1. One for more than a dozen

2. Land and water

3. For adrenalin rush

4. High in many ways

5. The smaller the better

6. A country in a city

7. Once poor, now rich

8. Not rich any more

A. Another tiny European country is Liechtenstein, which is quite large compared to Monaco. It covers 160 square kilometers. It borders Switzerland and Austria, and is situated entirely within the Alps. Most of its territory is mountainous, making it a popular destination for skiers. With almost no natural resources, the country has developed a highly-industrialized free-enterprise economy. Like its neighbor Switzerland, Liechtenstein follows a policy of neutrality and has no military.

B. Next on the list of tiny countries is Monaco, which covers about 2 square kilometers. Monaco is also famous for being the smallest monarchy in the world, and for being the most densely populated country. It may be best known as one of James Bond’s favorite places, with its many casinos and beautiful women! The economy of Monaco is based mostly on gambling and tourism. It lies on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and borders France.

C. Everyone knows that Russia is the largest country in the world, in terms of territory. But what about the world’s smallest countries; do you know what they are? Today there are 17 countries that each consists of less than 500 square kilometers in area. If we combined all the land area of these 17 countries, we would have a single country just a bit larger than the U.S. state of Rhode Island. Even tiny Singapore is too big for this list.

D. The smallest of these tiny countries is Vatican City, covering less than half a square kilometer. Vatican City is the spiritual center of the world’s Roman Catholics, who today number over 1 billion. It is also the home of the Pope, the head of the Catholic Church. About 800 people reside permanently in Vatican City, but over 25,000 people visit every day, in order to see its beautiful churches and museums. Vatican City is surrounded by Rome, Italy.

E. Tiny Nauru is both the smallest island nation in the world and the smallest republic. Its total territory is just 21 square kilometers. It’s situated in the southern Pacific Ocean. In the early part of the 20th century, the people of Nauru became rich, thanks to the rich phosphate reserves on the island. But once all the phosphate was mined, the small nation found it had no other income source for its 9,000 citizens. Today 90% of the island’s inhabitants are unemployed.

F. Many of the world’s smallest countries are islands or groups of islands. For example, the Maldives is a country made up of 1,190 islands, only 185 of which are occupied. The country, situated in the Indian Ocean, can claim 298 square kilometers in land- territory. A former colony of the U.K., it has been independent since 1965. While hot and humid all year long, the Maldives also enjoys constant cool sea breezes. Its beautiful coral reefs make it a popular destination for divers.

G. You’ve probably never heard of San Marino, another of the world’s smallest countries. San Marino is known as the world’s oldest republic, having been founded in AD 301 by a group of early Christians escaping religious persecution. The nation is situated on the Adriatic coast, bordering north-central Italy. This location makes it a highly desirable tourist destination. Indeed, tourism has helped transform San Marino from one of the world’s poorest countries to one of the richest.