There are over 230 countries in the world, with countries as big as entire a continent and others that are no larger than a city. In this article we will discuss six of the smallest countries in the world in terms of area.

Vatican City

The state of the Vatican City is a landlocked territory in the city of Rome. It is the world's smallest country spanning on an area of 0.44 square kilometres, and is also one of the least populated countries with a population of nearly 820 people. The Vatican is situated at the west of Tiber River, one of Italy's famous rivers and has a 3.2 kilometre long border with Italy. The city state is situated on a hill called the Vatican Hill also known as Mons Vaticanus in Latin.

Monaco

Monaco is the world's second smallest country with a total area of 1.95 square kilometres. It is situated on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It is located 18 kilometres east of Nice, France, and is surrounded by France from three sides. Monaco's highest point is Mont Agel, which is situated at the Monaco-France border having a height of 3,760 feet.

Nauru

With a land area of 21 square kilometres, Nauru is the world's third smallest country. It is located on one of the three small phosphate rock island nations situated in the South Pacific Ocean. The other two are Banaba and Makatea. The climate of Nauru is tropical whereas from November till February is the rainy season. Nauru is almost 0.1 times the size of Washington D.C. As the Earth's tectonic plates are continuously moving, therefore, Nauru is slowly moving to the north-west every year at a rate of 104mm.

Tuvalu

The fourth smallest country is Tuvalu, located in the Western Pacific Ocean between Australia and islands of Hawaii. an independent constitutional monarchy, It is a Polynesian island with an area of 26 square kilometres and has a population of around 12,000, which lives on Tuvalu's nine atolls,. The soil of Tuvalu is not suitable for agriculture. Tuvalu has tropical temperatures and also receives heavy rainfall. The Australian paper money and coins are in circulation around the islands and some Tuvaluan coins, most of 1976 vintage, are also in circulation.

San Marino

The official name of San Marino is The Most Serene Republic of San Marino, which is a landlocked area surrounded by Italy and located in the Apennine Mountains. Its area is nearly 60 square kilometres and is the world's fifth smallest country and has a population of nearly 30,000. Among all the 47 members of the Council of Europe, San Marino has the smallest population. The size of San Marino is nearly equal to that of Syracuse, a city in the US state of New York.

The whole area of San Marino is composed of mountainous region and only 17 per cent of land can be used for agriculture. Several rivers flow through the country, the largest being the Ausa, the Marano, and the San Marino River. It has a Mediterranean climate where winters are mild to cool and summers are warm and sunny.

Liechtenstein

The Principality of Liechtenstein in Western Europe is located in the European Alps. In the east it is bordered by Austria and in the west by Switzerland. With an area of nearly 160 square kilometres, Liechtenstein is the sixth smallest country. Its population is estimated to be 35,000 and is the world's smallest German speaking country. Liechtenstein is one of only two doubly landlocked countries in the world — that means being surrounded by other landlocked countries. The other is Uzbekistan. There are many farms and cultivated fields in the northern parts of Liechtenstein. Mount Vorder Grauspitz is the highest point in the country measuring 8,527 feet.