Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Kitts and Nevis is located in the Caribbean Sea and consists of two islands (Saint Kitts and Nevis). The islands are mostly of volcanic origin and the total area of this state is 261 km2. They gained independence from Great Britain in 1983 as a parliamentary monarchy. On his second voyage in 1493, Christopher Columbus landed on a larger island and named it, after the patron saint, Saint Christopher. He called the smaller island Nevis (Spanish: nieves = snow).
Marshall Islands
The Republic of the Marshall Islands is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean with a total area of 181 km2, consisting of 29 atolls and 5 isolated islands. This is a fairly new state since it gained independence only in 1986 when they seceded from the United States. Marshall Islands is one of the world’s best destinations for divers because of its beautiful underwater world and the remains of World War II ships.
Liechtenstein
The Principality of Liechtenstein is a small country in Central Europe, with no access to the sea. It borders Switzerland to the west and Austria to the east. Due to its mountainous terrain, it is one of the favorite winter destinations for tourists. Despite its small area of 160 km2, Liechtenstein is not very urbanized (such as the Principality of Monaco).
San Marino
It is the third smallest country in Europe. It has an area of 61 km2 and is completely surrounded by the territory of Italy. It is one of the oldest countries in the world and dates back to 301, when it was part of the Roman Empire. Before World War II it was one of the poorest countries in Europe, today San Marino lives off tourism and is one of the richest countries in the world.
Tuvalu
This island nation with a total area of 26 km2 is located in the Pacific Ocean south of Kiribati and north of Fiji. It consists of 9 coral islands in a row, and the highest altitude is 5 m, so due to rising sea levels, this country could disappear in 50 years. The biggest income of this state is renting their internet domain .tv
Nauru
The Republic of Nauru is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, it is the smallest non-European country and the smallest republic in the world. It covers an area of 21 km2 and has about 9300 inhabitants (2010). It is the only country in the world that does not have a capital.
Monaco
Monaco is the most densely populated country in the world and the second largest country in the world. It covers an area of 1.95 km2 and has approximately 35,000 inhabitants (2006), but many of them are interested in citizenship only because of the tax exemption. This small principality is located on a part of the Cote d’Azur near the city of Nice and has been independent since the 13th century. Since the constitution enacted in 1911, Monaco has been a parliamentary monarchy with a prince at the head of the state.
Vatican
It is the smallest country in the world with an area of 0.44 km2 and a population of about 800 inhabitants, none of whom is a permanent citizen. The Vatican is located within Rome, and was created in 1929 by the Lateran Treaty as the successor to the once powerful and great Papal State. The Vatican is an electoral monarchy headed by the Bishop of Rome - the Pope. The Vatican is the center of the Catholic Church and its head, the Pope, and has an independent administration, judiciary and foreign policy. It has the smallest and oldest army in the world, the Swiss Guard.
