Monday, February 13, 2012

Tiny countries and city-states

Here is an incomplete list of tiny countries and autonomous territories, all under 1,000,000 in population AND smaller than 50,000 sq.km. Many of these are associated with larger countries because of their small size, and could be classified as autonomous or semi-autonomous.  Most of these are city-states or islands. For some island countries I split up the countries, but I am not consistent. I don't show islands with a population of less than 1000, unless they are already recognized as a separate territory (i.e. Pitcairn).  Just to be clear, totally independent countries are in bold and dependent territories are in italics. (km2 = square kilometers).  This is a work in progress.

It seems almost incredible that any of these could be considered independent countries.  It also seems kind of random which ones are independent vs. dependent. There are many countries I excluded from this list because they are slightly bigger than 1 million people, or 50,000 sq. km, and those could be on a separate list.  To reiterate, these are all tiny states, and they could choose to be independent or to affiliate themselves with a much larger state.
  1. Abkhazia (Georgia, pop. 240,000, area 8600 km2).  Considers itself an independent state.
  2. Abu Dhabi (UAE, pop. 900,000, area 67 km2).
  3. Aden (Yemen, pop. 1,000,000, area 192 km2). British colony until 1963.  On a peninsula.
  4. Aegina (Greece, pop. 14000, area 87 km2).  Greek island.
  5. Ajman (UAE, pop. 361000, area 260 km2)
  6. Akrotiri and Dhekalia (UK,  pop. 15000, area 254 km2., domain none).  On Cyprus.
  7. Aland Islands (Finland, pop. 28,000, area 13,000 km2, domain .ax). Autonomous Swedish-speaking area of Finland.
  8. Alonnisos (Greece, pop. 2700, area 130 km2).  Greek island.
  9. American Samoa (US, pop. 56,000, area 197 km2, domain .as)
  10. Andorra (pop. 78,000, area 468 km2, domain .ad)
  11. Anegada (UK, BVI, pop. 200, area 38 km2).
  12. Andros (Greece, pop. 10,000, area 380 km2).  Greek island.
  13. Anguilla (UK, pop. 14000, area 91 km2., domain .ai). Caribbean island.
  14. Antigua (Antigua and Barbuda, pop. 87000, area 246 km2). Caribbean island.
  15. Aruba (Netherlands, pop. 101,000, area 179 km2).  Located in the Caribbean and a "country" within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
  16. Azores (Portugal, pop. 246,000, area 2300 km2) 
  17. Baarle-Nassau and Baarle-Hertog (Netherlands and Belgium. combined pop. 10,000, area 85 km2).  These unique cities are intertwined.  Baarle-Nassau consists of 26 separate pieces of land, and Baarle-Hertog consists of 24.
  18. Bahamas (pop. 354,000, area 14,000 km2).
  19. Bangka Island (Indonesia, pop. 627,000, area 11,910 km2).
  20. Barbados (pop. 285,000, area 431 km2).
  21. Barbuda (Antigua and Barbuda, pop. 1500, area 161 km2).
  22. Batam (Indonesia, pop. 950,000, area 715 km2).
  23. Belize (pop. 333,000, area 23,000 km2)
  24. Bermuda (UK, pop. 64,000, area 53 km2).
  25. Bhutan (pop. 708,000, area 38,000 km2).
  26. Bonaire (Netherlands, pop. 16,000, area 294 km2, domain .an) 
  27. Brcko District (Bosnia-Herzegovina, pop. 87,000, 493 km2). One of the 3 regions of Bosnia-Herzegovina, which is made up of 2 other autonomous regions: The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and  Republika Srpska, which are de facto independent.
