Teeny Tiny Countries!

It's well established that many US states are larger than some independent countries. But did you know that there are some really teeny tiny countries? Below is a list of the world's ten smallest independent countries (from smallest to largest). They each contain less than 125 square miles in land area. If we combined the land area of these 10 countries, we would have a country approximately one quarter the size of the state Rhode Island!

Vatican City (0.2 square miles): At one-eighth the size of New York's Central Park, Vatican City is the world's smallest state and has a population of 842. Only 450 residents actually have Vatican citizenship, while the rest have permission to reside there, either temporarily or permanently, without the benefit of citizenship. About half of the Vatican’s citizens do not live inside Vatican City at all. Because of their occupations (mostly as diplomatic personnel), they live in different countries around the world. In 1929, Benito Mussolini signed the Lateran Pacts, which allowed the Vatican to exist as its own sovereign state and compensated the church $92 million for the Papal States. Also known as the Holy See, Vatican City is plunked down right the in heart of Rome, Italy. The Pope is an elected non-hereditary monarch and has complete judicial, executive and legislative control over the Vatican State - which means, at present, he is the only absolute monarch in Europe.  Interesting fact: The Vatican museums are over 9 miles long, and it is said that if you spent only 1 minute admiring each painting it would take you 4 years to complete the circuit!

Monaco (0.7 square miles): The tiny state of Monaco lies along the French Riviera on the French Mediterranean coast near Nice. An impressive 32,000 people live in this state known for its Monte Carlo casinos and Princess Grace; although only 6,000 inhabitants actually have a Monégasque passport (roughly 19 percent of the whole population). The remaining 81 percent of the population are French, Italian, and 125 other nationalities living in Monaco. It has been independent off-and-on since the 13th century.  Known as Europe’s tax haven, each and every individual citizen of Monaco has enjoyed a tax-free lifestyle since the 1870s. For decades, Monaco lived solely off of its casinos. At present, Monaco’s current efforts to diversify its economy has made tourism its number one source of income and casino profits has shrunk to a mere five percent. Fun fact: Citizens of Monaco are not allowed to gamble, nor even visit the casinos.

Nauru (8.5 square miles): Formerly known as Pleasant Island, Nauru is an island country in Micronesia in the South Pacific. With 9,378 residents, Nauru is the smallest nation in the South Pacific and 2nd smallest nation by population on the planet, behind Vatican City. Nauru is a phosphate rock island with rich deposits near the surface, which allow for easy strip mining operations. As of 2011, these phosphate resources are no longer economically viable for extraction, due to over mining. Nauru boasted the highest per-capita income enjoyed by any sovereign state in the world during the late 1960s and early 1970s. When the phosphate reserves were exhausted, and the environment had been seriously harmed by mining, the trust that had been established to manage the island's wealth diminished in value. To earn income, Nauru briefly became a tax haven and illegal money laundering center. Fun fact: It is widely believed that the country’s phosphate deposits actually originated from the droppings of sea birds.

Tuvalu (9 square miles): Tuvalu comprises three reef islands and six true atolls spread over a 360 mile chain in Polynesia. The name Tuvalu comes from the Tulavuan phrase meaning “eight standing together”, representing the eight inhabited islands. Formerly known as Ellice Islands, Tuvalu is home to 10,837 residents. Additionally, Tuvalu has the distinction of being one of the smallest economies in the world. This is because the coral atolls on which its people are populated have extremely poor soils. Therefore, the country has no known mineral exports and it is largely unable to produce agricultural exports, making it dependent on imported goods.  Interesting fact: Due to the country's remoteness, tourism is not significant. Visitors totalled 1,684 in 2010, 65% were on business, development officials, or technical consultants, 20% were tourists (360 people), and 11% were expatriates returning to visit family.

