Channel: Destination Tips

Category: Travel & Events

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Description: The benefits of visiting a small country are that all of its history, culture, and interesting sites are all concentrated in a smaller area so it doesn't take you very long to see all it has to offer. The drawback is that if you're planning on spending a couple of weeks there, you may get a little bored! 1. Sealand. I know, you're thinking, "Sealand? I've never heard of that country", that's because, although technically it is a country because it has a territory, a population, a government, and laws, no other country accepts that Sealand is a country. Sealand is an old WWII Naval fort about 12 km off the coast of England. In 1966 Paddy Roy Bates and his family took it over and spent £45,000 refurbishing the 550m2 fort and creating a 24-hour radio station. In 1967 Roy declared the Principality of Sealand and introduced Sealand's National flag. 2. Vatican City Vatican City has a population of just 825 people and an area of about half a square kilometer. It has its own government, its own laws, and even its own language, Latin is Vatican City's native tongue, as you'll probably notice if you ever try using an ATM when you're there. Interestingly enough, although the country is the epicenter of the Roman Catholic religion, thanks to pickpockets in St Peters Square, its crime rate is 20 times higher than its neighboring country, Italy. 3. Monaco. Situated on the French Riviera, Monaco has a population of around 40,000 people packed into an area of around 2 square kilometers, making it the world's densest populated country. Its ports, casino, palace, gardens, hotels, and urban Grand Prix circuit make it a must-go for the rich and famous and so in addition to being the most densely populated it is possibly also one of the most glamorous countries in the world. 4. Nauru. Nauru has a population of around 12,500 people in an area of about 21 square km although approximately 80% of the country is uninhabitable thanks to damages caused by Phosphate mining. It became independent from Australia in 1968 but it has accepted aid from them in exchange for hosting a controversial immigration detention facility. 5. Tuvalu. Tuvalu has a total area of 26 square kilometers that's about twice as big as Auckland International Airport. It's spread over three reef islands and 6 true atolls and has a population of a little under 12,000 and its highest elevation above sea level is just 4.6 meters. Tuvalu lies about halfway between Queensland and Hawaii and is so remote that it only receives around 2000 visitors a year making it an ideal place to visit if you really want to disconnect. 6. San Marino. Approximately 34,000 people in an area a bit over half the size of Disney World, San Marino has been independent since the year 301. Although it's not a member of the European union like its neighbor Italy, it does use the Euro as its currency. There are only 220 kilometers of road in the whole country and yet San Marino has the highest rate of car ownership in the world, it's the only country to have more vehicles than it does people. 7. Liechtenstein Liechtenstein is a little smaller than Washington DC and has about 5% of its population. This tiny country is landlocked between Switzerland and Austria. Thanks to its low corporate tax rates it has become a bit of a tax haven, attracting many companies and becoming one of the richest countries in the world. An interesting fact, it actually has more registered companies than it does citizens! 8. The Marshall Islands With is 182 square kilometers spread over 5 islands and 29 coral atolls, the Marshall Islands only became independent of the United States in 1990, making it one of the youngest countries in the world. Despite its youth and relative primitivity in 2018 it became the first country in the world to issue its own cryptocurrency "Sovereign" and to certify it as legal tender. 9. St Christopher and Nevis. This Caribbean nation is the smallest country in the western hemisphere in both population and area. It is thought that the islands were discovered by Christopher Columbus. St Christopher was named after the patron saint of travelers and Nevis is thought to have come from the Spanish for snow, Nieve, because of the snow-like cloud that forms at the top on Nevis Peak. Halfway between St Christopher and Nevis is an Island called Booby Island! but nobody knows how it got its name. 10. The Maldives. The Maldives consists of a whopping 1,192 coral islands stretching north to south over 870 km, despite this, it only has a total landmass area of 298 square kilometers which is about half the size of Chicago. Its highest natural point is just 2 meters above sea level. Get more Tips here! destinationtips.com