  28. British Virgin Islands (UK, pop. 27,000, area 153 km2, domain .vg)
  29. Brunei (pop. 402,000, area 5700 km2., domain .bn) 
  30. Brussels (Belgium, pop. 145,000, 33 km2).  City-state.
  31. Busingen (Germany, pop. 1400, area 8 km2). German enclave in Switzerland.
  32. Buton (Indonesia, pop. 500,000, area 4400 km2).
  33. Cabinda (Angola, pop. 358,999, area 7800 km2, domain none) 
  34. Campione d'Italia (Italy, pop. 2200. area 2 km2). Italian enclave in Switzerland.
  35. Cape Breton Island (Nova Scotia, Canada, pop. 147,000 area 10,300 km2)
  36. Cape Verde (pop. 567,000, area 4000 sq.km, domain .cv). Received independence from Portugal in 1975.
  37. Carriacou and Petite Martinique (Grenada, pop. 10,000, area 38 km2).
  38. Cayman Islands (UK, pop. 55,000, area 260 km2, domain .ky) 
  39. Cephalonia  (Greece, pop. 36000, area 781 km2).  Greek island.
  40. Ceuta (Spain, pop. 75,000, area 18 km2, domain ceuta.es). City-state on the African continent.
  41. Chios (Greek, pop. 52000, area 843 km2).
  42. Christmas Island (Australia, pop. 1400, area 135 km2).
  43. Cocos (Keeling) Islands (Australia, pop. 596, area 14 sq.km, domain .cc)
  44. Comoros (pop. 798000, area 2200 km2).  Received independence from France in 1975.
  45. Cook Islands (New Zealand, pop. 20,000, area 240 km2, domain .ck). 
  46. Corfu (Greek, pop. 110,000, area 614 km2).
  47. Corsica (France, pop. 302000, area 8700 km2)
  48. Crete (Greece, pop. 621,000, area 8400 km2). 
  49. Curacao (Netherlands, pop. 142000, area 444 km2).
  50. Cyprus (pop. 839,000, area 9251 km2 (includes north), domain .cy)
  51. Cythera (Greece, pop. 3400, area 280 km2).  Greek island.
  52. Delaware (US, pop. 917,000, area 2490 km2).  US state and tax haven.
  53. Diego Garcia aka British Indian Ocean Territory aka Chagos (UK, pop. 3500, area 60 km2, domain none)
  54. Djerba (Tunisia, pop 140,000, area 514 km2).
  55. Djibouti (pop. 818,000, area 23,200 km2, domain .dj).
  56. Dominica (pop. 73,000, area 750 km2, domain .dm). Received independence from UK in 1978.
  57. Easter Island (Chile, pop. 5000, area 164 km2).
  58. Equatorial Guinea (pop. 676,000, area 28,000 km2, domain .gq)
  59. Euboea (Greece, pop. 198000, area 3700 km2).  Greek island.
  60. Falkland Islands (UK, pop. 3,000, area 12,000 km2, domain .fk)
  61. Faroe Islands (Denmark, pop. 49,000; area 1400 km2, domain .fo)
  62. Fiji (pop. 849,000, area 18,000 km2, domain .fj).
