Could you name the world’s smallest countries and territories by population? You’d be surprised, but chances are you’re familiar with quite a few. A strong majority of these lightly populated places are remote islands, with many relying heavily on tourism.

For example, only about 30,000 people actually call the British Virgin Islands home. For perspective, that’s about the same number of people who live in Lakeside, Florida. However, over 400,000 people visit the collection of islands every year, though, that was before COVID-19. Many of the Caribbean islands are trying to recover from the coronavirus pandemic, which hurt tourism.

Nine of the 25 smallest countries and territories in the world are located in the Oceania region, where dozens of islands are sprinkled throughout almost the entirety of the Pacific Ocean. Another eight are located in Latin America and the Caribbean. The rest are scattered across or near Europe, Africa, and even North America.

Some of the countries on the list have interesting stories about how they were named. Some take their moniker from the physical characteristics of their natives, while others tend to be named after geographic feature. These are the surprising stories behind 50 country names.

Click here to see the world’s smallest countries and territories.

To identify the least populated countries and territories in the world, 24/7 Tempo reviewed social and economic data on 232 countries and territories recognized by the United Nations from its publication “World Population Prospects: 2019 Revision” from the Department of Economic and Social Affairs’ Population Division. Recognized designations include member UN states, non-member states, non-self-governing member states, and official designated areas. The surface area of each country also comes from the UN, and the U.S. towns closest in population was derived from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey for 2016 5-Year estimates.

23. Saint Kitts and Nevis
> 2020 population: 53,332
> Land area: 100.8 square miles
> Sovereignty: Sovereign
> Comparably populated U.S. city: Anderson, Indiana

The twin islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis are not as widely known as other Caribbean islands, including Saint Lucia and the Bahamas for example. Like other Caribbean islands, Saint Kitts and Nevis is molded as a tourist destination. With only about 53,000 people living on the twin islands, Saint Kitts and Nevis is one of the world’s least populous countries.

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22. Faroe Islands
> 2020 population: 48,863
> Land area: 537.8 square miles
> Sovereignty: Kingdom of Denmark
> Comparably populated U.S. city: Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio

Never heard of the Faroe Islands? They are located right between Iceland and Scotland’s Shetland Islands. There are more sheep in the Faroe Islands than there are people. About 70,000 sheep roam the islands, while not even 50,000 people inhabit them.

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21. Sint Maarten
> 2020 population: 43,045
> Land area: 5.0 square miles
> Sovereignty: Kingdom of the Netherlands
> Comparably populated U.S. city: Sherman, Texas

Sint Maarten occupies the southern 40% of the island of Saint Martin (the larger portion, in the north, is Saint-Martin, under French rule). The territory has experienced the fifth largest population increase of any country or territory in the past 60 years. In 1957, when Sint Maarten was still a part of the Netherland Antilles, only 2,322 people inhabited the area.

20. Monaco
> 2020 population: 39,340
> Land area: 0.8 square miles
> Sovereignty: Sovereign
> Comparably populated U.S. city: Hurst, Texas

The small country of Monaco sits on less than a square mile of land. The country is situated on the shore of the Mediterranean sea, near the French-Italian border. Monaco attracts many wealthy individuals and families because it has no income tax. In 2015, about one in three Monaco residents was a millionaire.

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19. Turks and Caicos Islands
> 2020 population: 38,901
> Land area: 366 square miles
> Sovereignty: United Kingdom
> Comparably populated U.S. city: Richmond West, Florida

Turks and Caicos — which comprises roughly 100 named islands and cays, only nine of which are inhabited — is one of the top destinations for travelers. While only about 35,000 people call the islands home, they attract about 29 times more tourists. In 2016, over 1.3 million tourists visited Turks and Caicos.

18. Liechtenstein
> 2020 population: 38,167
> Land area: 61.8 square miles
> Sovereignty: Sovereign
> Comparably populated U.S. city: Gainesville, Georgia

Sitting right between the larger countries of Switzerland and Austria, Liechtenstein is one of Europe’s smallest countries. Just over 38,000 people inhabit the country. Liechtenstein is one of the last-standing functional monarchies in Europe.

17. San Marino
> 2020 population: 33,785
> Land area: 23.6 square miles
> Sovereignty: Sovereign
> Comparably populated U.S. city: Mount Vernon, Washington

Positioned on the slopes of Mount Titano, San Marino is surrounded by Italy. The small enclave attracts a lot of tourists. San Marino boasts more than 3 million visitors each year, while only 33,785 people actually live there.

16. Gibraltar
> 2020 population: 33,687
> Land area: 2.3 square miles
> Sovereignty: United Kingdom
> Comparably populated U.S. city: Huntington Station, New York

Located on the south coast of Spain is the small British territory of Gibraltar. Gibraltar is one of 14 British Overseas Territories. Despite being located in Spain, the official language of the tiny territory is English.

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15. British Virgin Islands
> 2020 population: 30,303
> Land area: 58.3 square miles
> Sovereignty: United Kingdom
> Comparably populated U.S. city: Lakeside, Florida

The British territory consists of four islands: Jost Van Dyke, Tortola, Virgin Gorda, and Anegada. Like many small islands in the Caribbean, the British Virgin Islands is a go-to destination for those who prefer sunshine, beaches, and exploration. BVI has witnessed an increase in tourism over the years.

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14. Caribbean Netherlands
> 2020 population: 26,310
> Land area: 126.7 square miles
> Sovereignty: Kingdom of Netherlands
> Comparably populated U.S. city: South Portland, Maine

Caribbean Netherlands consists of the islands of Bonaire, St Eustatius, and Saba. Christopher Columbus discovered St Eustatius and Saba in 1493. The islands became a part of the Netherlands proper after the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles in 2010.

