Top 3 Smallest Countries

When deciding where to go or what to do, it is not uncommon to hear Singaporeans say, “What to do? Where now? Singapore so small. Nothing to do!” (mind the Singlish). But do you know that we are in fact 1574 times bigger than the smallest country in the world?

Wow.

Before we begin, here is Singapore statistics:

Singapore size: 692.7 sq km
Population: 4,608,167
Pop per sq km: approx 6652.5

Now here is the World’s top 3 smallest countries:

3. Nauru

Nauru size: 21 sq km (32 times smaller than Singapore)
Population: 13,770
Pop per sq km: approx 655.7

Location: Nauru is an island in the South Pacific Ocean, south of the Marshall Islands. (South east of Australia)

History in a nutshell: Formerly known as Pleasant Island. During the British and Germany expansion in the 19th century, Nauru fell under the German’s rule. But after WWI, Britain seized control of the island. Nauru gained its independence in 1968. Nauru does have their own national airline.

Things to do: Fishing, swimming and scuba dive.

2. Monaco

Monaco size: 1.95 sq km (355 times smaller than Singapore)
Population: 32,796
Pop per sq km: approx 16818.5

Location: Monaco is on the southern coast of France.

History in a nutshell: In 1297, Francois Grimaldi disguised as a monk and seized Monaco in the name of the Pope. In 1861, in exchange for independence and cash, Prince Charles III sold half of Monaco. After realising that the portion that he sold was the portion that held most of Monaco’s natural resources, Prince Charles decided to reestablish the economy by introducing tourism and gambling.

Things to do: Casinos, Monaco Grand Prix

3. Vatican City

Vatican size: 0.44 sq km (1574 times smaller than Singapore)
Population: 824
Pop per sq km: -

Location: Vatican city is located in Rome, Italy.

Interesting facts: Economy is supported by the contributions of Catholics worldwide, sale of postal stamps, publications. Citizenship is awarded to people who are allocated work in the city and their spouses and their children (till they are 25 or for girls if they get married). Citizenship is revoked upon the termination of work.

Things to do: Tourism.

Sources: CIA factbook, Nauru tourism official site, Monaco tourism official site, Wikipedia, Neotarama, About.com Geography. Picture sources: Answers.com, Traveljournals.net, Wikipedia.