Size is relative, but when we talk about what is world's smallest country, the answer is pretty much set in stone. It’s Vatican City. You’ve probably heard that before. But honestly, most people don't realize just how tiny it actually is until they're standing in the middle of it. We are talking about 0.17 square miles. That's it. To put that into perspective, you could fit about 120 Vatican Cities inside the island of Manhattan. It's basically a neighborhood with its own flag, its own post office, and a guy in a white robe who runs the whole show.
Most people assume a "country" needs a vast landscape, or at least a few zip codes. Vatican City flips that. It’s an enclave entirely surrounded by Rome, Italy. You walk across a white line on the ground at St. Peter's Square and suddenly, you're in a different sovereign state. No passport check. No guards asking for your "reason for visit." Just a subtle shift in the law of the land.
It's weird. It’s fascinating. And it’s legally one of the most unique places on the planet.
Is Vatican City Really a "Real" Country?
When you ask what is world's smallest country, you have to define what a country even is. If you go by the Montevideo Convention of 1933, a state needs a permanent population, a defined territory, a government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other states. The Vatican hits all those marks, though it does so in a very "Vatican" way.
The population is tiny. We’re talking roughly 800 people. But here’s the kicker: nobody is born a citizen of Vatican City. You can't just happen to be born there and get a passport. Citizenship is granted jus officii, which is just a fancy way of saying it's based on your job. If you work for the Holy See in a high-level capacity, you get the passport. If you quit or retire, the passport goes away. It’s probably the only country in the world where you can lose your citizenship just by changing your career path.
The government is an absolute monarchy. That feels like something out of a history book, right? But the Pope holds full legislative, executive, and judicial power. It’s the last absolute monarchy in Europe. While the rest of the continent moved toward parliaments and prime ministers, the Vatican stayed rooted in a system that dates back centuries.
The 1929 Deal That Created a Microstate
Vatican City wasn't always this small. In fact, for a long time, it wasn't a separate country at all. For about a thousand years, the "Papal States" covered a huge chunk of central Italy. They had armies. They fought wars. They collected taxes. Then, in the mid-19th century, the movement for Italian unification kicked off. The newly formed Kingdom of Italy seized the Papal lands, and for about 60 years, the Popes lived in a weird kind of limbo. They called themselves "prisoners in the Vatican," refusing to recognize the Italian government.
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Everything changed in 1929 with the Lateran Pacts.
Benito Mussolini, who was leading Italy at the time, wanted to settle the "Roman Question" once and for all. He signed a deal with Cardinal Pietro Gasparri. Italy recognized Vatican City as a sovereign state, and in return, the Church recognized the Kingdom of Italy and stayed neutral in international politics. This wasn't just a handshake; it was a legal birth certificate for what is world's smallest country.
Life Inside the Walls
Living in the world's smallest country is nothing like living in London or New York. There are no grocery stores in the way you’re thinking. There are no movie theaters. If a resident wants to see the latest blockbuster, they walk across the street into Italy.
The "economy" is equally strange. There are no taxes. No income tax, no VAT. The country makes its money through museum entrance fees, the sale of postage stamps (which are highly prized by collectors), and "Peter’s Pence" (donations from Catholics worldwide). They even have their own pharmacy, which is surprisingly popular with Romans because it stocks medicines that aren't always available in Italy.
And let’s talk about the Swiss Guard. You’ve seen them—the guys in the bright blue, red, and orange striped uniforms looking like they stepped out of the Renaissance. Don’t let the halberds fool you. These guys are highly trained soldiers. They carry modern firearms under those tunics. To join, you have to be a Swiss citizen, a Catholic, a male, single, and between 19 and 30 years old. It’s one of the most exclusive "armies" on earth.
The "Other" Smallest Countries (The Runners Up)
If we're being thorough about what is world's smallest country, we should mention the others that almost take the title. Because while the Vatican is the clear winner, there are a few others that make it look big.
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Monaco is the second smallest. It’s about 0.78 square miles. Unlike the Vatican, Monaco is packed. It has the highest population density in the world. It’s where the super-rich go to park their yachts and avoid taxes. If the Vatican is a church that became a country, Monaco is a casino that became a country.
