10 smallest countries in the world

1. Grenada – 133 square miles. The population is more than 107,000 people. The country is known as the "Spice of the Caribbean" because it is one of the largest producers of nutmeg in the world, and residents say that this smell hangs over the entire island.

2. Malta – 122 square miles. The population is more than 419,500 people, which makes it one of the most densely populated countries in Europe. The Republic of Malta consists of three separate parts: Gozo, Comino and Malta itself. In Malta, there is Calypso Cave, which overlooks Sandy Beach and Ramla Bay. In Homer's "Odyssey" this cave appears as the place where Calypso kept Odysseus locked up as a "prisoner of love" for seven years. She guaranteed him immortality if he stayed with her, but he fled to his wife Penelope.

3. Maldives – 116 square miles. It is an archipelago of 1,192 coral islands grouped into 26 coral atolls, 200 of which are inhabited, making the Maldives the most sparsely populated country in the world. The Maldives gained independence in 1965 and as of January 2016 had a population of just under 367,000.

4. St. Kitts and Nevis – 101 square miles. It is a country consisting of two islands in the eastern Caribbean with a population of 55,000. The place is very secluded, which is why it is loved. The citizenship of this state has many famous billionaires. Alexander Hamilton, one of the founding fathers of the United States, was also born here.

5. Liechtenstein – 62 square miles. An incredibly interesting country with a population of 37,000 people. Located between Switzerland and Austria, it is very safe – the last murder was in 1997! There was a funny incident recently. In March 2007, the country was accidentally invaded by the Swiss army. Then 170 armed soldiers went 1 mile across an unmarked border, just lost.

6. San Marino – 23.5 square miles. Claims to be the oldest surviving sovereign state. The population is about 32,000 people, so the country is densely populated.

7. Tuvalu – 10 square miles. It used to be called "Ellis Island". It is located not far to the northeast of Australia. There is only one hospital in the state, and the population is slightly less than 10,000, which is 384 people per square meter. km! The island is low-lying, the highest point is only 5 meters above sea level. It is a rather isolated place: in 2010, only 2,000 people visited it, of which 65% were on business. There is a very interesting system of underwater caves discovered in 1986. It is believed that many thousands of years ago the island was much higher above sea level and these caves were inhabited.

8. Nauru – 8 square miles. It is an island to the east of Australia, the smallest island country with a population of about 10,200 people. The country, although extremely beautiful, has a real problem with unemployment. Only 10% of residents work, and all for the government. The island also has a serious obesity problem and is often referred to as the island nation of fat people. Here, 97% of men and 93% of women are overweight. For this reason, type 2 diabetes is very common in Nauru, with 40% of people suffering from it.

9. Monaco – 0.75 square miles. It is a very rich country that hosts the Grand Prix and many other events. Monaco's Louis II stadium can accommodate more than half of the country's population, which is about 37,500 people!

10. Vatican City – 0.17 square miles. The Vatican is home to the Pope and many other religious figures. The population is only 800 people, of which only 450 have actual citizenship. The Vatican's sovereignty was recognized by the Italian government under the Lateran Treaty on February 11, 1929. The Vatican prints its own stamps, issues passports and license plates, mints euros and has its own flag and anthem. There is no taxation in the country. The physical protection of the Vatican is provided by the Swiss Guard.