13. Palau
> 2020 population: 18,122
> Land area: 177.2 square miles
> Sovereignty: Sovereign
> Comparably populated U.S. city: Geneva, Illinois

The United States assumed administration of Palau in 1947 after World War II. The nation gained its independence in 1994. Palau still coordinates with the U.S. on a range of issues from strengthening regional security to reducing human impact on climate change.

12. Cook Islands
> 2020 population: 18,000
> Land area: 91.1 square miles
> Sovereignty: New Zealand
> Comparably populated U.S. city: Mattoon, Illinois

The Cook Islands hold a free association agreement with New Zealand. Located in the South Pacific Ocean, Cook Islands became a colony of New Zealand’s in 1901. About 64 years later the countries decided on an agreement that permits the Cook Islands to administer its own affairs, but its residents are all citizens of New Zealand.

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11. Anguilla
> 2020 population: 15,050
> Land area: 35.1 square miles
> Sovereignty: United Kingdom
> Comparably populated U.S. city: Stanford, California

Travel & Leisure magazine has rated Anguilla the top island to visit in the Caribbean for the past two consecutive years. The British overseas territory is located about 12 miles to the north of Saint Martin and about 60 miles northwest of Saint Kitts. Only about 15,000 people actually live in Anguilla — the island is more tailored to tourism. The island is peppered with shops selling anything from fine jewelry and elegant resort clothing to gourmet foods and spirits. It also offers 33 beaches and a variety of water sports.

10. Tuvalu
> 2020 population: 12,000
> Land area: 10 square miles
> Sovereignty: Sovereign
> Comparably populated U.S. city: Coshocton, Ohio

Formerly known as Ellice Islands, Tuvalu comprises nine small coral islands that stretch across 420 miles worth of ocean. Only 12,000 people live in the country, about the same amount of people living in Coshocton, Ohio.

9. Wallis and Futuna islands
> 2020 population: 11,773
> Land area: 77.2 square miles
> Sovereignty: France
> Comparably populated U.S. city: Citrus, California

Wallis and Futuna are two French-funded island groups that lie about 143 miles away from one another. The beaches in Wallis and Futuna are evidently a big a draw. Coral reefs surround Wallis, making it an excellent spot for snorkeling.

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8. Nauru
> 2020 population: 10,824
> Land area: 8.1 square miles
> Sovereignty: Sovereign
> Comparably populated U.S. city: Gloucester, New Jersey

Nauru spans over just 8 square miles, making it one of the smallest countries and territories in the world. While the island may be smaller than average in size, the people who live there certainly aren’t. Like many oceanic islands, the obesity rate is high due to dependence on import foods and lack of affordable healthy food. Nauru is among the most overweight nation in the world. In 2016, 88.5% of residents were overweight, the highest share worldwide at the time.

7. Saint Helena
> 2020 population: 6,000
> Land area: 118.9 square miles
> Sovereignty: United Kingdom
> Comparably populated U.S. city: Boyertown, Pennsylvania

Saint Helena is another British overseas territory. A Portuguese navigator by the name of João de Nova discovered the South Atlantic island in 1502. Nova named the territory after St Helena of Constantinople, who was the mother of Constantine the Great.

6. Saint Pierre and Miquelon
> 2020 population: 6,000
> Land area: 93.4 square miles
> Sovereignty: France
> Comparably populated U.S. city: Sealy, Texas

Saint Pierre and Miquelon islands are located about 15 miles off the southern coast of Newfoundland, Canada. Together, Saint Pierre and Miquelon span about 93.4 square miles. About 10 of those square miles make up Saint Pierre, which houses about 90% of the total population.

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5. Montserrat
> 2020 population: 5,373
> Land area: 39.4 square miles
> Sovereignty: United Kingdom
> Comparably populated U.S. city: Pea Ridge, Arkansas

The first European to discover Montserrat was Christopher Columbus, who named the island after an abbey in Spain. Natural disaster may partially explain why the population in this Caribbean island is so small. A 1995 volcano eruption on the island prompted 7,000 residents to move away. In 2013, half of the island still was designated an exclusion zone.

 

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4. Falkland Islands (Malvinas)
> 2017 population: 3,000
> Land area: 4,700 square miles
> Sovereignty: United Kingdom
> Comparably populated U.S. city: Castroville, Texas

The Falkland Islands lies about 300 miles northeast of the southern tip of Argentina. Britain and Argentina have disputed for years over ownership of the group of islands, a dispute that escalated to a war in 1982. The Falkland Islands and its 3,000 inhabitants remain a British overseas territory.

3. Niue
> 2020 population: 1,630
> Land area: 100.4 square miles
> Sovereignty: New Zealand
> Comparably populated U.S. city: Crystal Falls, Michigan

In 1774, English navigator Captain James Cook spotted Niue but was refused landing by the local people on three different accounts. Niue — and its 1,630 residents — is freely associated with New Zealand.

2. Tokelau
> 2020 population: 1,600
> Land area: 4.6 square miles
> Sovereignty: New Zealand
> Comparably populated U.S. city: Manhattan, Montana

Tokelau is only home to 1,600 people, about the same amount as in the town of Manhattan, Montana. Tokelau consists of three atolls, which are a chain of islands formed of coral.

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1. Holy See (Vatican City)
> 2020 population: 1,000
> Land area: 0.2 square miles
> Sovereignty: Sovereign
> Comparably populated U.S. city: Shalimar, Florida

Holy See is the world’s smallest sovereign nation. Located within the city of Rome, Vatican City was created following a treaty signed by the Holy See and Italy in 1929. Only 1,000 people live in the territory, about the same number of people who live in small town Shalimar, Florida. High schools in urban U.S. areas typically have more kids than the Holy See’s entire population.

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