What Is the Smallest Country in Europe?

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Country
Area (km²)↑
Area (mi²)
Population
Vatican City< 1501
Monaco238,341
Gibraltar740,126
San Marino6133,572
Guernsey7864,477
Jersey116103,989
Liechtenstein16040,128
Malta316545,405
Andorra46882,904
Isle of Man57284,118
Faroe Islands1.4K56,002
Luxembourg2.6K680,453
Cyprus9.3K1,370,750
Montenegro13.8K632,729
Slovenia20.3K2,117,070
North Macedonia25.7K1,813,790
Albania28.7K2,771,510
Belgium30.5K11,758,600
Moldova33.8K2,996,110
Switzerland41.3K8,967,410
Netherlands41.9K18,346,800
Denmark43.1K6,002,510
Estonia45.2K1,344,230
Slovakia49K5,474,880
Bosnia and Herzegovina51.2K3,140,100
Croatia56.6K3,848,160
Latvia64.6K1,853,560
Lithuania65.3K2,830,140
Ireland70.3K5,308,040
Czech Republic78.9K10,609,200
Austria83.9K9,113,570
Serbia88.4K6,689,040
Portugal92.1K10,411,800
Hungary93K9,632,290
Iceland103K398,266
Bulgaria110.9K6,714,560
Greece132K9,938,840
Belarus207.6K8,997,600
Romania238.4K18,908,600
United Kingdom242.9K69,551,300
Italy301.3K59,146,300
Poland312.7K38,140,900
Norway323.8K5,623,070
Finland338.4K5,623,330
Germany357.1K84,075,100
Sweden450.3K10,656,600
Spain506K47,890,000
France551.7K66,650,800
Ukraine603.5K38,980,400
Russia17.1M143,997,000

The smallest country in Europe is Vatican City, a microstate contained entirely inside the city of Rome, Italy. The Vatican (and its politically intertwined alter ego, the Holy See) is the seat of the Catholic Church. As such, Vatican City is a popular tourist destination for Catholics and non-Catholics alike. The entirety of the Vatican itself is just over 100 acres.

Top 10 Smallest Countries in Europe by Population

Country
Population
Vatican City501
San Marino33,572
Monaco38,341
Gibraltar40,126
Liechtenstein40,128
Faroe Islands56,002
Guernsey64,477
Andorra82,904
Isle of Man84,118
Jersey103,989

Top 10 Smallest Countries in Europe by Total Area (km²/mi²)

Country
Area (km²)
Vatican City< 1
Monaco2
Gibraltar7
San Marino61
Guernsey78
Jersey116
Liechtenstein160
Malta316
Andorra468
Isle of Man572

What is the Smallest Country Outside of the Vatican?

Other than the Vatican, the smallest country in Europe is Monaco, a Western European microstate located on the French Riviera, just a few kilometers from the border between France and Italy. A Mediterranean country, Monaco is bordered by France to the northeast, northwest, and southwest, but is far from landlocked because its entire southeastern border runs along the Mediterranean Sea. Monaco is known for its incredible wealth, and it is the home of one of the most popular Formula 1 races during the year.

What is the Largest Country in Europe?

The largest country in Europe is Russia, which is not only the largest country in Europe, but also the largest country in Asia and the largest country in the world. The largest country located entirely in Europe is Ukraine. Like Russia, Ukraine is a former USSR country, but is now considered more culturally European than Russian. Ukraine is more than 603,000 km² (233,000 mi²) in area and is bordered by other very large countries, including Russia and Poland. The size of many European countries has changed during the past few hundred years as territory has changed hands, mostly due to wars.

Is the United Kingdom part of Europe?

The United Kingdom is a union of the countries England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, and is part of Europe even though the UK does not share a land border with any other European countries. Although the United Kingdom officially exited the European Union in 2020, it still maintains very strong relations with the other countries of Europe and has a variety of strong military alliances with European countries, many of which are part of NATO, a military alliance led by the United States.