(ORDO NEWS) — True, this is something to compare with: the Vatican and Monaco combined are even less. 45 newspapers are printed in the city of Omsk, and two in the state of Tuvalu.
1- Malta – 316 km²
The tiny island nation in the Mediterranean is the largest of those listed here. The Maltese archipelago unites seven islands, but only two of them are inhabited, but densely populated. In a 15-minute walk along the Maltese embankment, you can visit three cities.
2- Maldives – 298 km²
This island state in the Indian Ocean has entered the Guinness Book of Records as the flattest state. The highest point in the Maldives is located on the island of Vilingili, its height is less than the height of the ceilings in a typical “Khrushchev” – 2.4 meters.
The Maldives are 1,190 small coral islands, of which only 200 are inhabited. According to local laws, the height of buildings cannot exceed the highest palm tree on the island, and the building spot should not be more than ⅕ of the area of the entire island.
The Maldives is an Islamic country, locals are prohibited from selling and buying alcohol, as well as getting dogs.
3- Saint Kitts and Nevis – 261 km²
In terms of area, this state, consisting of a couple of islands, is comparable to Tagil, but the population of Saint Kitts and Nevis is seven times smaller than the “city of factories” – almost 50,000 people. Once a referendum was held on the issue of secession of the younger island of Nevis from the country and the formation of an independent state on it.
“For” voted 62% of voters – only 4% less than required for exit. To stimulate the economy of the state, the authorities are actively trading in citizenship, which Pavel Durov took advantage of in 2014. The founder of VKontakte invested $250,000 in the country’s industry.
Another citizenship can be obtained for the purchase of real estate, but do not rush to get the stash. Saint Kitts and Nevis has a high crime rate, both in comparison with the Caribbean region and against the background of all of Latin America as a whole.
4- Republic of the Marshall Islands – 181 km²
On one of the atolls of the Ralik chain, which is part of the Marshall Islands, in 1946 the United States conducted the first nuclear tests.
Four days later, fashion designer Louis Reard presented to the public a model of a swimsuit, which he named after this atoll – bikini. In total, in 12 years, the Americans carried out 67 nuclear explosions on the Bikini and Eniwetok atolls.
This has greatly affected the health of the inhabitants of the Marshall Islands: many citizens of the republic suffer from cancer, thyroid disease and various tumors caused by radiation. In total, there are two hospitals in the country (one has 97 beds, the second – 43) and a dozen airports, although only four of them have a hard-surfaced runway.
5- Principality of Liechtenstein – 157km²
Unlike the subsidized countries of the microstates of Oceania, Liechtenstein is able to take care of itself. It is a prosperous industrial country with a high standard of living: in 2009, GDP per capita was a record $139,000 – 1st in the world.
There is a police force in Liechtenstein, which has 120 employees – a little more than in one of the duty parts of the city of Lyubertsy. And more is not required: the crime rate in the principality tends to zero.
And keep in mind, if you suddenly go to jail in Liechtenstein, then food will be brought to you from the nearest restaurant – the prison authorities do not consider it appropriate to maintain a catering unit.
This is a very small but proud country: the principality is neither a member of the European Union nor NATO, and during the Second World War it remained neutral.
6- San Marino – 61 km²
The oldest state in Europe was founded as early as 301 AD. The country is located on the southwestern slope of the three-headed mountain range Monte Titano (738 m above sea level), rising above the hilly plain of the foothills of the Apennines.
Rocky massifs occupy almost 80% of the country’s territory, arable land accounts for 16.6% of the area. San Marino, like Liechtenstein, is not a member of either NATO or the EU, and during the Second World War, although it remained neutral, it actively cooperated with the Italian fascists.
The country uses the euro and is allowed to mint its own coins. The heads of state are two captains regent, who are elected for six months: from April 1 to October 1 and from October 1 to April 1 annually.
7- Tuvalu – 26 km²
The Polynesian state of Tuvalu is a cluster of atolls and islands located in the Pacific Ocean just south of the equator.
For the future of the country, global warming poses a great threat, including the associated rise in the level of the World Ocean, as a result of which low-lying islands no higher than 5 meters may be under water. There are no railways in Tuvalu, but there are schools: one elementary and one higher.
In 1978, the country gained independence from Great Britain, but Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is considered the head of state in Tuvalu. Due to the small area, low altitude and porosity of soils, there are no rivers on the islands of Tuvalu. Instead, water percolates through the ground to form a lens of slightly brackish water.
8- Republic of Nauru – 21 km²
The smallest island state in the world, in the 1980s it was also almost the richest. Nauru had huge reserves of phosphorites, their active mining was carried out on the island.
At that time, the value of phosphorite exports was four times the amount of imports, and Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the United Kingdom were the main foreign trade partners. But that’s all in the past. About 90% of the forest that covered the island’s plateau has been destroyed due to mining.
No land reclamation measures were taken, and up to 80% of Nauru’s landmass turned into a desert. Today, the country is a record holder, but in completely different categories: the highest unemployment (80% of the population) and the highest level of obesity (95% of the population are overweight). The country has no capital and public transport.
9- Principality of Monaco – 2.02 km²
From January 1, 2019, the minimum wage in Monaco is 1,695.07 euros per month. This is almost 150,000 rubles at the current exchange rate. In Russia, the minimum wage is 12,130 rubles. There is no income tax in Monaco.
Apparently for these reasons, the average life expectancy in the country, according to 2015 data, is 89.63 years. The number of the National Orchestra of Monaco is 85 people, and the composition of the regular army is three people less.
In the capital of Monaco of the same name, the famous “Oceanographic Museum of Monaco” is located, the director of which was the same explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau. The population density of the country, which is slightly larger than the capital’s Gorky Park, is 18,679 people per square kilometer – the first place in the world.
10- Vatican – 0.44 km²
The Vatican is 440,000 square meters. The Vatican has its own and the world’s shortest railway, but there is not a single maternity hospital, and therefore the birth rate in the country is zero. The Italian Embassy in the Vatican is located in Italy itself.
The Vatican conducts astronomical research using a state-of-the-art telescope that sits atop Mount Graham in southeastern Arizona, USA. In 2011, a census was held in the Vatican.
The number of people with citizenship of the dwarf country was 594. These are 71 cardinals, 109 members of the guard, 51 clergy and one nun within the walls of the Vatican.
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