The smallest countries in the world

Everyone knows the big countries. The small ones are the real traps, barely a dot on the map and yet they still show up in the quiz. Here is the ranking from the bottom.

The top 5 tiniest

• Vatican City is the smallest state in the world at about 0.49 square kilometres, smaller than many city parks, and also the seat of the Pope.
• Monaco follows at roughly 2 square kilometres, more densely populated than any other country on Earth.
• Nauru, about 21 square kilometres, is the smallest island nation and one of the few countries with no official capital at all. The seat of government is the district of Yaren.
• Tuvalu, around 26 square kilometres, partly funds itself through its internet domain .tv.
• San Marino, about 61 square kilometres, is considered the oldest surviving republic in the world, founded by tradition in the year 301.

Just behind

Next come Liechtenstein, the Marshall Islands, Saint Kitts and Nevis, the Maldives and Malta. A pattern stands out: many of the smallest are either Pacific island states or old European micro-states that held their ground between bigger neighbours for centuries.

Why they are so mean in a quiz

Two reasons. First the outlines: a micro-state is invisible at world zoom, so the shape gives you nothing. Second the flags, which often resemble one another. That is exactly where the traps sit. A useful anchor: the European dwarves cluster around the Alps and Italy, the Pacific ones lie scattered east of Australia.

In CountryRush the small ones come up just like the big ones. Nail Vatican City, Nauru and San Marino and you collect points where others fail.