  63. French Guiana (France, pop. 217,000, area 84,000 km2).  French territory in South America.
  64. French Polynesia (France, pop. 267,000, area 4167 km2, domain .pf).
  65. Fujairah (UAE, pop. 130,000, area 1150 km2).
  66. Funen (Denmark, pop. 454,000, area 3000 km2).
  67. Gagauzia (Moldova, pop. 161,000, area 1800 km2).  Autonomous region of Moldova.
  68. Geneva (Switzerland, pop. 191,000, area 16 km2). Global city-state.
  69. Gibraltar (UK, pop. 29,000, area 7 sq.km, domain .gi)
  70. Gran Canaria (Spain, Canary Islands, pop. 840,000, area 1560 km2).
  71. Grand Turk (UK, Turk and Caicos, pop. 3700, area 18 km2)
  72. Grenada (pop. 110,000, area 344 km2, domain .gd).
  73. The Grenadines (St. Vincent and the Grenadines, pop. 9200, area 43 km2).
  74. Guadalupe (French, pop. 405,000, area 1,600 sq.km, domain .gp)
  75. Guam (US, pop. 178,000, area 541 sq.km, domain .gu)
  76. Guantanamo Bay (US, pop 720, area 120 km2).  US naval base in Cuba, under US control but Cuban sovereignty.
  77. Guernsey (UK, pop. 65,000, area 78 sq.km., domain .gg) 
  78. Hawai'i - The Big Island (US, pop. 185,000, area 10,432 km2).
  79. Hawar Islands (Bahrain, pop. 4,000, area 50 km2).  These were previously claimed by Qatar.
  80. Hutt River (Australia, pop. 30, area 75 km2). Self-proclaimed independent principality.
  81. Icaria (Greece, pop. 8300, area 254 km2). Greek island.
  82. Ifni (Morocco, pop. 51,000, area 1500 km2).  Former Spanish province.
  83. Isla Martín García (Argentina, pop. 150, area 2 km2).  Argentine island previously claimed by Uruguay. 
  84. Isla Margarita (Venezuela, pop. 437,000, area 1020 km2).  Island off the coast off Venezuela.
  85. Isle of Man (UK, pop. 85,000, area 572 km2, domain .im) 
  86. Ithaca (Greece,  pop. 3000, area 118 km2).
  87. Jeju-do (South Korea, pop. 532,000, area 1850 km2).  Autonomous province. 
  88. Jersey (pop. 98,000, area 116 km2, domain .je)
  89. Jolo (Philippines, pop. 448,000, area 870 km2)
  90. Kalingrad (Russia, pop. 432,000 in city, 940,000 in oblast, area 215 km2 in city, 15100 km2 in oblast, domain none).
  91. Karpathos (Greece, pop. 6500, area 324 km2).  Greek island.
  92. Key West (Florida, US, pop. 25,000, area 19 km2).  City-state on an island closer to Havana than Miami.
  93. Kiribati  (pop. 100,000, area 811 km2, domain .ki).  Received independence from UK in 1979.  Formerly known as the Gilbert Islands.
