Which country is the smallest UN member state by area?

Monaco is the smallest UN member state by area.

The principality covers roughly 2.08 square kilometres on the French Riviera, making it the world’s second-smallest sovereign state overall. Vatican City is smaller, but it is not a United Nations member state. Monaco joined the UN as a full voting member in 1993, which is why the wording “UN member state” matters.

Monaco is a densely built city-state bordered by France on three sides and the Mediterranean Sea on the south. Its limited territory includes famous areas such as Monaco-Ville, La Condamine, Monte Carlo and Fontvieille. Land reclamation has expanded the coastline and created new districts, but Monaco remains extraordinarily compact.

Several other tiny countries can cause confusion. Tuvalu, San Marino and Nauru are all small sovereign states, yet each has a larger land area than Monaco. Monaco’s size is also different from its population density: despite its tiny territory, it is commonly identified as the most densely populated country in the world.