# Smallest country in the world? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 20, 2005, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-country-in-the-world/304717 "2005-05-20T07:08:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Najee\_online](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@Najee\_online](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Najee_online)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-country-in-the-world/304717/1 "2005-05-20T07:08:46Z")
hi dear friends! Which is the smallest Country in the World? ---
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-country-in-the-world/304717/2 "2005-05-20T07:12:22Z")
[The Vatican](http://www.vatican.va/phome_en.htm), I believe. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-country-in-the-world/304717/3 "2005-05-20T07:14:05Z")
It depends a bit on how one defines “country” but the generally accepted answer is [Vatican City.](http://geography.about.com/library/faq/blqzsmallestcountry.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-country-in-the-world/304717/4 "2005-05-20T11:39:58Z")
Doesn’t the Sovereign Military Order of Malta have dominion over one building somewhere? ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-country-in-the-world/304717/5 "2005-05-20T11:45:18Z")
And if you disqualify both of those as being not real countries, then next in line would apparently be [Monaco](http://geography.about.com/cs/countries/a/smallcountries.htm) Not that I don’t think the vatican is a real country of course. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-country-in-the-world/304717/6 "2005-05-20T13:04:46Z")
Didn’t some guy get an abandoned oil rig somewhere in the English Channel declared a country for purposes of baking and such? Wouldn’t that be smaller than Vatican City? ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-country-in-the-world/304717/7 "2005-05-20T13:10:10Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Didn’t some guy get an abandoned oil rig somewhere in the English Channel declared a country for purposes of baking and such? Wouldn’t that be smaller than Vatican City? I don’t think Sealand is recognized by any other sovereign nations, though. Just tax dodgers. ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-country-in-the-world/304717/8 "2005-05-20T15:03:52Z")
[Sealand](http://www.google.com/url?sa=U&start=1&q=http://www.sealandgov.com/&e=9707) ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-country-in-the-world/304717/9 "2005-05-20T20:47:14Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Didn’t some guy get an abandoned oil rig somewhere in the English Channel declared a country for purposes of baking and such? Tax-free scones, anyone? ---
**Author:** ![Scruloose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@Scruloose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scruloose)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-country-in-the-world/304717/10 "2005-05-20T21:05:00Z")
The smallest independent republic in the world is Nauru, according to the CIA World Fact Book: [http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/nr.html](http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/nr.html) Things are looking too well for the Nauruans right now. But if they get their offshore banking business up and running, and perhaps become a flag of convenience for international shipping, they could become a real player on the world stage. ---
**Author:** ![Chimark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e4f/32.png) [@Chimark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimark)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-country-in-the-world/304717/11 "2005-05-20T21:43:01Z")
Nauru is the smallest _ **repbulic** _. Vatican City or _The Holy See_ as the CIA factbook calls it, is the smallest _recognized_ independent country ---
**Author:** ![Chimark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e4f/32.png) [@Chimark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimark)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-country-in-the-world/304717/12 "2005-05-20T21:44:36Z")
Sorry hit post by accident. Nauru is a republic but Vatican City is ruled by the pope so it is not a republic. ---
**Author:** ![Scruloose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@Scruloose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scruloose)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-country-in-the-world/304717/13 "2005-05-20T21:54:57Z")
Yes, I know that the Vatican is smaller, and should have clarified. I recently learned of Nauru’s existence and thought I’d share for trivia’s sake. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-country-in-the-world/304717/14 "2005-05-20T22:31:07Z")
Then, of course, while bigger than the Vatican, there’s always the Duchy of Grand Fenwick. ---
**Author:** ![Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ba8739/32.png) [@Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Backwater_Under_Duck)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-country-in-the-world/304717/15 "2005-05-20T23:10:43Z")
[The Principality of Freedonia](http://rds.yahoo.com/S=2766679/K=FREEDONIA/v=2/SID=e/TID=F540_74/l=WS1/R=2/SS=12725826/IPC=us/SHE=0/H=3/SIG=11dc22fic/EXP=1116717009/*-http%3A//www.freedonia.org/) They’re so small, they only exist in their own minds. Not to be confused with the [Dictatorship of Freedonia](http://imdb.com/title/tt0023969/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxteD0yMHxsbT01MDB8dHQ9b258ZmI9dXxwbj0wfHE9ZHVjayBzb3VwfGh0bWw9MXxubT1vbg__;fc=1;ft=21;fm=1) ruled by one Rufus T. Firefly. ---
**Author:** ![jimpatro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b9e5f3/32.png) [@jimpatro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimpatro)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-country-in-the-world/304717/16 "2005-05-20T23:44:03Z")
**R.T.** , you out there? I remember when I first started collecting stamps, San Marino was the smallest country. Wonder where it stands now. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2005, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-country-in-the-world/304717/17 "2005-05-21T00:08:16Z")
At that level, you have to really define your terms. Nauru might qualify, as Vatican City is not entirely sovereign, by some definitions. ---
**Author:** ![feppytweed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/feppytweed/32/4280_2.png) [@feppytweed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/feppytweed)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2005, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-country-in-the-world/304717/18 "2005-05-21T01:31:55Z")
Petoria was, at one point, a small independant nation in New England… ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2005, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-country-in-the-world/304717/19 "2005-05-21T03:51:31Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > At that level, you have to really define your terms. > > Nauru might qualify, as Vatican City is not entirely sovereign, by some definitions. Monaco is smaller than Nauru, but it’s a monarchy not a republic. BTW Vatican City is also a monarchy. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2005, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-country-in-the-world/304717/20 "2005-05-21T03:59:37Z")
> [@Chimark](#): > > Nauru is the smallest _ **repbulic** _. Vatican City or _The Holy See_ as the CIA factbook calls it, is the smallest _recognized_ independent country The already mentionned Sovereign Order of Malta is recognized…well…as sovereign by a large number of countries (out of tradition for many of them, but surprinsingly enough, a significant number of countries that became independant after the decolonization recognized it too). As for it being a country, that’s debatable or even dubious. Though they issue a passport, if I’m not mistaken. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-country-in-the-world/304717.md?page=2)