  94. Kos (Greece, pop. 31000, area 287 km2).  Greek island.
  95. Kosovo District (Kosovo and Metohija - disputed, pop. 672,000, area about 6700 km2).
  96. Labuan (Malaysia, pop. 100,000, area 91 km2).
  97. Lefkada (Greece, pop. 21,000, area 336 km2).  Greek island.
  98. Lemnos (Greece, pop. 17,000, area 477 km2).  Greek island.
  99. Lesbos (Greece, pop. 90000, 1600 km2).  Greek island.
  100. Liechtenstein (pop. 36,000, area 160 km2, domain .li)
  101. Luxembourg (pop. 512,000, area 2500 km2, domain .lu)
  102. Macau (China, pop. 545,000, area 29 km2, domain .mo). City-state.
  103. Madeira (Portugal, 267,000, area 801 km2). 
  104. Majorca (Spain, pop. 869000, area 3600 km2).  Spanish island.
  105. Maldives (pop. 329,000, area 298 km2, domain .mv). Islands off the coast of India.
  106. Malta (pop. 417,000, area 316 km2, domain .mt)
  107. Marshall Islands (US, pop. 68,000, area 181 km2, domain .mh)
  108. Martinique (France, pop. 398,000, area 1,100 km2, domain none). Island in the Caribbean.
  109. Masbate (Philippines, pop. 770,000, area 4150 km2).
  110. Mayotte (France, pop. 194,000, area 374 km2, domain .yt). Near Comoros in the Indian Ocean and claimed by Comoros.
  111. Melilla (Spain, pop.  73,000, area 12 km2, domain melilla.es). City-state on the coast of Morocco.
  112. Metohija (Kosovo and Metohija - disputed, pop. 800,000, area 3340 km2).
  113. Micronesia, Federated States of (pop. 111,000, area 702 km2, domain .fm) 
  114. Monaco (pop. 36,000, area 2 sq.km, domain .mc)
  115. Montenegro (pop. 625,000, area 13,800 sq. km., domain .me)
  116. Montserrat (UK, pop. 5,900,  area 102 sq. km., domain .ms)
  117. Mount Athos (Greece, pop. 2200, area 336 km2).
  118. Nagorno-Karabakh  (Azerbaijan, pop. 138,000, area 4400 km2). De facto independent state.
  119. Nauru (pop. 9300, area 21 km2).
  120. Naxos (Greece, pop. 18000 area 430 km2).  Greek island
  121. Nevis (St. Kitts and Nevis, pop. 12,000, area 93 km2)
  122. New Britain (Papua New Guinea, pop. 514,000, area 36500 km2)
  123. New Caledonia (France, pop 252,000, area 18500 km2, domain .nc)
  124. Nias (Indonesia, pop. 750,000, area 148 km2).  Island.
  125. Niue (New Zealand, pop. 1400, area 260 km2)
  126. Norfolk Island (Australia, pop. 2100, area 34 km2., domain .nf)
  127. North Caicos (Turks and Caicos, pop. 2000, area 116 km2).
  128. Northern Cyprus (Turkey, pop. 295,000, area 3355 km2., domain .nc.tr)
  129. Northern Mariana Islands (US, pop. 54,000, area 465 km2, domain .mp).
  130. Orkney Islands (UK, pop. 20,000, area 990 km2).
  131. Palau (pop. 21,000, area 460 km2).
  132. Paros (Greece, pop. 13000, area 196 km2).
  133. Paxi (Greece, pop. 2400, area 30 km2).
  134. Penang Island (Malaysia, pop. 750,000, area 293 km2)
  135. Penghu (Taiwan, pop. 93,000, area 141 km2).
  136. Pitcairn Islands (UK, pop. 67, area 47 km2, domain .pn)
  137. Point Roberts (Washington, US, pop. 1300, area 13 km2).
  138. Prince Edward Island (Canada, pop. 140000, area 5660 km2).
  139. Providenciales (Turks and Caicos, pop. 22,700, area 164 km2).
  140. Ras al-Khaimah (UAE, pop. 263,000, 1680 km2). 
  141. Reunion (France, pop. 827,000, area 2500 km2, domain reunion.fr).  Island in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar.
  142. Reykjavik (Iceland, pop. 200,000, area 777 km2). City-state.
  143. Rhodes (Greece, pop. 117000, area 1400 km2). Greek island.
  144. Saba (Netherlands, pop. 1800, area 13 km2, domain .an). Special municipality within the Netherlands. 
  145. Samos (Greece, pop. 34,000, area 477 km2).  Greek island.
  146. St. Barthelemy (France, pop. 9000, area 21 km2).
  147. St. Croix (US, pop. 51,000, area 236 km2).  Largest of US Virgin Islands.
  148. St. Helena (UK)
  149. St. John (US, pop. 4,000, area 82 km2).  One of the US Virgin Islands.
  150. St. Kitts
  151. St. Lucia
  152. St. Martin (France, pop 37,000, area 53 km2)
  153. St. Pierre and Miquelon (France, pop. 5,900, area 242 sq.km, domain .pm).  12 miles off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.
  154. St. Thomas (US, pop. 52,000, area 81 km2).  Part of US Virgin Islands.
  155. St. Vincent (St. Vincent and the Grenadines, pop. 120,000, area 348 km2). 
  156. Samoa (pop. 194,000, area 2,831 km2, domain .ws)
  157. San Andrés y Providencia (Colombia, pop. 75,000, area 53 km2).
  158. San Marino (pop. 32,000, area 61 sq.km, domain .sm)
  159. Sao Tome and Principe (pop. 183,000, area 1000 km2, domain .st). Independent of Portugal in 1975.
  160. Sarawak (Malaysia)
  161. Sark (Guernsey, UK, pop. 600, area 5 km2)
  162. Seychelles (pop. 84,000, area 451 sq.km, domain .sc)
  163. Sharjah (UAE, pop. 890,000, area 2590 km2). Protectorate of the UK before it joined the UAE in 1971.
  164. Shetland Islands (UK)
  165. Sint Eustatius (Netherlands, pop. 3500, area 21 km2, domain .an). Caribbean island and special municipality of Netherlands.