San Marino (24 square miles): Located on Mt. Titano in north central Italy, San Marino has approximately 32,000 residents. The country claims to be the oldest state in Europe. According to tradition, it was founded by a Christian stonemason named Marinus in A.D. 301. The country's economy mainly relies on finance, industry, services and tourism. It is one of the wealthiest countries in the world in terms of GDP (per capita), with a figure comparable to the most developed European regions. San Marino is considered to have a highly stable economy, with one of the lowest unemployment rates in Europe, no national debt and a budget surplus. Wonder if they need any English teachers?! Interesting fact: San Marino doesn't really have a military. The military they do have (one of the smallest in the world) is largely ceremonial, and basically stands guard in pretty uniforms in front of government buildings, or at the opening of whatever the Sammarinese equivalent of a Walmart is.

Liechtenstein (62 square miles): This microstate of 35,000 is located on the Rhine River between Switzerland and Austria in the Alps. Along with Uzbekistan, Liechtenstein is one of only two doubly landlocked countries in the world. Liechtenstein is the smallest yet the richest (by measure of GDP per capita) German-speaking country and the only country to lie entirely within the Alps. Not only is it the smallest German-speaking country on the planet, but it is the only German-speaking nation that doesn’t share a border with Germany. Weird facts: Liechtenstein is the largest producer of sausage casings, potassium storage units and false teeth in the world. Liechtenstein is the last survivor of the 343 states that once made up the Holy Roman Empire of German Nations. The national anthem is sung to the same tune as 'God Save the Queen'.

Marshall Islands (70 square miles): An island country located in the northern Pacific Ocean, the Marshall Islands is part of the larger island group of Micronesia, with the population of 68,480 people spread out over 24 low-lying coral atolls, comprising 1,156 individual islands and islets. The history of the Marshall Islands can be traced as far back as the 2nd millennium BC, when its occupants were known as sea travelers. The average height of the islands is only 7 feet above sea level and the only indigenous land mammal in the Marshall Islands is the Polynesian rat. In October 2011, the government of the Marshall Islands declared that an area covering nearly 772,000 sq miles of ocean shall be reserved as a shark sanctuary. This is the world's largest shark sanctuary, extending the worldwide ocean area in which sharks are protected from 1,042,000 to 1,776,000 sq miles. In protected waters all shark fishing is banned and all by-catch must be released. However, the ability of the Marshall Islands to enforce this zone has been questioned. Weird fact: Elugelab, a Marshallese island, no longer exists – it was blown up by the US Armed Forces in 1952 during a hydrogen bomb test.

Saint Kitts and Nevis (104 square miles): This Caribbean country of 51,134 is located in the Leeward Islands and is a federal two-island country in the West Indies. It is the smallest sovereign state in the Americas, in both area and population. Saint Kitts and Nevis were among the first islands in the Caribbean to be settled by Europeans. Saint Kitts was home to the first English and French colonies in the Caribbean, and thus has also been titled "The Mother Colony of the West Indies". Nevis is the smaller island of the two. Fun fact: The water on St. Kitts and Nevis is so good that in the 1970s, Baron de Rothschild's chemists selected St. Kitts as their only site in the Caribbean to distill and produce CSR (Cane Sugar Rothschild), a pure sugar-cane liqueur. In the 1700s, Lord Nelson regularly brought his fleet to Nevis just to collect water, and Nevis still boasts of having Nelson spring water

Seychelles (107 square miles): The 84,000 residents of this 155-island group located in the Indian Ocean have been independent of the United Kingdom since 1976. Almost half of the limited landmass in the country is occupied by national parks and reserves, which is in support of the government’s various environment and ecosystems protection and conservation policies. Seychelles is the right place to visit if you want to see unique regional species, which include the paradise flycatcher, the warbler, the jelly fish tree, and the female Coco de Mer, which is the world’s heaviest nut. The country is home to the heaviest land tortoise that is living in the wild. Named Esmeralda, the animal weighs 670 pounds and can be found on the Bird Island. Cool fact: Pirates used to seek the islands of Seychelles as a hideout. It is believed that Olivier Le Vasseur, an infamous pirate, had a treasure worth 100,000 euros (today's value $160,000,000) that to this day remains hidden somewhere on the Seychelles. Anyone want to join me on a treasure hunt?

Of these 10 very cool and unique tiny countries, I have visited exactly one - Vatican City, but I would sincerely love to see all of the others. Which one interests you the most?