Then you have Nauru. It’s an island nation in Micronesia, covering about 8 square miles. It’s the smallest island nation and the smallest republic. Nauru is fascinating because it doesn't have an official capital. It just has a main district where the government buildings are.
Tuvalu and San Marino also sit high on the list. San Marino is actually the world's oldest republic, founded in the year 301. It’s another enclave inside Italy, but it’s much larger than the Vatican, sitting on top of a mountain with a population of over 30,000.
Misconceptions and Legal Quirks
There's a lot of confusion about the difference between the "Holy See" and "Vatican City." They aren't technically the same thing.
Think of the Holy See as the "soul" or the legal entity that represents the Catholic Church on the global stage. It has "non-member observer state" status at the United Nations. Vatican City is the "body"—the physical territory where that entity resides. When the Pope signs a treaty, he’s usually doing it on behalf of the Holy See, not just the tiny patch of land.
Also, people often ask: does the Vatican have a jail? Yes. It does. But it’s rarely used. If someone commits a major crime in the Vatican (like the guy who tried to shoot Pope John Paul II), they are usually turned over to the Italian authorities to serve their time in an Italian prison, with the Vatican picking up the tab for the costs. It’s a pragmatic solution for a country that doesn't have the space for a massive penitentiary system.
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The Logistics of Visiting
If you're planning to visit what is world's smallest country, you don't need a visa. You just walk in. However, you are limited to the public areas: St. Peter's Square, the Basilica, and the Vatican Museums. The rest of the country—the gardens, the residential areas, the administrative offices—is behind walls and guarded by the Swiss Guard and the Gendarmerie.
- The Museums: This is one of the largest art collections in the world. If you spent one minute looking at every piece of art, it would take you four years to see it all.
- The Post Office: People love sending postcards from here because the Vatican post is notoriously faster and more reliable than the Italian postal service.
- The Dress Code: They are strict. No bare shoulders, no short skirts, no hats inside the Basilica. They will turn you away, and no, your "influencer" status won't help.
Why This Matters for the Future
You might think a country this small is just a relic of the past, a tourist curiosity. But the Vatican wields massive "soft power." Because it is a sovereign state, it can participate in international climate summits, peace negotiations, and diplomatic missions. It has a seat at the table that no other religious organization has.
In a world where borders are constantly shifting, the tiny 0.17 square miles of the Vatican remains remarkably stable. It is a reminder that sovereignty isn't always about land mass or military might. Sometimes, it’s about history, diplomacy, and a very specific 1929 legal document.
How to Experience the Vatican Like a Pro
If you actually want to understand the scale of what is world's smallest country, don't just stay in the square.
- Book the Scavi Tour: This takes you underneath St. Peter’s Basilica to the ancient necropolis. You have to book months in advance via email. It’s the only way to see the literal foundations of the country.
- Climb the Cupola: Take the stairs to the top of the dome. The view of the Vatican Gardens (which take up more than half the country) gives you a better sense of the layout than any map.
- Visit Early: The crowds at 10:00 AM are a nightmare. If you get to the square at 7:00 AM, you can experience the silence of the smallest country before the world wakes up.
While the answer to what is world's smallest country is a simple one-word answer, the reality of the place is a complex mix of ancient tradition and modern legal status. It’s a country that functions without a birth rate, an army with 16th-century uniforms, and a monarch who is also a global religious leader. It shouldn't work on paper, but it has survived for nearly a century in its current form, and much longer in its spiritual one.
To get the most out of a visit, focus on the Vatican Museums on a Tuesday or Wednesday to avoid the heaviest weekend foot traffic. Always pre-book your tickets through the official Musei Vaticani website to avoid the massive markups from third-party resellers. If you want to see the Pope, he usually holds General Audiences on Wednesday mornings in St. Peter's Square (or the Paul VI Audience Hall in winter), but you'll need to secure free tickets from the Prefecture of the Papal Household ahead of time.