  166. Sint-Maarten (Netherlands) 
  167. Skiathos (Greece, pop. 6000, area 50 km2).  Greek island.
  168. Skopelos (Greece, pop. 4700, area 96 km2).  Greek island.
  169. Skyros (Greece, pop. 2600, area 223 km2). Greek island.
  170. Slovakia
  171. Slovenia
  172. Solomon Islands
  173. South Caicos (UK, Turks and Caicos, pop. 1580, area 21 km2).
  174. South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands (UK, pop. 30, area 3900 km2). Islands in the South Atlantic.  Claimed by Argentina.
  175. South Ossetia (Georgia, pop. 72000, area 3900 km2). Considers itself an independent republic.
  176. Southern Cameroons (Cameroon)
  177. Spratly Islands (Philippines)
  178. Strasbourg (France,  pop. 273,000, area 78 km2). City-state. German-speaking French city.
  179. Svalbard (Norway, pop. 2400, area 61,000 km2).
  180. Tenerife (Spain, Canary Islands, pop. 900,000, area 2034 km2).
  181. Thasos (Greece, pop. 14000, area 380 km2). Greek island.
  182. Tinos (Greece, pop. 8600, area 195 k2). Greek island.
  183. Tobago  (Trinidad and Tobago, pop. 61,000, area 300 km2, domain .tt)
  184. Tokelau (New Zealand, pop. 1400, area 10 sq.km, domain .tk)
  185. Tonga (pop. 103,000, area 748 km2, domain .to)
  186. Tortola (BVI, pop, 23900, area 56 km2).
  187. Transnistria aka Pridnestrovie (Moldova, pop. 519,000, area 4163 km2).  Breakaway region of Moldova. 
  188. Trieste (Italy, pop. 205000, area 84 km2).  Almost an exclave of Italy, on the coast of Slovenia. Previously a free city-state under the protection of the UN as the Free Territory of Trieste.
  189. Tristan da Cunha (UK, pop 264, area 207 km2). Over 2000 kilometers from the nearest inhabited island, and 2800 kilometers from the nearest land.
  190. Tuvalu (pop. 10544, area 26 km2, domain .tv).
  191. Umm al-Quwain (UAE, pop. 62,000, area 750 km2).  One of the emirates.
  192. Vancouver Island (Canada, pop. 750,000, area 31300 km2).
  193. Vanuatu/New Hebrides (pop. 225,000, area 12,200 km2).
  194. Vatican City (pop. 832, area 0.44 sq.km, domain .va)
  195. Virgin Gorda (UK, BVI, pop. 3700, area 21 km2)
  196. Wallis and Futuna (French, pop. 15,000, area 264 sq.km, domain .wf)
  197. Walvis Bay (Namibia, pop. 85,000, area 29 km2).  Governed by South Africa until 1994.
  198. Zakynthos (Greece, pop. 39000, area 408 km2)
  199. Zanzibar (Tanzania, pop. 362,000 area 2600 km2). Became independent of UK in 1963 and joined Tanzania in 1964.
  200. Zurich (Switzerland, pop. 372,000, area 88 km2).  City-state.

The following countries are excluded from the list.  This is not a complete list.
Aceh, Indonesia (too populous)
Albania (too populous)
Armenia (too populous)
Bahrain (too populous)
Basque Country, Spain (too populous)
Clipperton Island, France (uninhabited)
Dubai (too populous)
East Timor (aka Timor-Leste) (pop. over 1,000,000)
El Salvador (too populous)
Greenland (too large)
Hawaii, US (too populous)
Heard Islands and McDonald Islands (unpopulated)
Hong Kong (too populous)
Iceland (too large)
Madagascar.
Okinawa (too populous)
Panama (too populous)
Papua, Indonesia
Puerto Rico (too populous)
Rhode Island, US
Sabah, Malaysia
Sao Joao Batista de Ajuda (Benin).  This was a 2 acre Portuguese enclave in Dahomey, annexed by Dahomey (Benin) in 1961.
Singapore (too populous)
Switzerland (too populous, but parts are listed above)
Taiwan (too populous).
Togoland, Ghana (too populous)
Trinidad.  Pop. 1.2 million
Tuva, Russia (too large)
Western Sahara (too large)
Yemen (too populous)
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