European microstates from Vatican City to Andorra

Six countries in Europe are so small that on some maps they show up as little more than a dot with a flag beside it. Put together, Vatican City, Monaco, San Marino, Liechtenstein, Malta and Andorra would not even fill the area of a mid-sized county. Yet each has its own government, its own passports and its own postage stamps. In a quiz they hold a firm place, precisely because they are so easy to forget.

Vatican City and Monaco: the two smallest

Vatican City, at around 0.44 square kilometres, is the smallest state in the world, smaller than many city parks. It was created in 1929 by the Lateran Treaty as the independent remnant of the former Papal States, and it is run as an elective monarchy with the Pope at its head. Rome surrounds it on every side, and it is guarded by the Swiss Guard in their striped uniforms.

Monaco, at just over two square kilometres, is the second-smallest country and at the same time the most densely populated on Earth. Around 38,000 people are packed onto a narrow strip of Mediterranean coast less than four kilometres long. The principality has been run by the Grimaldi family since the 13th century, and its best-known quarter, Monte Carlo, is famous for its casino and its Formula One race.

San Marino and Andorra: leftovers from the Middle Ages

San Marino sits entirely surrounded by Italy on the slopes of Monte Titano, whose three towers appear on its coat of arms. The country dates its founding to the year 301, which would make it the oldest surviving republic. According to legend, a stonemason named Marinus withdrew there and started a small community.

Andorra lies high in the Pyrenees between France and Spain. Its oddity is at the very top: two co-princes share the role of head of state, the President of France and the Bishop of Urgell on the Spanish side. The arrangement goes back to a treaty of 1278 and still holds today. Anyone who visits arrives by road, because the country has no airport of its own. It pays in euros, even though Andorra is not part of the EU.

Liechtenstein and Malta: the special cases

Liechtenstein, between Austria and Switzerland, is one of only two doubly landlocked countries in the world. To reach the sea from here you have to cross at least two borders. The principality of around 40,000 people uses the Swiss franc and forms a customs and monetary union with Switzerland, yet it is not a member of the EU.

Malta breaks the pattern, because it is not a mountain state or an inland one but a group of islands in the Mediterranean, south of Sicily. At 316 square kilometres it is the smallest EU member by both area and population. Its capital, Valletta, is also the smallest capital in the Union, and the country adopted the euro in 2008. Its language, Maltese, is the only Semitic language written in the Latin alphabet and the only Semitic official language of the EU.

The six at a glance

The span runs from under half a square kilometre to nearly five hundred:

• Vatican City: around 0.44 km2, the smallest state on Earth, independent since 1929.
• Monaco: just over 2 km2, the most densely populated, a Grimaldi principality.
• San Marino: around 61 km2, entirely surrounded by Italy, dating itself to the year 301.
• Liechtenstein: around 160 km2, doubly landlocked, pays in Swiss francs.
• Malta: 316 km2, an island state, the smallest EU member.
• Andorra: 468 km2, in the Pyrenees, led by two co-princes.

Why they still exist at all

Two hundred years ago Europe was a patchwork of hundreds of small territories. In the 19th century most of them merged into large nation states, with Italy and Germany each assembled from dozens of separate pieces. These six slipped through, because they were too remote, too minor or protected by old treaties. Today they do rather well out of being small, through tourism, financial services and stamps for collectors.

In a quiz, microstates are tricky, because their outlines are hard to make out and their flags are easy to mix up. In CountryRush they turn up regularly, so that Monaco and San Marino do not get lost. The Daily Trip slots them in among the big countries, where you least expect them.