:00:45]Vatican City became officially independent in 1929 after the Lateran Treaty was signed between Pope Pius the XI and Italian leader Benito Mussolini.

[00:00:56]Today, most of its citizens are members of the clergy, and it serves as the spiritual headquarters of the Catholic [music] Church.

[00:01:04]But Vatican City is only the smallest by land size.

[00:01:08]If we measure by population, the title goes to the remote Pitcairn Islands in [music] the Pacific Ocean.

[00:01:15]This British territory has a population that sometimes drops below 50 people.

[00:01:20]The islands are famous [music] for being settled by the mutineers of the HMS Bounty and their Tahitian companions in [music] the late 1700s.

[00:01:29]Even today, Pitcairn remains one of the most isolated [music] places on Earth.

[00:01:34]Other tiny countries include Monaco, famous for luxury and Formula 1 [music] racing, San Marino, one of the world's oldest republics, and Liechtenstein, a wealthy Alpine [music] nation between Switzerland and Austria.

[00:01:48]Many of these small countries survive by specializing in banking, tourism, shipping, or financial services.

[00:01:55]Some don't even maintain militaries, relying instead on agreements with neighboring nations.

[00:02:01]And while they may be tiny on the map, [music] their global influence can be enormous.

[00:02:06]From ancient religious power to financial wealth and unique history, these miniature nations prove that size isn't everything.

[00:02:15]Because in a world of giant empires and superpowers, sometimes the smallest countries leave the biggest mark.

[00:02:22]For more fascinating history and geography [music] videos, subscribe now.