What is the smallest country in the world by land area?

The smallest country in the world by land area is Vatican City. This independent city-state occupies about 0.49 square kilometres, or roughly 49 hectares, inside Rome, Italy.

Vatican City became a sovereign state in 1929 through the Lateran Treaty between the Holy See and the Kingdom of Italy. It is governed by the pope and serves as the administrative and spiritual centre of the Catholic Church. Its territory includes St. Peter’s Basilica, the Sistine Chapel, the Vatican Museums and the Vatican Gardens.

A common mix-up is confusing Vatican City with the Holy See. The Holy See is the Catholic Church’s central governing authority and conducts diplomacy; Vatican City is the physical sovereign territory that supports its independence. Monaco, Liechtenstein and Nauru are also very small countries, but each has considerably more land. Vatican City is also the world’s smallest sovereign state by population.